Wrestling with Principalities and Powers
in a post-Christian World
Sermon V in the “New Paul” series
November 9, 2008
Aldred Neufeldt
Texts: Psalm 93
Ephesians 6:10-20
Introduction
My commission in our series on the Apostle Paul’s letters to early church communities is to consider what he said about Powers and Principalities. What could be more appropriate on this Sunday before November 11 – Peace Sunday, a day when we as Mennonite and Brethren Churches, and a number of others, remind ourselves that seeking peace and justice is a core teaching of Jesus, a belief so foundational that it often goes unspoken. Theologically and historically we, as churches in the peace tradition, are deeply rooted in the understanding that war and violence go against our call to discipleship.
And, who here did not marvel at the range of different kinds of power on display earlier this week when Barak Obama became President-elect of the United States. Whether or not you stayed up for the final speeches of John McCain and Barak Obama on Tuesday night, most everyone would agree that it was a momentous event, touching hundreds of millions of people – not only in the USA but also around the globe.
His installation ceremony in January will be filled with symbolism. Here he is, a self-identified African American, being sworn in as President in January, 145 years to the month after another world-famous President from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, issued a Proclamation emancipating America’s slaves. While Mr. Obama’s own story does not include the narrative of slavery, the symbolism is still there.
These two events – the election of Mr. Obama and our celebration of Peace Sunday – are linked in the rather obvious way that the President of the USA also is Commander in Chief of the world’s largest war machine; and, we as Canadian Mennonites are tied into that reality whether we like it or not. It matters who the President is, and what he or she believes.
Earlier this week Ed Heide shared with me a conversation with a friend on a ‘what if’ question: What if President Bush had responded to 9/11 in a Christian way rather than as he did – if he had responded as Jesus could be expected to? What if, instead of seeking to get even, to destroy Al Qaida militarily, to wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan – what if, instead, Mr. Bush had prayed for forgiveness for the perpetrators of 9/11, had committed American time and money equivalent to the amounts spent on war to reducing inequality and injustice, had committed to enhancing the understanding of a common humanity between peoples of all racial and religious backgrounds around the world? What would the impact have been?
Of course, ‘what if’ questions like this are not answerable. But, there is little doubt that things would be different. So, it matters what the President of the United States believes.
It also matters what you and I believe, just as it matters what we as a church believe. Beliefs shape what happens. Our belief in the centrality of the Sermon on the Mount for our lives, and how that plays itself out in what we do and how we do it, shapes our relationships with people around us and beyond. We celebrate Peace Sunday because of a certainty that not only is violence wrong, but that when violent actions occur, that only provokes hostility. We celebrate Peace Sunday on the conviction that the gentleness of Jesus does win its way. No doubt for a time it will yield to brute force; but a lesson of history is that, in the end, moral power is the real power.
Powers and Principalities
When I speak of ‘belief’ or ‘moral power’, I’m also saying that we, all of us, live in a world made up of not only the tangibles around us – the externalities that we see and touch and smell; but also made up of internalities – the realm of the spirit –intangible forces that never-the-less are very real.
It’s a world that both the Psalmist in Psalms 93 and the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus were very conscious of. In his letters to Ephesus, Colossus and elsewhere Paul refers to the ‘powers and principalities’ confronting the believers to whom he wrote. In today’s reading he encourages them to ‘stand against the wiles of the devil’ (Eph. 6:11). He then continues by reminding them they live in a world of both tangible, external forces and of internal, less tangible spirit forces: “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh” he says, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12). The ‘external’ and tangible are those who persecuted believers – the ‘enemies of blood and flesh’; but, more important are the ‘cosmic forces’, the not-so-tangible but equally as real ‘spiritual forces’ challenging the church.
Most of us avoid talking much about ‘powers and principalities’, about ‘spiritual forces.’ It makes us uncomfortable. We don’t quite know what to make of such notions, given the advancements of science. So, let me say a few words to help us think about such phenomena.
The ancient notion about ‘powers and principalities’ was that spirits and devils and angels had human characteristics. This way of thinking continues to the present, though the idea that God is a spirit human living somewhere out there in the sky has faded as our scientific knowledge of the universe has increased. Thinking about God or Satan or the angels as having human characteristics is a natural human tendency when we don’t know any other way to account for spi
ritual phenomena that seem to act intentionally.
