Before moving on from the topic of “the powers,” I wanted to mention a bit from the work of William Stringfellow. Stringfellow is another on my list of authors that I really need to read soon. Though I’m relying on secondary resources, I feel the need to recognize Stringfellow’s work in this area.
Stringfellow saw all of “the powers” as serving the Power of Death. The Power of Death is personified in Satan. On his blog, Richard Beck quoted Stringfellow as saying:
Death, after all, is no abstract idea, nor merely a destination in time, nor just an occasional happening, nor only a reality for human beings, but, both biblically and empirically, death names a moral power claiming sovereignty over all people and all things in history. Apart from God, death is a living power greater–because death survives them all–than any other moral power in this world of whatever sort: human beings, nations, corporations, cultures, wealth, knowledge, fame or memory, language, the arts, race, religion.
Human institutions come to worship this Power of Death as they fight for their own survival. Every human organization quickly comes to count its own survival as one of its principal goals. In fact, the original aims of the group become secondary to its continuing existence.
This even happens with churches. You’ve probably heard it before. A congregation loses members and comes to the point where the collection barely covers the bills. They really aren’t doing anything except meeting on Sunday morning, yet refuse to “disband” and join nearby congregations.
It happens with nations. Whatever principles and ideals were held at first take second place behind the survival of the state. The end justifies the means. Whatever it takes to survive is justified.
I’m not sure that I’m ready to join Stringfellow in identifying it as a question of external powers, but I do know that the tendency exists. What do you think?
The bible tells us death will be done away with, but not before he claims the majority of God’s creation. Seems like a pretty powerful
“external power” one that defeats God time after time, battle after battle. Although God will win the war.
Institutional death and the immense effort to fight for the institution’s survival is what happens when the collective body of people who make up the institution no longer live their story as part of the story of God (which God has made them a part of) but instead are trying to live their own ‘autonomous’ story. The story of God is eternal. Their story is temporal and failing to see their story within the story of God, they only see the temporal aspect of their story and must now fight for self-preservation. Such a fight renders the institution incapable of pursuing God’s (missional) story because they are now concerned with self rather than God.
Grace and peace,
Rex
Looking at death is looking at life. If it were just human beings dying, questions could be raised and discussion thoroughly brought into play.
I don’t look at death as an end but a beginning. i remember someone saying to me when I was visiting Appomatox in Virginia, on getting to the next location as part of my family’s trip. “You can’t get there from here.”
He went on to say that the bridge was out and of course it didn’t have that information on my map. He then instructed me that I should change my plans on the trip. I did.
We can only get to the next life by shedding this one. Isn’t it funny no one has told us what we should expect? No one has come back to inform us of what lies ahead. We walk by faith, not by sight.
All of us have imaginations and constantly search for answers to questions whent there are no answers. Science has tried to explain,
space travel to the edge of the galaxy has only heightened our curiosity
about the universe and how it was formed and yet given us more unanswered thoughts. We can talk and write and challenge our intellect but to what end? Coming up with more unanswerable questions.
When I preached through Romans (one of my last series of sermons), I presented Sin and Death with capital letters. Personified. Very prominent powers in this world that are defeated by THE power of Creation: Jesus. Now, in the funeral business, I try to help people deal with Death on a daily basis. Good thoughts, Tim. I’ve sure seen my share of congregations that held on even though they were clinically dead. In California, the legislature is doing all they can to make sure many of the businesses here die!