The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium

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The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium

by Walter Wink, Donna Sinisgalli (Designed by)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 453 ratings · 61 reviews

In our fast-paced secular world, God and theologyare second-class citizens. Money, politics, sports, and science seem better suited to thehard realities of our world. As the church steeple has been eclipsed by the skyscraper as the centerpiece of the urban landscape, so has the divine realm been set aside in favor of more immediate human experience. One sad consequence of...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published March 16th 1999 by Three Rivers Press (first published January 1st 1998)

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Jan 08, 2013 Andrew Barlow rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

I found Walter Wink's treatment of the principalities and the powers intriguing and his understanding of The Domination System, where the myth of redemptive violence is the overarching meta-narrative, extremely insightful. I thought that the best part of this book, however, is the discussion on how Jesus's death and atonement has broken the spiral of violence once and for all, and how those who follow Jesus are called to pacifism - and to taking a stand against systems of injustice through non-v...more I found Walter Wink's treatment of the principalities and the powers intriguing and his understanding of The Domination System, where the myth of redemptive violence is the overarching meta-narrative, extremely insightful. I thought that the best part of this book, however, is the discussion on how Jesus's death and atonement has broken the spiral of violence once and for all, and how those who follow Jesus are called to pacifism - and to taking a stand against systems of injustice through non-violent direct actions. A number of fascinating historical examples show the effectiveness of such non-violent actions. There is also a very good critique of just-war theory and theology. Some of the foundations of Winks theology, however, seem quite unorthodox. He subscribes to an open view of God where God's power is limited by the powers and is enhanced through our prayers. He holds a low Christology where Jesus is affirmed in his humanity but not in his divinity. He holds a low view of the authority of the Christian Scriptures where, at times, whole chunks of the canon (Paul's writings and parts of the OT) are heavily criticised, seen as irrelevant, and set aside when they do not fit in with Winks understanding. I believe that the main aspects of Winks teaching in this book, however, can be better anchored with a more robust and orthodox theology. For example, the atonement theory of breaking the cycle of violence once and for all is by far more convincing if we adhere to both the divine and human natures of Jesus. It is then God, in the person of his Son Jesus, who takes onto himself the violence and sin of humanity, who absorbs into himself the violence of humanity while continuing to offer love and mercy to those who are crucifying him. In his death and subsequent resurrection, therefore, Jesus has fully revealed the love of God as a love that conquers and breaks the cycle of violence. Violence does not have the last word. Death and violence are swallowed up in victory. The resurrection shows that there is a power that is more powerful than violence and that the worst result of violence - the murder of an innocent person - is able to be overcome by the power of God so that new life, resurrection life and a new creation triumphs over the old order of sin, violence and death.(less)

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Apr 03, 2012 Allen O'Brien rated it 4 of 5 stars

Insightful and powerful, even if some might disagree with his theological conclusions.

A previous review spoke highly of Wink's book, with the caveat that the reviewer wasn't impressed with certain aspects of Wink's theology. I'd agree. Even though I disagree with Wink's uderstanding of the atonement and God's soveriegnty, I recognize that there is something powerful and important coming across in this work. His exploration of the "Powers" behind the plethora of the world's systems and casting th...more

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May 04, 2010 Charles rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Christians who support war

Among other things, this book is a fascinating refutation of the myth of redemptive violence. Sure any decent person will tell you that might doesn't make right, but what about the Nazis?

The tragedy is that even though nonviolence did work when used agains the Nazis, it was used too seldom. The Jews themselves did not use it, but continued to rely in the main on the passive nonresistance that had carried them through so many pogroms in the past. And the churches as a whole were too docile or an

...more Among other things, this book is a fascinating refutation of the myth of redemptive violence. Sure any decent person will tell you that might doesn't make right, but what about the Nazis?

The tragedy is that even though nonviolence did work when used agains the Nazis, it was used too seldom. The Jews themselves did not use it, but continued to rely in the main on the passive nonresistance that had carried them through so many pogroms in the past. And the churches as a whole were too docile or anti-Semititc, and too ignorant of the nonviolent message of the gospel, to act effectively against the Nazis. Because the churches had failed to train members in the nonviolent resistance, no alternative to violence was available.

