Both religion and politics are concerned with how we should organize societies. Yet the tendency for Christians has often been to begin with the politics and work backwards to find religious rationale for our political beliefs. As a result, most people read the Bible not to challenge our deeply held beliefs, but to affirm the decisions we've already made with our lives.
If you tend toward the political right you might say the chief political concern of the Scriptures has as much to do with smaller government, lower taxes, individual freedoms and gun rights as any explicit Christian concept. If you tend toward the political left you might believe the chief political concern of the Scriptures has more to do with reproductive rights, religious pluralism, big government and labor unions. Too often the ideologies of the secular right or the political left have been allowed set the terms for religious Christians. Secular political ideologies on both sides of the spectrum have provided the primary vision for American Christian political involvement, while the chief political concerns of the Scripture have been muted, distorted and curbed to fit the designs of those in power.
What if we were to reverse the flow? What if we would begin with the Scriptures and work our way forward to the politics? What does the Bible tell us about how we are supposed to organize our common life together so that we can actually bear the image of God to all creation?
I put this question to some of the world's foremost theological minds. The following respondents are all heavyweights who live and work at the top of their fields in biblical studies, theology and Christian ethics. Perhaps their words will help us all to begin our political discourse with these sorts of ideas as our first assumptions.
I asked each expert to respond briefly to one question: "What is the chief political concern of the Bible?"
N.T. Wright, New Testament Scholar at University of St. Andrews
"The chief political concern of the Scriptures is for God's wise and loving ordering of his world to be operative through humans who will share his priorities, especially his concern for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. This concern was embodied by Jesus in his inauguration of 'God's kingdom' through his public career and especially his self-giving death, which together set the pattern for a radically redefined notion of power."
William Cavanaugh, Theologian specializing in Political theology at DePaul
"Jesus' chief political concern was clearly for more tax cuts for the rich. 'My yoke is easy, and my burden is light' is an obvious reference to cutting or eliminating capital gains taxes. This is the only way of explaining why hedge fund managers were so close to his heart."
John Milbank, Theologian specializing in Politics and ethics at the University of Nottingham
"It is identical with the main concern of the Scriptures as such: the restoration of the glory of God through the repair and fulfillment, and so harmonization of the cosmos, including, centrally, the human order."
Stanley Hauerwas, Theologian and ethicist at Duke Divinity School
"The chief political concern of the Bible is to worship God truly."
Brent Strawn, Old Testament Scholar, Candler School of Theology at Emory University
"The chief political concern of the Bible is the restoration of God's shalom on the entire world: human and nonhuman, animate or inanimate. That encompasses all aspects of the human polis and thus politics but also the entirety of creation so that nothing is left outside this primal 'political' concern."
Walter Brueggemann, Old Testament Scholar, Columbia Theological Seminary
"I believe that the central political question is the management of public power in order that there should be an economically viable life for all members of the community. Thus justice is front and center and some texts, especially in Deuteronomy, are for the distribution of wealth in order that all may be viable. Obviously such justice is marked by mercy, compassion and generosity. The purpose is to create a genuine neighborhood for all the neighbors."
James K.A. Smith, Professor of Philosophy and Congregational ministry, Calvin College
"Shalom -- the well-ordered flourishing that God desires for all of creation, and that brings God glory."
Ellen T. Charry, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary
"I am persuaded that the chief political concern of the Older Testament is the cultivation of healthy societies, that is communities that adhere to divine guidance. The chief political concern of the Younger Testament is the revisioning of community in order better to meet the goal of stated above."
Miroslav Volf, Systematic Theology, Yale Divinity School
"The vision of the city of God is the goal. We work for it not by forcing it down from heaven to earth, but by treading in the footsteps of the crucified and resurrected Christ."
Brian McLaren, Author and theologian
"God's solidarity with the poor, oppressed, outcast and forgotten."
Sarah Coakley, Professor of Divinity, Cambridge University
"The reign of God is of much more consistent concern than justice (pace Wolterstorff). This is of course construing 'political' broadly."
Follow Tim Suttle on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tim_Suttle
The conflicts are there because he wanted it that way. Jesus desired that we be fully immersed in the turmoil.
And there is a purpose – that we wrestle with the contradictions, draw new understanding synthesized for changing times, and apply the understanding in the here and now of our daily lives.
When we fail to grasp the message, we miss the full wonders of God’s kingdom – the kingdom that is here among us now. For more of the particulars: http://jesustheheresy.com/jesus.html
As he lived in and through conflict, he requests as much of those who follow behind. We are asked to work out our salvation via conflict – personal and familial -- even societal. So that, like the pagan, Canaanite woman who was rebuke and even demeaned by Jesus, we persist until the master relents, saying: "Let it be done for you as you wish."
The Luciferian/Satanist believes that the rebellion against God was a good thing... That is where you get Prometheus and all of the symbolism in the entertainment, movies, Big Corp logos etc... that idolize the "bringer of light"... (They consider themselves 'illuminated-ones'.)
However, look how they are destroying the world, look at all of the war/violence, injustice and greed... Then imagine God's paradise (no war, no lies, no greed, no violence, everyone has their OWN land their OWN home etc...).
Seems quite easy to me who has one this battle of - WHO RULES THE EARTH BETTER...
(What do YOU think?)
