Democracy and the “Kingdom of God” (Studies in Philosophy and Religion, 17)

I. A Dangerous and/or Useful Kingdom? ............ 5 II. Is There a Concept of the Kingdom of God? . . . . .. . 9 III. The Development of the Concept of a Kingdom of God in the Old Testament ................... 15 IV. Is an Apolitical Kingdom of God Possible? ....... 21 V. The Vicissitudes of Theocracy in Israel ........... 27 VI. New Testament Conceptualization of Messianic Fulfillment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 37 . . . . . . . . VII. Is an Alternative Messianic Scenario Conceivable? ................... . . . . . . .. . . 43 . VIII. Did Jesus make a Major Mistake? ............. 51 IX. The Dialectics of Christian Interpretation . . . . . .. . . 59 X. Hermeneutical Circle, or circulus vitiosus? ........ 67 XI. Political Milestones: Three Romes, Three Reichs, Three Kingdoms, and a "Holy Roman ." 73 E mplre ................................. . viii XII. Catholic Political Theology: The "Two Cities" and "Two Swords," and Beyond. . . . . . . . . .. . . 83 . XIII. How Visible can a "City of God" be? ......... 101 XIV. Protestant Political Theology: Beyond the "Two Kingdoms" and the "Two Regiments" . . . . .. . . 109 XV. Does Hegelian Political Theology have a Future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 119 . . . . . . . . . XVI. The Emergence of the Secular Kingdom of God ..................................... 125 XVII. Secularization-a Boon to Mankind? ......... 137 XVIII. Religious Experience, Chosenness, and Political Expression ....................... 145 XIX. Does Democracy need Redefinition? .......... 157 XX. The Dialectics of Democracy ................. 169 XXI. Democracy and the Kingdom of God . . . . . . .. . . 183 XXII. Are Church and State "Mutually Conducive"? .. 195 XXIII. World Federalism and Ecumenical Christianity 205 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 221 . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 225 . . . . . . . Front Matter....Pages i-3 A Dangerous and/or Useful Kingdom?....Pages 5-8 Is There a Concept of the Kingdom of God?....Pages 9-14 The Development of the Concept of a Kingdom of God in the Old Testament....Pages 15-20 Is an Apolitical Kingdom of God Possible?....Pages 21-26 The Vicissitudes of Theocracy in Israel....Pages 27-35 New Testament Conceptualization of Messianic Fulfillment....Pages 37-42 Is an Alternative Messianic Scenario Conceivable?....Pages 43-49 Did Jesus make a Major Mistake?....Pages 51-57 The Dialectics of Christian Interpretation....Pages 59-65 Hermeneutical Circle, or circulus vitiosus ?....Pages 67-72 Political Milestones: Three Romes, Three Reichs, Three Kingdoms, and a “Holy Roman Empire”....Pages 73-81 Catholic Political Theology: The “Two Cities” and “Two Swords,” and Beyond....Pages 83-99 How Visible can a “City of God” be?....Pages 101-108 Protestant Political Theology: Beyond the “Two Kingdoms” and the “Two Regiments”....Pages 109-118 Does Hegelian Political Theology have a Future?....Pages 119-123 The Emergence of the Secular Kingdom of God....Pages 125-136 Secularization—a Boon to Mankind?....Pages 137-143 Religious Experience, Chosenness, and Political Expression....Pages 145-155 Does Democracy need Redefinition?....Pages 157-167 The Dialectics of Democracy....Pages 169-181 Democracy and the Kingdom of God....Pages 183-194 Are Church and State “Mutually Conducive”?....Pages 195-203 World Federalism and Ecumenical Christianity....Pages 205-220 Conclusion....Pages 221-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-252 There is a consensus among Christian theologians that the symbol of the `kingdom of God', inherited from the Judaic tradition, is the key to understanding Christianity. But theologians have for millenia differed among themselves as to the interpretation of this symbol. Political ramifications of, or reactions to, this Judaeo-Christian idea have included the Holy Roman Empire, the Crusades, the `Third Rome', American Manifest Destiny, Zionism, the Third Reich, and Liberation Theology. This book focuses on the question of whether the kingdom of God is necessarily related to certain political implications, and its possible implications for democracy and democratic theory. It examines the development of the symbol in the Old and New Testaments, the diversity of related theological interpretations and political concomitants, and the significance of the `kingdom of God' in the development of present and future political formations and political theory