Turns out nonviolence did work whenever it was tried against the Nazis. This book references Orthodox Bishop Kiril of Bulgaria, and similar resistance in Finland, Denmark and Norway as being particularly effective. And what is the Christian message of nonviolence? Turning the other cheek will only get you crucified. But what does turning the other cheek actually entail? It turns out there is an alternative to fight or flight and that alternative is nonviolent resistance.

Jesus is not telling us to submit to evil, but to refuse to oppose it on its own terms.... "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also" (Matt. 5: 39). You are probably imagining a blow with the right fist. But such a blow would fall on the left cheek. To hit the right cheek with a fist would require the left hand. But the left hand could be used only for unclean tasks; at Qumran, a Jewish religious community of Jesus' day, to gesture with the left hand meant exclusion from the meeting and penance for ten days. To grasp this you must physically try it: how would you hit the other's right cheek with your right hand? If you have tried it, you will know: the only feasible blow is a backhand.

The backhand was not a blow to injure, but to insult, humiliate, degrade.

Notice Jesus' audience: "If anyone strikes you." These are people used to being thus degraded. He is saying to them, "Refuse to accept this kind of treatment anymore. If they backhanded you, turn the other cheek." By turning the other cheek, the servant makes it impossible for the master to use the backhand again: his nose is in the way.... The left cheek now offers a perfect target for a blow with the right fist; but only equals fought with fists, as we know from Jewish sources, and the last thing the master wishes to do is establish this underling's equality. This act of defiance renders the master incapable of asserting his dominance in this relationship.

It's all about that rich. I especially appreciated his take down of just war theory, an idea that has dominated Christianity since the time of St. Augustine that came about after Christianity gained its privileged status in the Roman Empire. Prior to his time, Christians did not fight in wars. Augustine argued that no Christian should resort to violence to defend themselves but they had a loving obligation to use violence if necessary to defend the innocent against evil. Just war theory developed out of this, and so as to prevent its misapplication and restrict the possibility of a "just" war only adding to the evil of this world, strict criteria were established. Mink shows that just on the basis of the requirement of protecting noncombatants from direct attack, the idea of a just war is practically absurd.

...The idea was that no civilians were to be killed. But if we include in civilian casualties those deaths made inevitable by war's disruption of farming, sanitation, and food distribution, we find that civilian deaths average 50 percent of all deaths for all wars since 1700.... This means that anyone planning war can be fairly certain that civilian casualties will be at least 50 percent, and today, given modern firepower, much higher.... If the criterion of civilian immunity means that the killing of civilians is prohibited, by what distorted logic is one able to justify casualties of such magnitude?

From the most extreme examples, both on a national level all the way down to the individual mugger on the street level, Wink shows that nonviolence is at least as effective as violence, and certainly the more ethical, more Christian choice. It's a convincing argument.(less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Gary Patton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, life-skills, lifestyle, spiritual-growth

Professor Wink's book "rocked my world".

In 30 years of reading hundreds of Christian books and thousands of articles, few have positively impacted me more ...except for the Bible!

Here's a sample of one of hundreds of passages I'm ruminating on, prayerfully:
"If Jesus had never lived, we would not have been able to invent Him!" ~ Walter Wink (1935 – 2012) U.S. Christian scholar. (From "The Powers That Be", p.81)

Might our failure, I wonder,relate to how, even Jesus' own Followers including me, are...more

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Jun 24, 2012 David Gwartney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology, political-economy

I picked up this book because another author referenced a concept I wanted to learn more about. The concept was what author Walter Wink labelled as the Ancient Domination System. The Ancient Domination System describes the institutions and economies that most ancient cultures employed: power was held in the hands of a few at the expense of the masses. As much as I was enjoying the author’s description of the fallenness and redemption of power structures and institutions, I was somewhat disappoin...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Sarah Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, theology

The basic thesis: Against violence and against passivity, we are to use nonviolent direct action, that is filled, not with vindictiveness or the will to dominate, but with love.

