A Newbiginday

So, a very kind friend of mine was encouraging me to share more - and I probably should do a bit more sharing here.  Though this isn't any thought of my own, it is something I appreciate dearly.  Lesslie Newbigin's Gospel in a Pluralist Society was a book that I was tasked with reading in the first term of my current studies and to say that it has been influential on me would be an understatement.  I have repeatedly come back to his thoughts on a number of issues as I try to synthesize and absorb a lot of other thinking.

Hopefully, I will be able to regularly present some precis of chapters of this book here at this space.  I begin with a chapter which one of my professors called 'one of the best summaries of Wink on the powers.'  It is dense, given that it is my summary of his summary (already dense).  Please ask to borrow the book from me if you want more (you won't be disappointed).

Précis of Lesslie Newbigin, “Principalities, Powers, and People,” in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989), 198-210.

There is a dualism in modern Western society whereby individual behaviour is considered separately from 'culture' leading to the idea that the gospel is primarily about changing people and not societies or institutions.  The relationship between individual behaviour and the behavoiur of societies is, however, reciprocal.  The individualistic perspective of the gospel is symptomatic of post-Enlightenment Western culture (198-199).  Both the Old and New testaments speak of, and address communities of people as well as societal structures.  The kingdom of God is about power, authority, and rule.  In St. Paul's writing this can be seen in texts about principalities, powers, dominions, thrones, authorities, rulers, angels and other groups of agents.  Paul uses language which does not refer to the temporary people-in-power (even though they are necessary for the exercise of power) but rather a 'power' or 'authority' behind, above, and internal to these offices that is confronted by the supreme authority of God in Jesus' death and resurrection (200-202).  John the Seer addresses groups of Christians by the power embodied in their congregation (angels or another spiritual reality) and these groups fight against evil spiritual power in their daily lives.
            According to Col. 2:8, 15, 20 and Gal.4:8-9, the stoicheia (or ruling spirits) of this universe have been disarmed, and Christians are delivered from their power.  However, these powers are not destroyed but rather serve their new Lord until the time when they will disappear, and it is with these powers that the church wrestles (203-204).  Human life is lived within limits set by structural features of the natural world (physical elements) and of the world of human society (cultural elements).  These cultural, structural power elements serve God's purpose but can be demonic when they are absolutized so as to usurp the lordship of Christ.  Outside the NT we see examples of these demonic powers when the concerns of number, chance, race, or money are placed above Jesus Christ (205-207).  The powers, or 'plausibility structures,' are part of God's good creation but were found by the absolute personification of God in Jesus to be in striking hostility to God and were unmasked and relativized, yet still upheld by God (208).
            In practice, this does not imply anarchy.  All human structures and traditions are prone to evil but they are necessary for human life, and as such we approach them with the judgment evident in the cross as well as patience, understanding they allow time for the Church to witness to God's reality.  Second, we do not fight flesh and blood, but rather the powers themselves, which can only be challenged with the gospel itself.  Both politically naive evangelism and social justice without conversion leading to unmasking of these powers is ineffective (209-210).