Cathedral Builder: Pursuing Cultural Beauty

by Jeffery J. Ventrella

The rule of law is a cathedral we have to build brick by brick. But how are the bricks to be laid? Is there an order? How does one distinguish between cultural bricks and mortar? Or, facade? And, upon what foundation should these bricks rest? What rules should same-sex "marriage," the Academy, the Constitution, faith, homosexualism, and abortion "rights" play in this cultural project?

This book examines these questions in the context of today's legal culture by exploring what it takes to build a lasting and beautiful cultural cathedral. Will the rule of law be a lasting thing of increasing beauty, or a hastily erected, unstable, rusting tin shack?

335 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[David Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly relevant for being 20 years old. Also surprisingly readable for being a collection of short blog posts. Several notable themes run throughout: 1. The antithesis between Christians and non-Christians, 2. John Frame’s triperspectivalism applied to culture building and analysis, 3. An exploration of the three gatekeepers of culture: church, education, law 4. Christ’s Lordship over all of society and the subsequent requirement of society to submit.

Ventrella is wise, insightful and knows where to lay the axe. Helped me understand what it would look like to form an actionable plan to start implementing this locally.

[David Carraway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book surprisingly insiteful. At first I didn't know if it would be relavent to me or not since it is a collection of blogs aimed at rising attorneys. It focus' on triangulating all situations in life based on Blackstonian Orthodoxy. It had some very interesting points about abortion, homosexuality, evolution and the like from a point of view of law and ultimately God's law. The blogs seem to all be written some time during 2005 and into 2006. I recommend this book.

[John Barbour · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book can be used as a devotional for all godly Christians interested in culture building. He makes the audacious claim that we can build a culture that is filled with goodness,truth, and beauty. I agree under the following conditions: "with God all things are possible".

The book is roughly divided into discourses on the three robes of culture: The Academy, the Judiciary, and the Clergy. The academy pronounces what is true (hard to do in the present environment of government schools dominated by moral relativism). The judiciary applies those norms to certain situations ( also near impossible in today's positive law atmosphere). And finally the Clergy (the church)provides the moral condemnation or abrobation ( this is also an ideal considering the present divisions).

Ventrella is the Senior Vice president for the Alliance Defense Fund, an attorney educated at Hastings School of Law, the same school that many on the California Supreme court hail from.