evil-Confederate_Constitution.jpg

Evil in Institutions

 

Photograph: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America, finalized on March 11, 1861 and now housed in the University of Georgia Library.  Photo credit:  Public domain. 

Introduction

The resources below are examples of evil beyond simply laws — evil done by humans via patterns of relationship, information-dissemination, and formal and informal organizations we build. They serve as examples of the need to believe in good and evil as moral categories, a larger vision of human relationship and institutional power which can critique our own. They illustrate our need for a loving God to heal human nature in a loving way so we might transform our institutions.

Messages and Resources

The Theology of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Part 10: Lessons on Power from The Shire, Rohan, and Gondor: Plantation Capitalism, Empire, Women, and Property

This video, the tenth in our video series on Tolkien found on our Arts and Theology page and our YouTube channel, looks at lessons about power and leadership from those three contexts. The Scouring of the Shire teaches us why we should resist "plantation capitalism." Rohan has lessons about migration, conflict, treaties, and peace. Gondor sifts its legacy from Numenor: an influential blessing at first, an imperial terror at the end. As usual, we look at Christian theology and ethics: the biblical theme of Empire, the question of women in power and leadership, and land, property, and hospitality.

00:10:36 The Shire

00:25:57 Rohan

00:38:14 Gondor

00:53:25 The Biblical Theme of Empire

01:07:08 Women Ruling and Leading

01:26:45 Land and Property

Christ vs. Empire, Part 2: Empire, Exploitation, and Jesus’ Resistance

Video of a message given at Neighborhood Church of Dorchester, Aug 2, 2020. The New Testament understands structural, systemic injustice perfectly well, as shown by Luke 3:12 - 13. Tax collectors were given special instructions about how to resist being tools of imperial exploitation. This message explores the U.S. as founded as a legal gray zone for Christians to exploit people, and escape responsibility for Christian ethics. See also text in pdf format. This is part of our Church and Empire material.

Christ vs. Empire, Part 3: Police Terror and Jesus’ Peace

Video of a message given at Neighborhood Church of Dorchester, Aug 9, 2020. This message explores the fact that the New Testament understands structural, systemic injustice perfectly well, as shown by Luke 3:14. The Roman soldiers performed a police terror function and extorted conquered peoples. We explore the police today in general as a way racial terror has been inflicted on American citizens. See also text in pdf format. This is part of our Church and Empire material.

Christ vs. Empire, Part 4: Pentecost vs. White Christian Nationalism

Video of a message given at Neighborhood Church of Dorchester, Aug 16, 2020. Pentecost in Acts 2:1 - 11 is the expression of Jesus’ new humanity for all humanity. It is outward, self-giving, missional, and embracing of other languages and cultures. It is not monocultural, monolingual, self-protective, and fearful. Explains why Christian nationalism in the U.S. is such a problem, and wrong. See also text in pdf format. This is part of our Church and Empire material.

Christian Restorative Justice: Financial Reform

A message given to New Hope Fellowship Baltimore, MD, May 2015. This explores multiple biblical passages criticizing interest rate lending. Not only was such behavior exploitative of people in poverty, even if they “consented” to their own exploitation, it reflected a relational dynamic that cannot be grounded in the Trinitarian relations between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. See also the slides.

Christian Restorative Justice Critique of U.S. Political Ideologies

Evil: Topics

Christian teaching explains the Evil Within as the source of the Evil Between, Evil Laws, and Evil Institutions. Evil and God’s Goodness spotlights God’s call for our partnership in undoing evil, via the theme of divine fire in Scripture. So if you are on a spiritual search, consider browsing through our materials in that sequence.