The Powers That Be : Theology for a New Millennium

In our fast-paced secular world, God and theology are second-class citizens. Money, politics, sports, and science seem better suited to the hard realities of our world. As the church steeple has been eclipsed by the skyscraper as the centerpiece of the urban landscape, so has the divine realm been set aside in favor of more immediate human experience. One sad consequence of this shift is the loss of spiritual and theological bearings, most clearly evident in our inability to understand or speak about such things. If the old way of viewing the universe no longer works, something else has to replace it. The Powers That Be reclaims the divine realm as central to human existence by offering new ways of understanding our world in theological terms. Walter Wink reformulates ancient concepts, such as God and the devil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, principalities and powers, in light of our modern experience. He helps us see heaven and hell, sin and salvation, and the powers that shape our lives as tangible parts of our day-to-day experience, rather than as mysterious phantoms. Based on his reading of the Bible and analysis of the world around him, Wink creates a whole new language for talking about and to God. Equipped with this fresh world view, we can embark on a new relationship with God and our world into the next millennium. In our fast-paced secular world, God and theologyare second-class citizens. Money, politics, sports, and science seem better suited to thehard realities of our world. As the church steeple has been eclipsed by the skyscraper as the centerpiece of the urban landscape, so has the divine realm been set aside in favor of more immediate human experience. One sad consequence of this shift is the loss of spiritual and theological bearings, most clearly evident in our inability to understand or speak about such things. If the old way of viewing the universe no longer works, something else has to replace it. The Powers That Be reclaims the divine realm as central to human existence by offering new ways of understanding our world in theological terms. Walter Wink reformulates ancient concepts, such as God and the devil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, principalities and powers, in light of our modern experience. He helps us see heaven and hell, sin and salvation, and the powers that shape our lives as tangible parts of our day-to-day experience, rather than as mysterious phantoms. Based on his reading of the Bible and analysis of the world around him, Wink creates a whole new language for talking about and to God. Equipped with this fresh world view, we can embark on a new relationship with God and our world into the next millennium. From the Hardcover edition. "In The Powers That Be, theologian and biblical scholar Walter Wink helps us reformulate our ancient concepts - such as God and Satan, angels and demons, principalities and powers - in light of what we now know. Wink's theology is shaped as much by his study of the Bible as by his involvement in the civil rights movement and the fight against apartheid in South Africa." "The result is nothing less than a new worldview, one that will help us address the problems of the present and meet the challenges of the future. The Powers That Be is as concerned with salvation as with justice, as relevant for our spiritual selves as for our political lives. Wink closely examines "the Powers," and by exposing them for what they are in true prophetic fashion, levels a mighty blow against them."--BOOK JACKET

In The Powers That Be, theologian and biblical scholar Walter Wink helps us reformulate our ancient concepts - such as God and Satan, angels and demons, principalities and powers - in light of what we now know. Wink's theology is shaped as much by his study of the Bible as by his involvement in the civil rights movement and the fight against apartheid in South Africa. The result is nothing less than a new worldview, one that will help us address the problems of the present and meet the challenges of the future. The Powers That Be is as concerned with salvation as with justice, as relevant for our spiritual selves as for our political lives. Wink closely examines "the Powers," and by exposing them for what they are in true prophetic fashion, levels a mighty blow against them.

In our fast-paced secular world, God and theology are second-class citizens. Money, politics, sports, and science seem better suited to the hard realities of our world. As the church steeple has been eclipsed by the skyscraper as the centerpiece of the urban landscape, so has the divine realm been set aside in favor of more immediate human experience. One sad consequence of this shift is the loss of spiritual and theological bearings, most clearly evident in our inability to understand or speak about such things. If the old way of viewing the universe no longer works, something else has to replace it. __The Powers That Be__ 1. Identifying the powers -- -- 2. The Domination system -- -- 3. Jesus' answer to domination -- -- 4. Breaking the spiral of violence -- -- 5. Jesus' third way -- -- 6. Practical nonviolence -- -- 7. Beyond pacifism and just war -- -- 8. But what if?... -- -- 9. The Gift of the enemy -- -- 10. Prayer and the powers -- -- 11. Epilogue ---- For further reading, Notes, Index. Biblical scholar and theologian Walter Wink reformulates ancient religious concepts, such as angels and demons, principalities and powers, and God and Satan in light of current knowledge. Wink's theology is shaped by his involvement in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, his involvement in the civil rights movement, and his study of the Bible