But, this is not the only way to think about them. One can also think of Powers and Principalities as impersonal and invisible spiritual forces. They may be the internal realities of the systems within which we live. They may also be realities beyond those we comprehend. Let me give a few examples.
The election of Mr. Obama, and the campaigning leading up to that, are ‘external tangibles’ that we all could see. But, as one listens to people in the media or elsewhere just before and after the election, one senses something else – a palpable air of hope. There is hope that racial divides can become a thing of the past, that people will be judged for who they are as individuals – what they can do – what they might become. There is a sense of regained pride in America amongst Americans, and of readiness in the rest of the world to see America more positively. Such hope is more than the words people use, or their body language when they say them. Its there in the air in a way that few people can miss. Yet, it’s not tangible. It’s in the realm of spirit.
Another example. The war in Iraq or Afghanistan or any war is tangible, with many externalities one can point at – the shooting, the violence, people dying. Not so tangible is the ‘blood lust’, the ‘evil’ associated with brutality, the ‘horror’ of untimely and unnecessary death. These not-so-tangible spirits of war are very real, and have been testified to by many.
Yet another. Some of us have had the experience of either living in or visiting countries with repressive and oppressive regimes. Those who left the then Soviet Union during Stalinist or post-Stalinist times, or left South Africa in the days of apartheid, often remarked on the sense of an enormous weight of anxiety and tension that dropped off their shoulders as their plane left Soviet or South African airspace. The sense of ‘evil’ of the regime, and it being left behind when one departs, are very real.
Closer to home, I’ve had similar experiences in my career of seeking to develop services systems that more perfectly support disabled people in becoming valued members of society. On a number of occasions, both in Canada and abroad, I have experienced settings where there was a pervading sense of ‘evil’. The most vivid have been in larger residential institutions. It was not that there weren’t good people working there – there were. Yet, despite the effort of these good people, the institutions within which they worked were dehumanizing the vulnerable people living there in the most basic of ways- residents were given little or no choice about anything meaningful, their needs were overlooked or ignored, the situation within which they lived was deplorable and, at worst, they are abused – physically, sexually with over medication.
What I find remarkable in these omni-present phenomena – Obama’s election, war, oppressive regimes, large residential institutions – is that one can sense the ‘intangible’, the ‘spirits’ associated with them. Walter Wink in his book Engaging the Powers argues: “These ‘spirits’ are real, but they are not independent operatives from on high; they are the actual spirituality of the nations (and phenomena) involved, and the sheer intensity of evil (or in the case of the recent election, ‘potential for good’) renders them, for a brief time, almost visible” (p. 8) [1].
All of us are conscious of them in some way. Indeed, the sense of ‘spirit world’ enters into our thoughts in small as well as big ways. Last Sunday as Erna and I drove home after church, with several grandsons in our back seat who were chatting away, my mind snapped to attention when I heard one say – ‘jinx’. A moment later another said ‘undo jinx’. Curious about this I asked: “what is this ‘jinx’ thing’? “Well”, one replied, “it’s something that gets said when two of us say the same thing at the same time”. “And, what does it mean”, I asked. Said another, after a bit of thought, “It means that something bad could happen, and if you say ‘unjinx’ within a count of ten nothing will happen”.
This little belief – that if two people say or do the same thing at the same time, it’s a sign of bad luck – is an ancient one, one that harkens back to medieval times or before when people thought of dark spirits floating around the air, looking for opportunity to trip up mortals. As now played, it is an interesting little word game, but at one time it was seriously believed and acted on.
All of these representations of Power are similar to those Paul was speaking about in his letter to the church in Ephesus – of ‘struggle against…cosmic powers and spiritual forces’. However one thinks about them, I am of the view that what the Apostle Paul observed was in fact real. He was observing the spirituality at the centre of the political, economic and cultural institutions of his day. The spirituality of such institutions exists as a real aspect of them, even if they are not perceived as such.
In Colossians 1: 16-17 he goes on to say that such Powers are not immutably bad – they may be ‘fallen’, but they are potentially redeemable. Indeed, Paul says that God has created the Powers: “for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – created through and for Christ. In Christ all things are held together.” In the words of Walter Wink, “here is the brash assertion … that the principalities and powers that visit the world with so much evil are not autonomous, not independent, not eternal… The social structures of reality are creations of God. Because they are creations they are mortal, limited, responsible to God, made to serve the humanizing purposes of God in the world.” (p66).
