Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination

Powers #3

by Walter Wink

Wink explores the problem of evil today and how it relates to the New Testament concept of Principalities and Powers. He asks the question "How can we oppose evil without creating new evils and being made evil ourselves?"Winner of the Pax Christi Award, the Academy of Parish Clergy Book of the Year, and the Midwest Book Achievement Award for Best Religious Book.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Politics

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Dr. Walter Wink was 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.)

Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. (Edited by Walter Wink. Orbis Books, 2000.)

The Powers That Be:Theology for a New Millennium
(New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999)

He is author of a trilogy, The Powers:

Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)

Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986)

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of
Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992)

His other works include:

When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998). Swedish edition: Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy (Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997)

Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism (Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993)

Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987). (Out of print)

Transforming Bible Study, second edition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990) (Out of print)

The Bible in Human Transformation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973). (Out of print)

John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968). (Out of print)

Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). (Out of print)

Reviews

[Greg Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third volume of Walter Wink's trilogy on the "principalities and powers" mentioned in the New Testament. Like the other volumes, it is written in a scholarly style with copious footnotes that can make it a difficult read at times. After getting about half way through this book, I got a little worn out by it and so took a break before finishing it. That said, I feel it was well worth reading. I now think about things differently as a result of this trilogy.

Wink's writing is pretty dense so it can be hard to summarize. But the first section of this volume is a description of what Wink calls "The Domination System", which is the spirituality inherent in the institutions of our world, e.g. nations, economies, etc. Its ideology is "might makes right", "peace through war", "security through strength". This ideology has spread like a virus throughout the world because "successful defense against a power-maximizing aggressor requires a society to become more like the society that threatens it." In essence, "human destiny is no longer governed by free human choice" but by the Powers (the inherent spirituality) of the world systems. It is beyond our control. "No one is free to choose peace, but anyone can impose on all [people] the necessity for power."

The institutions that make up the Domination System are "the necessary structures of human life and it is not a matter of indifference to God that they exist. God made them." "These institutions are indispensable for human existence" but they are "fallen" just like us, not living up to the purpose for which they were created. It is God's intention to redeem the Powers, just as He intends to redeem us.

The human race has unconsciously allowed the Domination System to take control, so we have done this to ourselves. At this point, the Domination System is so pervasive that it is mostly invisible to us. It teaches us what to believe, it teaches us what we can value, and it teaches us what to see. "Once the dynamic of conquest through force was out of its bottle, no one could put it back, and no one can choose to opt out of the game. Unless, that is, one is unafraid to die . . ."

The next section of the book focuses on the Kingdom of God and how it is diametrically opposed to the Domination System, According to Wink, "Jesus denounced the Domination System of his day and proclaimed the advent of the reign of God, which would transform every aspect of reality, even the social framework of existence." The reign of God is a "domination-free order characterized by partnership, interdependence, equality of opportunity, and mutual respect between men and women that cuts across all distinctions between people...[it] repudiates violence, domination hierarchies, patriarchy, racism, and authoritarianism." Wink goes into more detail about these different aspect of the Kingdom of God, which I found to be pretty insightful. For example:

"Jesus does not condemn ambition or aspiration; he merely changes the value to which they are attached. He does not reject power but only its use to dominate others. He does not reject greatness, but finds it in identification and solidarity with the needy at the bottom of society. He does not renounce heroism, but expresses it by repudiating the powers of death and by confronting unarmed the entrenched might of the authorities."

The third section of the book is an argument for "nonviolent engagement" as the way Jesus taught us to live as we resist the Domination System. He characterizes this as a "third way' that is different from "fight" (aggression) or "flight" (passivity). When faced with evil, the "third way" is to "not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Do not mirror evil. When resisting evil, do not become what you hate. This section includes a critique of Just War Theory as well as pacifism. He reminds us that "Gandhi was adamant that nothing could be done with a coward, but that from a violent person one could make a nonviolent one."