I like what he's saying, but I might just like it because it's so different from the things I was taught as a child forced into Bible studies and Sunday school. Nothing hinders your faith more than other Christians.

1. On traditional theology: "In a world inundated with scientific data and discoveries, [theologians] simp...more The basic thesis: Against violence and against passivity, we are to use nonviolent direct action, that is filled, not with vindictiveness or the will to dominate, but with love.

I like what he's saying, but I might just like it because it's so different from the things I was taught as a child forced into Bible studies and Sunday school. Nothing hinders your faith more than other Christians.

1. On traditional theology: "In a world inundated with scientific data and discoveries, [theologians] simply have not been interested in science. The price paid for this schizoid view of reality was a loss of the sense of a whole and the unity of the heavenly and earthly aspects of existence. The earth reveals the glory of God and scientists uncover God's majesty. Science and religion cannot be separated."

2. "Fallen does not mean depraved. It simply refers to the fact that our existence is not our essence: we are, none of us, what we are meant to be. We are alienated from God, each other, nature, and our own souls, and cannot find the way back by ourselves. But the situation is not without hope, for what sinks can be made to rise again."

3. "The gospel, then, is not a message about the salvation of individuals from the world, but news about a world transfigured, right down to its basic structures."

4. "The ego tears up the false deed by which it claimed possession of the house, and acknowledges that the whole property belongs to God. And God allows the ego to go on living there. The ego now knows Whose the house is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, but by force of habit it inevitably slips back into acting as if it owned the house. But now it doesn't take such wrenching to let go of the pretense. This is one reason why Christians worship. To worship is to remember Who owns the house."

5. "Jesus is not advocating nonviolence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a just means of opposing the enemy in a way that holds open the possibility of the enemy's becoming just also. Both sides must win. We are summoned to pray for our enemy's transformation, and to respond to ill-treatment with a love that is not only godly but also from God. Jesus, in short, abhors both passivity and violence."

6. "We are not easily reduced to prayer. Many of us who grope toward praying today are like a city gutted by fire. Exhausted, overcommmitted, burned out, we scarcely have the time or energy to pray. Prayer is never a private inner act disconnected from day to day realities. It is, rather, the interior battlefield where the decisive victory is won before any engagement with the outer world is even possible." (less)

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Jan 07, 2010 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology, social-concerns

Walter Wink puts Jesus' words and actions in the context of the time, before St Augustine or Emperor Constantine or even the Apostle Paul and discovers esentially the same gospel that was revealed to the early Quakers in reading an early translation of the Bible (before King James revised it). It is a theology of non-violent resistance to systems of domination. It is a theology of transformation rather than conquest. It is a praxis which is being re-discovered by peoples in the present time (not...more

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Aug 02, 2009 Andie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Can’t write enough - replaces non-violent resistance as the meaning of the cross instead of substitution atonement. Allows us to stop seeing God as needing to be appeased with blood. Challenges the Christian to stop allowing violence to be perpetrated by the state or other powers. Reaffirms the value of prayer. Says that institutions have a spirit and that evil is when this spirit no longer conforms to God’s plan for it. Instead of casting out this spirit which has temporarily become demonic, th...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, christianity, church, jesus, local-library, theology

If one book is read all year long, I would highly suggest that it be this book. I have seen this book referenced in so many other works, so I thought it must be a book that needs to be read. I was wrong. It isn't a book that needs to be read, it is a book that needs to be read, reflected on, shared, and read again (and again).

How does Jesus call us to live in the world specifically as it relates to violence and the use or non-use of it? And what are exactly the "Powers that Be" that we struggle...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't agree with everything Wink suggests. First off, he is far more "Christian" than I. However, I like his Progressive Christianity. If all Christians saw Christianity in this light, I very sincierly might consider calling myself Christian again. I don't know how I feel about the Powers limiting God. I thought the first chapter and the last chapter were by far the weakest - which were the two chapters dealing directly with the concept of "the Powers." It is a concept that I need to think a...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wink’s breakdown of the principalities and powers of the world is a strong contribution to practical theology. I can easily see arguments that Wink’s view of the powers is not the whole story. But I find it difficult to look at the world today and not realize that Wink has, at the very least, contributed an important piece of the picture. Structural evil is real, in the 20th and 21st centuries as much as ever, and it exerts a force that appears to entrap even well-intentioned people. If we are c...more Wink’s breakdown of the principalities and powers of the world is a strong contribution to practical theology. I can easily see arguments that Wink’s view of the powers is not the whole story. But I find it difficult to look at the world today and not realize that Wink has, at the very least, contributed an important piece of the picture. Structural evil is real, in the 20th and 21st centuries as much as ever, and it exerts a force that appears to entrap even well-intentioned people. If we are calling to God’s Kingdom to come on Earth as it is in Heaven, we must address this.

