The Little Friar

Over the past weeks , I've attempted to make a case for my position on spiritual warfare -- particularly for recovering a theology of "the principalities and powers" and therefore articulating a theology of revolt.  So, let me summarize that argument and make a few observations. First, a summary: God is love.  This means that God is weak in the world, not exerting top down power over the world (there's no such thing as omnipotence , and it's a good thing, too).  Thus, love exists among a plurality of antagonistic powers, forces of violence and dehumanization, forces we'd call "satanic" in that they are manifestations of anti-love (and, thus, in the Christian imagination anti-Christ). Creating outposts of love in the world -- making the Kingdom of God come to earth as it is in heaven -- thus involves constant, daily struggle, a spiritual battle and war that is both moral and political, social and individual. And critical to keep in mind ...

I was educated under Stanley Hauerwas.  So I'm accustomed to theologians who use language -- even what we might consider "blue" language -- to get the message of Jesus across to others.  But, I typically shy away from using that language on peace-making grounds.  I don't curse because I refuse to practice violence.  And, in our culture, that sort of "blue" language carries violent undertones (even explicitly).  That said, I was initially tempted to shy away from using the word "asshole".  Here, though, I'm using it in the sense that psychologist Bob Sutton of Sanford uses it, in his The No Asshole Rule:  Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't .  I want to do that in order to explore, yet again, why I'm a Christian anarchist. First, what is the "no asshole rule"? It probably seems a bit strange -- well, not so much, considering the general tone of American politics these days -- to connect Sutton...

Yesterday, I began arguing that a warfare worldview -- a theology of revolt against evil -- is a vision that can infuse Christianity with energy, excitement and popular appeal.  A great depiction of this warfare worldview is found in Greg Boyd's book God at War . And yet, I know lots of folks who have some problems with this claim.  The vision of a battle against all the manifestations of evil is exciting, but some issues need to be resolved if the warfare worldview of God at War is going to be palatable to some Christians (like myself). These questions swirl around how Boyd tries to explain the origins of evil.  Again, in the warfare worldview creation, at a deep structural level, is in revolt, warring against God. God isn't controlling everything.  The situation is more chaotic, unpredictable, fluid and free.  The vision here flirts with dualism, something that Boyd wrestles with and we'll have to wrestle with.  And yet, the benefits of s...