[["Politics cannot begin to put the connecting tissue back in society. It is ill-equipped to reconstruct traditional moral beliefs. The best policies cannot recover courtship or marriage, make fathers responsible for their children, restore shock or shame where it once existed . . . The vast majority of moral problems that trouble us cannot be eradicated by law."
ARE you inclined to agree with those words of a former U.S. government aide? If so, what is the solution to the many problems today that stem from greed, lack of natural affection in families, loose morals, ignorance, and other corrosive factors eating away at the fabric of society? ...
In fact, two thousand years ago, people wanted to make Jesus Christ their king because they perceived that he had been sent by God and would make a most able ruler. Nevertheless, when Jesus discerned their intentions, he quickly left the scene. (John 6:14, 15) "My kingdom is no part of this world," he later explained to a Roman governor. (John 18:36) Nowadays, however, few take the stand that Jesus took—even religious leaders who profess to be his followers. Some of these have tried to make this world a better place, either by attempting to influence secular rulers or by holding political office themselves. ]]
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20011015/article_01.htm”
Look at the Israelites. They had God, their creator, the one who brought them out of Egypt. The one who helped them to topple impenetrable Jericho. The one who saved them from poisonous snakes in the wilderness. The perfect and flawless leader to govern them and yet they chose to model there government after human ways and ideals. And look what happened. How many wars was David involved in? And because of Solomon's dealing with the other gods of his wives, God had to split the kingdom or all would have been loss and even then each went through a cycle of being God's people and not being God's people.
Politics is nothing but confusion. And the true power lies in whoever can make the loudest noise or who can grease the right pockets.
This is why Jesus did not engage in political discussions, but discussions that helped people to govern themselves first and then others.
"The chief political concern of the Bible is to worship God truly."
How is that a political concern? Worship is a person choice and a personal behavior. In the US, we do not permit my--or your--personal behaviors and beliefs to form the law. Unless I can demonstrate actual harm to society, a behavior is legal. Hedge fund managers and such financial sorts have very clearly harmed society, so the fact that I believe my religion to be fundamentally opposed to their "me at any cost" mentality does not change the fact that society has been demonstrably and materially harmed. Regulating business and finance is good for society. Regulating how people worship whatever and whomever they worship, is not.
He was actually talking about the more general idea of a social politic, or the entire web of social relations.
Jesus gave up his life . If Jesus was DEAD why is there a 2nd coming of his.
Jesus was BOTH fully human and fully God. When he died in the flesh, He was the Perfect Sacrifice that would appease God's wrath against mankind. He was the propitiation for our sins (! John 2:2; 4:10). Recall that without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Now here is the thing that stumps most, when Jesus returns, He will be in the Spirit-just like the rest of human. As hard as that is to comprehend, there will be no flesh and blood form ever again in the universe (Revelation 19:11). Don’t be fooled by the "human terms" that John uses to describe the form that Jesus is in. Recall that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).
Now let’s review this:
1. Jesus died in the flesh as the Perfect Sacrifice to appease God. (1 John 2:2; 4:10)
2.Jesus was raised from the dead so that human beings could witness His promise that He would raise His body in three days(John 2:19)
3. Flesh and blood cannot enter heaven since it occupied by eternal sprit beings (1 Corinthians 15:50) Jesus return to His original and eternal form.
4, When He returns (Revelation 19:11) He will be in Spirit form...flesh and blood will no longer exist on this planet. People will live again but not in flesh in blood form. Flesh and blood requires food, clothing, gets disease, it ages and CANNOT LIVE FOREVER.
.
It certainly does not care about human rights.
------------------------
The description of what the political left and the political right believe appears to have been slapped together in order to make this issue look like both sides are equally wrong.
I'm not a Christian and I am a liberal. From my reading, the New Testament seems to be about telling people to be more concerned with the condition of their neighbors than amassing wealth. I have never heard a liberal, Christian or otherwise, express the notion that Christianity was about unions or *big guv'mint*, and certainly not about religious pluralism.
All that being said, William Cavanaugh's response was hilarious.
Jesus’ teachings are not opposed to democracy but they are dramatically opposed to materialism and capitalism for the sake of getting rich (see his parable of the rich man and the camel through a needle: Luke 23:26).
Two thousand years of Christianity have not been able to produce a people, a group of people nor a country capable of applying the simple precepts of Jesus. Jesus for example was outraged at the way the priesthood of his time catered to the rich and locked out the poor and dictated who would have access to god (in the Temple) and who wouldn’t. If Jesus is a god of Justice, surely He is also a god of liberty and freedom.
In addition, why should Jesus speak of a Kingdom? This is particularly troubling to me. Surely, an almighty god would have found a better way of describing himself and his “reign” or “government”. He could have called it “a heavenly democracy” for example or “a haven for freedom and justice”.
The author says, “What if we would begin with the Scriptures and work our way forward to the politics? What does the Bible tell us about how we are supposed to organize our common life together …”? If these foremost theological minds don’t know, how are we poor souls supposed to?
But this article’s premise is left silent here, though it is the most important thing to establish first. That premise is that the Bible, the scriptures, are the exact blue-print that this god would have us follow. Unfortunately, there is no evidence whatsoever that it is the word of this god, that it contains an exact blue-print, that it does not contain errors (of copying, interpretation or more), myths or simply legends.
No wonder even the foremost theological minds have trouble with it.