I disagree with some of Wink’s root theology. Some of his specifics of Gospel interpretation have been too influenced by the “Jesus Seminar” line. On top of that, he has a weakness for rejecting things just because they seem unbelievable to him. So at times he refers to the calculated methods of a rigorous theologian as if that analysis determines fact, and then at other times he seems to just throw things out on personal whims. It’s sloppy. Originally I gave the book a 4-star review, but as I read more books on these subjects and continued to consider the theological stretches, I ended up dropping it to 3 stars.

But once Wink moves from abstract analysis to practical interpretation, the narrative gains strength. Wink astutely looks at how Jesus faced evil and WHY he faced it this way, and then does a remarkable job of breaking down why we should follow in his lead. It comes down to basic trust – do we truly believe that the ways of God are better than the ways of the world, and are we ready to put ourselves on the line for God’s ways? Wink’s argument receives strong support from his practical experience in South Africa and Latin America – he has spent serious time looking structural evil in the face, and has taken real risks to do something about it.

God’s ways are not our ways. This was never more clearly demonstrated than in the person of Jesus. Jesus came into a world that was beset by forces fighting for domination from multiple sides, and he addressed it in a powerful way that no one would have anticipated. We see these same forces of domination in our world today, with billions suffering as a result. We would do well to follow in his example.(less)

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Dec 27, 2011 James R rated it 5 of 5 stars

Other posted reviews of this book do a good job of summarizing the book's main points. I found it a fascinating articulation of the centrality of nonviolent resistance to power-based domination of humans over other humans, which he believes to be at the heart of the teachings of Jesus and the earliest Christians. Those readers who dismiss his views because they are contrary to orthodoxy, miss the point that Wink is a Biblical scholar whose depth of understanding of Christian thought is much deep...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Zigforas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Zigforas by: Brian McLaren - TSMJ

Shelves: christian-spirituality, non-fiction, nonviolence, theology

Oddly enough, I didn't realize until I had finished the book that I've never before seriously explored ideas about Christian non-violence--perhaps because I already assumed I knew what it was. For Wink, the pursuit of creative alternatives to violence in resisting oppression and injustice is not at all akin to passivity in the face of evil, even a God-trusting kind of passivity. It is what he calls "Jesus' Third Way"--refusing to perpetuate systems of violence and domination by refusing to buy i...more

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Aug 17, 2008 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All Christians and those interested in Christianity

Recommended to Katie by: My Pastor

We're reading this in our church book group - I think it's an important, powerful book for all Christians in America... Helping us to be less self-serving and to work for compassion and justice for those who are persecuted the most in our society. What I find amazing about it is that although Wink wrote it more than 10 years ago, he accurately describes the problems Christians and our society are facing now politically and in our day-to-day lives. Some of the theology can be difficult for people...more

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Apr 27, 2008 Darren Briggs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Walter Wink’s book reflects an “open view” of God’s ongoing role with humankind and creation. Believing that the “classical view” of God’s providence over the affairs of humankind does not explain the problem of evil in individuals, nations, institutions and other areas of social reality. Wink proposes that the Powers are inherently fixed into God’s system, whose human face is Jesus, but that God has self-limited himself (herself) by giving us freewill.

