Justice and Fascism in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans

With the rise of neo-fascist, far-right extremist, and populist movements across the globe, and particularly across the “liberal” West, now is a better time than ever to re-read Paul’s letter to the Roman assemblies.  Following both the “Paul within Judaism” and “Paul among the Philosophers” schools of Paulinist thought, this retreat will challenge the protestant and individualist readings of Romans that have laid the foundation for fascist risings amidst Christian societies.  Reading from Jewish perspectives and recognizing Paul as a political thinker of “justice outside the law” (Rom. 3:21), we will look at Paul’s psychological self-reflection (in Romans 7) and his call to practices of caring for one another (in Romans 12) as political acts of resistance against both the antagonism of liberal identity politics and the rising tide of fascist violence.