The Vocabulary of Evil
What do we make of the intensifying onslaught of militant, jihadi-Islam? How are we to understand people who commit horrific atrocities in the name of their religion? The West has done its best to disconnect itself from theological authorities, and now we are confronted with acts of stunning cruelty, done ostensibly, for theological reasons. In spite of the West’s reluctance and bewilderment, the jihadis are demanding that we understand them in theological terms.
The Holocaust was similarly jarring to society’s sensibilities. The horrific cruelty of the death-camps required the reactivation of some moth-balled terms like “evil” and “demonic.”1 Animate Evil ambushed post-World War II theologians and demanded, not a “modern,” but a “biblical” explanation for the unnatural nature of Nazi barbarities. Christians were forced to gain a fresh appreciation for the powers and principalities.
The Powers and Societal Structures
Once again the world is being accosted with egregious evil, and this time it is claiming to be theologically motivated and religiously justified. Although Western authorities seem unable to think in theological terms, Scripture informs us that, as Christians,
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
What comes to your mind when you read rulers, powers, world forces, spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places? What is Paul talking about?2 Conservative voices in this discussion “interpret the powers in a two-fold way, i.e. the principalities are regarded as both the socio-political structures of human society and the unseen spiritual forces lying behind these structures.”3 When considered in this light, we are obligated not only to perceive the spiritual powers latent in the Islamic State, but in the United States as well. In no way am I morally equating the IS and the US. I am putting forth a paradigm which pertains to societies in general and can give perspective on any society in particular. My point is that there are unseen spiritual forces which operate in and through the socio-political structures of every “this-age” society, so-called theocracies as well as so-called secular societies.4
Common Grace and Common Curse
Whereas the church is founded on the redemptive event of Jesus’ resurrection, societies are founded on creation and the fall. The church is an eschatological community, alive with the life of the age to come. Societies are “this-age” [secular], and are comprised of people who yet image of God, but are fallen, and who live in God’s good creation which is now cursed yet sustained by God’s kindness.
Scripture informs us that all men share God’s “common grace” and God’s “common curse.” As creatures created in God’s image, men will manifest genuine “good.” As fallen rebels, men will also manifest dimensions of moral depravity. Common grace and common curse characterizes all cultures. There will be aspects of every culture which affirm the original dignity of man as created in the image of God. There will also be aspects which evidence his fallen depravity.
The Components of a World-View
Societal cohesion is built upon foundations which mix common grace goodness and common curse depravity. Each society then propagates its own “world-view.” A world-view offers answers to life’s big questions: “From where did we come?” “Why are we here?” “What is wrong with us?” “For what should we live?”
Cultures possess at least three convictions which, when shared, generate societal cohesion.
The first is the presumption of some ultimacy, some assumed transcendence which functions as a society’s “god.” Fallen men inevitably fashion idols for themselves and it is at this point that they are susceptible to the doctrines of demons which deceive them with theological distortions. Islam is explicitly a theocracy with a specific god who is named and ritualistically worshiped. The gods of the West are more conceptual and less “religionized.” Mammon, a rival to the true God [Luke 16:13] and a favorite in the American pantheon, is much more culturally diffuse.5 Mammon can be served by the love of self, money, or pleasure [2 Timothy 3:1-5], and can be pursued in any number of socially acceptable ways.
Second, along with the “god,” comes a “good.” In other words, there will be an ethic, certain “do’s and don’ts” which are deemed obligatory in the service of the de facto “god.” Mammon worshipers endorse and encourage whatever is necessary to get mammon. Mammonists give approval to their fellow Mammonists, and encourage others to live for Mammon [see this dynamic in Romans 1:32].
Third, along with a “god,” and a “good,” comes a “goal.” Society also promises us some kind of eschatology, the prospect of some “blessing” for which we can hope. Perhaps the blessing is one’s personal material prosperity, or something a bit more socially magnanimous, like world peace or some other utopian aspiration. IS, for example, with the acquisition of land, is all the more appealing as it can more tangibly offer the prospective “blessings” of a Caliphate.
In sum, we would do well to incorporate Paul’s teachings on the powers and principalities in order to discern the designs of the demonic which operate in every society the world over. Each society constructs a world-view which gives its citizens cultural cohesion and identity. As we will see in part two of this article, we are called to serve King Jesus while living in the midst of the powers and principalities.
Notes:
1 In the 1950’s some theologians were calling the church to discard the supernatural. Rudolf Bultmann claimed, “It is impossible to use electric lights and the wireless [telephone] and to avail ourselves of modern medical discoveries and at the same time to believe in the New Testament world of demons and spirits.” (Kerygma and Myth, 1953, reprint, New York: Harper and Row, 1961), 5. Other theologians discovered that Paul’s teachings on powers and principalities gave interpretive insight to the appalling acts of Nazism. Hendrik Berkhof admitted, “After World War I and especially after the rise of Nazism, some theologians began reading these texts with new eyes. They discovered that instead of being antiquated, these passages found a strong resonance in the atmosphere of their own times.” (Christ and the Powers, 1953, reprint, Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1977), 15. See also Oscar Cullmann, whose Christ and Time, (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1946) includes a chapter entitled, “The Subjection of the Invisible Powers and Their Relation in Redemptive History to the World Process (State and Redemptive History),” and G.B. Caird whose lectures given in 1954 at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, were published as Principalities and Powers (1956, reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2003).
2 The occult may come to mind. Repentance for many of the Ephesians included the burning of their books on magic as they purposefully left occult influences. [See Acts 19:19; Deuteronomy 18:9-15]. Paul’s vocabulary concerning powers, authorities, rulers, dominions, et. al. speaks to more insidious and pervasive influences than the occult. In fact, the occult can be a distraction from the danger posed by the fallen powers.
3 Peter O’Brien, “Principalities and Powers,” in Biblical Interpretation and the Church (ed. D.A. Carson, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2002), 122. John’s Revelation gives credence to this interpretation. Revelation 12 interprets the entirety of human history in terms of Genesis 3:15. The Dragon, Satan, persecutes the seed of the woman and is then seen orchestrating the movements of the two Beasts [the State and false Religion], coordinating the persecution of the seed of the woman with the Babylonian Harlot [the cultural city of secular sensuality]. These are apocalyptic depictions of societal structures which are energized and employed by Satan. Recall Gabriel’s explanation to Daniel of how his prayers were interconnected with the movements of angels and demons in Daniel 10. Many perceive Satan to be the one addressed in Ezekiel 28 as the prophet speaks to the King of Tyre. In Psalm 82, Asaph indicts human judges and rulers while calling them elohim [“gods”].
4 I can only offer a skeletal schema of my understanding of the relationship between the powers and culture. What is offered here is seminal in the hope of stimulating your reflection on these matters.
5 Biblical ecclesiology precludes the possibility of America, or any other “this-age” nation-state, being a bona fide “Christian Nation.” American society has been influenced by the Judeo-Christian world-view and by Christian people, but America is not a “Christian nation” in any biblical or New Covenant sense. The “nation” which is populated by God’s people is the church of the resurrected and enthroned Jesus Christ, comprised of disciples who live as subjects of His soteriological monarchy. Their corporate identity is ecclesiastical, not “national” as a “this-age” socio-political nation-state.