Wink believes power relationships between...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Michael Bischoff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Brad B. challenged me to step into this web site by asking me to comment on this book. Wink is one of those authors whose ideas I love, but whose books I don't always like reading. However, this book is his most read-able, I think. He starts the book by saying, "there is a spiritual reality at the heart of everything, from photons to supernovas, from a Little League baseball team to Boening Aircraft." The implications of this idea to institutional and social changes are what drawn me in the most...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Denise rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, scl

I found his ideas interesting, even though I know I disagree with him in many ways. This book gave me some things to think about. I do feel the author picks and chooses which parts of the Bible are valid and which parts can be disregarded. It is hard to tell from reading this his exact views on the historical accuracy and truth of the Bible as a whole. If you are interested in non-violent activism from a religious perspective, this would be something you should consider reading. I found parts I...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Angie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Eh... Ok, I read this book an assignment for a Theology class that I did not enjoy. That may be some of the reasons for my thoughts on this book. I found it to be a bit ideologic and unrealistic at times. I also found it to contradict itself at other times. I did enjoy some aspects of the book though; perhaps the most profound chapter for me was that of the Gift of the Enemy. I had never considered that before and really learned a lot about forgiveness from that chapter.

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Jul 18, 2009 Dylan rated it 3 of 5 stars

In many ways a moving and inspiring book. His work in South Africa is impressive. In other ways it's a bit depressing: he keeps saying various things on the order of "and today, in the early years of the nineteen-nineties, we can clearly see that the world is moving more and more into an era of nonviolence..." And, being a compressed version of a whole trilogy he wrote in the eighties, some of the book feels rushed or sketched-in.

His central insight into nonviolent resistance as active and trans...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book promotes nonviolence, not as a method of resisting evil, but as confronting it to render it useless. The author appeals to the transformative power of nonviolence to replace domination with an egalitarian world.

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Oct 25, 2012 Ryan Wojton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book, especially loved the last chapter on prayer and intercession. He has some interesting views on biblical interpretation as far as "demons" go, making me think based on worldviews in which the Bible was written...

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Jun 25, 2012 Steve Robbins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wink's thought process is insightful and provocative and his conclusions forthright and challenging. Our realization that humanity and its institutions are at once good, fallen and redeemable is crucial to our progress if not our very survival.

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Aug 24, 2012 Troy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Troy by: Steve Sprinkle

Shelves: theology

Here's a link to a book review: http://lovinggodwithallyourmind.com/2...

I have read this book many times and get something new out of it each time. It has truly been life-changing.

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Jul 29, 2011 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-theology

This was a very easy read based on his powers trilogy. Gives one a good idea of the basic concepts without having to be a scholar or the interest of a scholar. It deals less with the powers themselves and more with how we are to engage the powers, namely - nonviolence.

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Mar 30, 2010 Irene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Would have liked it more if it was my first encounter with the thought of Walter Wink. However, it was a bit too repetative of ideas he has articulated many times in other places.

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Jun 29, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Eye opening book that really helps you to look at the world and world events in a different light. Sheds light on social injustices and how they are perpetuated by The Powers That Be

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Jul 06, 2012 Raborn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Still thinking through Walter Wink's view of the powers. This book is a good introduction to his work on the powers without reading the powers trilogy.

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Jul 05, 2007 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Walter Wink lays out a powerful conception of what a nonviolent theology based on the life and example of Jesus Christ would look like. Powerful stuff, walking through his Powers series (Engaging the Powers, Unmasking the Powers, Naming the Powers, and When the Powers Fall) in one volume. Wink starts by naming the domination system and the spiraling cycle that the violence (not just physical) that this system creates. He then shows Jesus' response to the system, being one not of violent uprising...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Important interpretation of "powers and principalities" as a way to understanding and confronting structural evil.

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Mar 19, 2009 Heather Faye rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: spiritual

This book was contrived. The author twists scriptures and quotes to back up ideas out of his own mind. It, to me had few valid points and, were I to own the copy I read, I would throw it away. Don't bother.

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About Walter Wink

Dr. Walter Wink is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Previously, he was a parish minister and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1989-1990 he was a Peace Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

His newer works include:

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man
(Fortress Press, 2001.)

Peac...more

More about Walter Wink...

Books by Walter Wink

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Powers, #3)

Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Powers, #1)

Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Powers, # 2)

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches

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