The final section of the book (which I found to be the most useful) is about how to live faithfully to God in the presence of a violent society. It starts with loving our enemies. "We are to love our enemies, says Jesus, because God does." "The command to love our enemies reminds us that our first task toward oppressors is pastoral: to help them recover their humanity." Then follow that with honesty about our own inner violence (the violent nature in our heads and hearts) and seeking to transform it. Wink writes: "Even though I believe in nonviolence and am committed to it, I'm not nonviolent by nature. I had to prepare myself; I had to think a lot about loving people, about loving the police, the people in the military. Nonviolence is the spiritualization of violence, the overcoming of violent desire. It is not the mere absence of violence, but an effort to transcend, rather than commit, violence."

Finally, he concludes with a provocative and insightful chapter on the power of prayer in resisting evil. He starts by writing that "history belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being." He notes that the Lord's Prayer is full of imperative phrases, i.e. commands "ordering God to bring the Kingdom near"! "An aperture opens in the praying person, permitting God to act without violating human freedom. The change in even one person thus changes what God can thereby do in that world." Lest we think this is the tail wagging the dog, Wink writes that the only reason this is so is because "it is God rather than ourselves who initiates prayer, and that it is God's power, not ours, that answers the world's needs." God is praying within us by His Spirit before we even start praying. Our role in prayer is to "bring God's longings to speech." Finally, he uses the book of Daniel to show that the Powers can get in the way of our prayers (Daniel 10:13). "Prayer involves not just God and people, but God and people and the Powers. What God is able to do in the world is hindered, to a considerable extent, by the rebelliousness, resistance, and self-interest of the Powers exercising their freedom under God." Because of this, we need to be aggressive and persistent in our prayers. Definitely controversial and thought-provoking stuff; not your typical Sunday School exhortation on prayer.

To sum up, the books in Wink's Powers trilogy are not easy reads. They require work and persistence due to the writing style and depth. But if you can get past that, I think they are well worth it. I'm not sure I agree with everything Wink has written in this trilogy but they have changed the way I think about the "powers and principalities" mentioned in the Bible and about what it means to follow Jesus in this violence-weary world. It has been an eye-opening experience. In this last volume, I found the last section of the book to be most valuable, even if it made me uncomfortable at times. So if you've read this review and are hungry for more, then I highly recommend this book (and the whole trilogy).

[Ryan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wink provides a powerful exploration of the idea of principalities and powers as explicated in the New Testament and in the thinking of Jesus and the early church. He suggests that the powers are not spiritual, heavenly beings but real world institutions and political organizations that dominate and oppress humanity. He makes it clear that the Christian mission is to oppose these Domination Systems and do all we can to bring about the kingdom of God, in which communion and nonviolence reign without domination and oppression. He grapples with some hard truths about resisting violence without succumbing to violence and about loving our enemies. His thesis is made all the more hopeful by the knowledge that the overthrow and transformation of the powers is inevitable, a knowledge that allows those engaged in the struggle to act in faith with a sure knowledge that God is on the side of the oppressed in taking on and transforming the oppressors in all coming to recognize and live out our full humanity.

[Deborah Brunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic depiction of principalities and powers as systems and institutions. Wink depicts how powers that dominate and perpetuate inequality, discrimination and hierarchy, are fallen and need redemption. He powerfully dissects the differences between passivism, violence and nonviolence and heavily advocates for Christians to passionately engage creativly in the latter. This is no easy read because nonviolence is no easy task, but it is the only route to transforming the underlying collective consciousness, from one of redemptive violence to true peace.

He also writes beautifully of prayer as a way of God acting in us, and of God as the constant possibility for transformation in every moment awaiting human response. Most importantly is the invitation to live as though God's sovereignty was already present. To live, to treat others as equals, as though the powers were redeemed now, to bring the kingdom of Heaven (God's presence) into our present.

If only we would imagine, create and respond... Endless possibilities for a beautiful world.

[Steve Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished "Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance on a World of Domination: The Powers, Volume Three," by Walter Wink.

Finally a well tuned definition of what Wink is trying to describe by "the powers": "...impersonal spiritual realities at the center of institutional life," p 9. Previously he referred to this as the ethos where, in an ecclesiastical setting, we begin to put the pieces together a bit more precisely. In volume 2 where Wink covered the "Angel of the Church" we have a better view of it when we see it as the ethos of the congregation. It takes a life of its own and crucifies as it desires the dissenters from the ethos.