Our lives as we know them are not possible apart from our social institutions – whether schools, or governments or economic. We need such social institutions. Without them, it is difficult to transform ideas to action. And, their ‘spiritual dimensions may be good, or bad, or benign. Though such systems may well become depraved, they are not a matter of indifference to God. What matters is whether an institution is pursuing the humanizing purposes for which it was created – as opposed to looking after its own interests or survival needs. The recent melt down of financial markets illustrates how greed and self-interest, in the end, destroys people and institutions. It is in addressing conflicts between what an institution ought to do and what it really does, that we have to wrestle with the spiritual Powers of today’s systems in a way analogous to Jacob wrestling with God who appeared in the form of an angel. Though Jacob became lamed in the process, he persisted in wrestling with the angel until God gave His blessing.
Post-Christian World
So what does Paul have to say about wrestling with Powers and Principalities in the world we live? It might be useful to remember that Paul lived in what might be called a ‘pre-Christian’ world. Though growing rapidly in size, the absolute number still was very small. It was a time with many competing claims to knowledge about how to order one’s world, or live one’s life, a time of many competing claims about God or gods or of religion.
In good measure because of his work, the Church became more prominent, particularly in Europe – and, though Paul probably would have frowned on it, the church took an increasingly central role in determining what the laws of the day ought to be, and how people should order their lives. Beginning in the 5th century, and for generations thereafter in Europe and, after settlement the Americas, were shaped by the Christ story. It’s not that nearly everyone lived his or her lives accordingly, but the Christian narrative was dominant. The lasting impact of this period on the world as we know it has been impressive. The health, or educational or social systems we have today were essentially founded through the church’s interest and influence. There is a good argument to be made that the human rights we enjoy are similarly founded. We also wouldn’t have some of the problems we have today; but, overall, the impact has been positive for humankind.
The world has turned again. In recent decades we have come to live in an increasingly secular, multi-religious, pagan western society. Church attendance has dropped consistently. There are whole generations who know little about the Bible or of what it means to be Christian other than a few stereotypes. In other words, our environment is increasingly becoming closer to that of the Apostle Paul – what might be called a post-Christian world. It is a world where the Christian story no longer shapes our culture, and other beliefs and spirits take over.
Today we are beset by material influences as never before. Just think about the many choices there are for entertainment in Toronto and beyond – or the many choices for programs to enroll our children in – or the many other demands on our time that take us away from nurturing our spiritual wellbeing. All these tangible realities bring with them the intangible spiritual forces that challenge our very commitments to God and to Jesus Christ.
What, then, does Paul have to say? Judging by his letters, he would say something as follows to us at TUMC:
A letter from Paul to TUMC
Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Toronto:
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
I rejoice in how many of you commit yourselves to regular attendance at TUMC where you join together with your sisters and brothers in Christ to worship and pray. This is essential to your spiritual health. It also is an important sign of your commitment to your faith, and a testimony to others. Participating regularly in Sunday morning worship is one of the most counter-cultural and life giving things you can do.
I want to commend you for the good job you are doing in raising your children. The gentle ways in which you nurture their spiritual as well as their physical well-being is an encouragement to us all.
My spirit sings when I hear about the ways you help each other in times of need, and the warmth you show each other. When you do this, you follow the example set by Jesus Christ.
But I challenge you in the choices you make as to how and where you and your families and friends spend your time. There are many temptations in the city and beyond, many opportunities to be involved in activities that draw you away from your life in Christ. You have heard it said ‘don’t sweat the small stuff.’ I say ‘don’t sweat the ‘big stuff’, having every confidence you know what is right and wrong in the face of obvious evil as demonstrated by your many ministries. It is the ‘small stuff’, the little temptations one has to be wary of. The forces of darkness are well aware that the gentle, sliding slope of habitual small sins is better than any grandiose sin in securing eventual damnation
These forces are ever present. To protect yourself from them, put on the whole armour of God – fasten the belt of truth about your waist, put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on shoes that make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace, take the shield of faith to quench the flaming arrows of evil spirits about us, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And pray at all times for each other and for those that can speak to the truth of the Gospel.
I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, reminding you that a meek spirit enables you to treat all with perfect courtesy, to rebuke without rancor, to argue without intolerance, to face the truth without resentment, to be angry and yet sin not, to be gentle and yet not weak.
All the saints about me greet you. Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.