Day 29 - The Theology of Power

In a recent Facebook post two friends debated the (personal) significance of conservative and radical views of social activism. Here is a view of the subject:

Are you (theologically) a conservative, moderate or radical?

Before I reflect on that question let us consider the theology of power.

The theology of power has at least 2 ordained parts:

1. One exercises power as a vocation for the purpose of witnessing Christ's mission to humanity, that is, social or political witness is done under the authority(ies) of that (co)mission.

2. Power is a gift rooted in the creation story; we are human agents that have a moral imperative within the constraints imposed by God.

I purposefully am not quoting scripture as proof text, I'll leave it to you to carefully read Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Gospels and the epistles and be informed of your own take on it.

But, following (1.) and (2.); the measure of a faithful leader is how they use of social power to achieve rightful moral ends. Those ends are clearly established in our religious tradition:

1. Does it defend the weak?
2. Ddoes it uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed?
3. Does it rescue the weak?

Arguments for conservative, moderate or radical social/political/religious purposes often are not supported by the reasons we might like to wish.

1. To have power.  Israel rebuked God and asked for a king rather than Him. He consented and we have what we desired, the page is turned, we live in a world of our own choosing. One might say this was the point of original sin - we  wanted control (power) and we got it.

2. To exercise a moral use of power. A moderate may propose a moral use for power, ignoring the fundamental motive/desire of power in the previous point. It will corrupt.

3. To challenge power. The radical may challenge that (im)moral use of power based on its practical consequences that abuse, suppress and oppress. Their motive may be relatively or ideally pure, but regardless of the person every one who challenges power uses power, even the anarchist and ultimately falls to the seduction of our intrinsic humanity that desires to impose by power, their anarchist perspective to overthrow the perceived immoral order. The anarchist soon finds no alternative than to defend their own de facto political order and begin the oppression again.

Every radical, every moderate, every reactionary for their own sanity, much less their own spiritual perspective benefits from reading Henry Richard Niebuhr's works to appreciate that they too follow a common path toward institutionalization or accommodation of culture and consequent immoral (sinful) exercise of power.

Power eventually corrupts, whether satanic evil or denominationalism all face a common time-proved fate.

In the end, the only saving grace is humility, knowing regardless of how we try though we may advance the faith eventually we will be followed by those prepared if not also ordained to take the next step forward.

Grace and peace,
Henry