Friday, April 19, 2024

Political Power

Most Christians still trust political power. They will often criticise the abuse of power, but that often smuggle it in the backdoor so it can be used to advance the Kingdom of God.

The hard truth is that Jesus renounced power. He refused to use it to advance his kingdom, or even to do good. Paul also renounced political power, although he couched his critique carefully, to avoid putting his followers at risk from Roman power.

In Revelation, John went hard out, and explained that the spiritual powers of evil use political to advance their cause. Paul had said the same in Ephesians 6, but in a slightly veiled way, that modern people often miss.

To fully understand the Kingdom of God, we need to fully renounce the use of political power to advance God’s work on earth.

In my book called Government of God, I explain how God will establish his Kingdom without the need for political power. The church can retreat for safety while engaging in prophetic challenge and social transformation to advance God’s kingdom. Kingdom communities that are outward looking, inclusive of people who are not followers of Jesus, can provide protection, welfare, and justice (plus whatever else the modern state promises but fails to deliver) voluntarily without the need for the use of political power.

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