Drawing from the Christ hymn in Col 1, Wink attributes good and evil to the powers, like people. It's the use of, not the existence of, them that makes them what they end up being. Or, a single power isn't evil period, or good period: like people they can be used for either. We are to use the powers while being prophetic against them for the reformation of them. I believe at places holes can be poked in this view of the powers, but this is Wink's, not my, place to talk.

I appreciate that Wink states that unlike previous generations we are not building the Kingdom; we are being faithful with what we have. "We simply lack the power to force the Powers to change," p 165.

Starting Part 3 of the book Wink says that generic democracy is the best for all persons. This (along with a ton of Moltmann's socialism) is proof that theologians/biblical scholars are not political philosophers/economists.

Wink points out some good perspectives in what follows. In Jesus' Teachings we usually approach them with a flight not fight mentality as though those were the only options and Jesus' is flight. A great case can be made for nonviolent resistance in the teachings of Jesus (Mt 5-7).

In speaking about Jesus way of nonviolence I find it interesting that Wink says that one need not participate in nonviolence unless they are willing to entertain violence otherwise one hasn't actually deviated from violence to nonviolence.

"It is dangerous to engage in nonviolent struggle beside people who have not yet learned about their inner violence," p 188.

This was an interesting if bit long trilogy. This the third was a really good book though I believe he could have reduced it all to one 500 pp work.

#ThePowers #EngagingThePowers #WalterWink

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to the trilogy on the powers featuring an exploration of the Domination System.

Wink's central thesis features the existence and perpetuation of the Domination System: he sees the kosmos of this world as the Domination System, the Powers over this age and the people whom they empower who themselves justify their behavior according to the myth of redemptive violence (a phrase Wink coined, apparently). Wink uses Enuma Elish as the archetype, demonstrating how so many stories of redemptive violence are essentially retelling the Marduk vs. Tiamat narrative and all that requires.

Against the Domination System would be nonviolent resistance; Wink spends much time discussing what nonviolent resistance would look like, using many contemporary examples, and exegeting Jesus' actions and exhortations in terms of turning the other cheek, etc., displaying how Jesus would have His people resist the Domination System yet not as passive non-resisters, exposing the injustice and fraud in the system in creative ways.

The author speaks highly of the value of prayer as a means of resisting the Domination System. The concluding chapter focusing on the "positive attitude" of the New Testament, based on Jesus' victory over the Powers, proves essential and encouraging.

There is much with which to grapple. Wink certainly seems to be onto something with the theme of the myth of redemptive violence and its ultimate failings; while it is an interpretive translation, it's possible to get behind "kosmos" as referring to the present world system in something akin to Wink's use of the Domination System. His handling of nonviolent resistance has much to commend it; his handling of the passages regarding Jesus and nonviolence proves strong.

Unfortunately, the author doesn't let Biblical data or evidence get in the way of a good theory; he has no qualms considering the Apostles and early Christians as having departed from Jesus' intentions in terms of gender relations and similar such things, all to keep consistency in his particular views of what constitutes the Domination System. There's not nearly as much discussion about the Powers here; it's mostly about the Domination System and nonviolent resistance in a very late Cold War context.

Nevertheless, worth considering in terms of the principalities and powers.

[Elisabeth De · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book caused me to remain a Christian. Wink’s explanation of the Sermon on the Mount as a series of brilliant reversals, mockeries and inventive ways in which completely powerless people can oppose the oppression of a mighty oppressor (in this case the Roman Empire) made me see the historical Jesus in a completely new light.
Roman soldiers were limited by military law in the number of miles they could force the local population to carry their packs (“a right called “angareia”) to ONE mile. Soldiers could be punished if they exceeded this limit, hence the suggestion to troll them by insisting to carry their packs for TWO miles. Slapping a person in the face with the BACK of the hand was a way to put slaves, servant and women in their place, not a fistfight between equals. There were heavy fines for slapping a free man with the back of the hand. So the suggestion to offer someone the other cheek if they slapped you on the right cheek (which can only be done with the back of the hand if you stand opposite to someone) was in fact an act that claimed equality. And so on. Each example in the Sermon on the amount is a practical example of ways in which powerless people could reclaim the initiative in a non-violent way, a way that was ironic, smart and funny, and must have elicited bursts of laughter at the time. Jesus’ methods remind me of the way in which the so-called “Provo’s” in Amsterdam in the 1960s shamed “the powers that be” by provoking them to overreact to funny non-violent actions (like handing out raisins in a public square, which was forbidden). Little did they realize that the Christianity they looked down upon so much in that period (and yes, it was conservative and oppressive at the time) had started out with similar actions and a similar ethic of shaming the powerful by the weak.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wink deals with the nature of the systems of the world, which he renames The Powers, in line with Wagner's view of territorial powers, but in a way that is far more conducive to evangelicalism. Although Pentecostalism is referenced within the text, few of these ideas have been adopted by Pentecostals, who prefer a more individualistic fight when it comes to evil -- The Domination System, in Wink's work is completely unknown to many non-denominational churches. Not only does he outline the biblical basis for this view, but also proposes a Christian response, of non-violence. It's hard to remember a time I've had such a visceral reaction to a book. At first, it was glorious, like a light that had risen on a very, very black night. And then it was painful - I literally wept through chapters eight to fourteen. I'm not exactly clear why. And then I decided that the best thing to do was to read through the night, for chapters fifteen to seventeen. I think that's the best way to do this. Late at night, while everyone is asleep, let Wink dismantle the world and repair it again.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a remarkable achievement. I know of no one else that has taken on the subject of the powers, much less who could have done so in such a lucid, scholarly, compassionate and challenging manner.

This is the third and final book in Wink's trilogy on The Powers. He clearly explicates the meaning of Christ's death on the cross and how we as Christians are called to react through living lives of radical faithfulness in our interaction with the world. The book is at times deeply personal, making it that much more authentic and inspiring. Very highly recommended.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a book that carefully lays out the biblical case of non-violent resistance, this is it. He condemns our culture for its love of revenge and violence. He shoots down the Hollywood blockbuster and its promotion of redemptive violence -- if we just kill the bad guy, all will be well in the world. This book changed my life.

[Jamin Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a spectacular book. After having researched peace and having written nearly a hundred pages on the topic in one of my own books, I never thought I’d need to dive back into the conversation. But this is perhaps the supreme work on the topic.

[Simon Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because of Wink's extroardinary little book 'Jesus and non-violence: a third way'. The concluding volume in his work on the powers, the first part is a bit of a repetative slog as he lays out his thesis on the origin of the domination system as he calls it. Wink hits his stride as he rolls into part 2, talking about God's new charter of reality. Salvation is not an eternal destination for the individual, but a mandate of God's reign to re-order reality in alignment with the future, and so that means taking action! This is especially to be seen in the Church coming back to its foundational commitment to nonviolence and nonviolent direct action. I've been exposed to a lot of his ideas through other authors over the years, but it was helpful for me that they were gathered together under 'one roof'. What i wasn't prepared for, that really blew my hair back, was his concluding chapter 'Prayer and the Powers'. 'History belongs to the intercessors!' Wink talks about why prayer cannot be disconnected from action, using Revelation as his touchstone, along with the story of Elijah from 1 Kings as lensed through St Jimmy's letter. Further, he unpacks why our prayers can go answered: Daniel chapter 10! How can we not be talking about this stuff? I'm left with having to take the whole other side of reality - the heavens - even more seriously, and especially the angelic. So, even though this came out in the late 80s, Wink's book still has so much to offer the Christian reader who is serious about making the reign of God come to bear on earth as in heaven.
BTW: his unpacking of Rene Girard's groundbreaking anthropology is somewhat lacking, however this was written more than a decade before the aforementioned author's most succinct work.

[Neil Whitehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a foundational book for an appreciation of the context of Jesus and how it speaks to the crisis of power today. Despite being published in 20th century, the analysis is spot on. I particularly appreciate Winks discussion of metaphysics, and how holistic insights are probably the best way to describe things: there is an inside and an outside to everything. Another favourite insight is the handle he gives to Biblical language of powers and principalities, to escape the need to believe in a pre-scientific way, and to empower our response to exploitation and domination. It is more needed than ever.

[Darina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not easy to find a way to respond to injustice without violence or losing your values. Walter Wink is trying to find a way to tackle the pressing issues that humanity is facing in another way. He is viewing the matter from a christian perspective but most of his approach and his insights are applicable for everybody.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will need to re-read this theological masterwork many times to fully digest and mine the gold found within it. Elegant and hopeful while remaining true to understanding our world and the Domination systems a part of it.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of the most important books that I’ve read in my life. It provides a framework that allows me to make sense of the world as it exists now and also have a new love for Jesus and his work.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wink makes some seriously controversial statements about prayer in this book.

[Dan Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Wink helps translates pre-modern thinking about the forces at work on and in our world into our modern and post-modern shaped thinking about the world. Mondernity pretty much strips the world of any real spirituality insisting on an strictly human-centric interpretation of the way things are. In it's arrogance, modernity reduces all things to mathematics and mathematical formulas. Wink in his "Powers" series opens the windows to a bigger picture (pre-moderns weren't as gullible as we moderns insist they were). If your willing to go there, you may discover there is more to the universe and the world and human being than physics and modornities insistence on a closed, mechanistic and futile universe.

[Dwight Penas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wink's work on the "powers and principalities" is very important and intellectually and theologically sound (the latest for the most part). I am disappointed, however, by his lack of serious Christological consideration. Without saying so, it appears -- especially in this volume -- that he subscribes (without saying directly so) a kind of "exemplar" model of Christology. Jesus modeled how to act as a child of the kingdom of God. And he skirts Arianism with talk of a "christ-principle" that became "universal" after the crucifixion (he also little attends to the Resurrection, focusing on the crucifixion as a kind of stand-alone phenomenon) and a lack of attention to the significance of Jesus' divinity to his ministry.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books. Although it is the third in a series, it isn't necessary to read the first two to understand this one. Wink is the first person to describe the death of Christ in a way that has any meaning for me. More than that, he presents a Christian vision and a Christian life that is not only powerful but, put into practice, necessary and useful and meaningful for those who live it and for the rest of the world. This is a Christianity that takes us out of our churches and into the world in the way we are meant to be--whether we are religious or not.

[L L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t had a five star book in awhile, but this book definitely qualifies as such. Walter Wink writes about the domination system of the world and the spiritual interiority of institutions. Though Wink may fall on the more liberal end of scriptural analysis, his ideas concerning the spiritual core of institutions and the role they play in society, the significance of Christ’s death and the power of nonviolent action provide a much more comprehensive understanding of the world.

[Naum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading… …how on earth did I only give this 4 stars? Maybe because *The Powers That Be* was still fresh in my mind, and this volume is a deeper dive (TPTB is more accessible, lighter read than the 3 volume Powers trilogy, that Wink recommends be read in *reverse* order). As the coverage gets more technical and theological, the earlier the volume (the 1st two are titled *Naming the Powers* and *Unmasking the Powers*).

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in the early 90's, the author has some interesting theological commitments which color the scholarship that he brings to the topic. He is egalitarian which leads him to conclude that all differing gender roles within contemporary society must be understood in terms of domination and suppression of the weaker gender.

Good scholarship. Good research. Good writing. He makes a good contribution to the topic of spiritual warfare.

[Brian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after reading "The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium" by Walter Wink. This is the longer theological treatise. "The Powers That Be" is a briefer version geared more for lay readers. I found this original longer version interesting but if I were to recommend either book to readers it would be "The Powers That Be." Still, great insights and I still love Wink's thoughts on intercessory prayer.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two books in Wink's trilogy are mere setting the ground for this one. This is the best as Wink goes into practical application. In the face of redemptive violence, the way the world works, Christians respond with nonviolent resistance. A great book that does not just defend nonviolence but does so in light of the powers and principalities that run the world.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Wink's work never ceases to astound and amaze. This book challenged my perceptions of reality in some uncomfortable ways, and yet even weeks after finishing it I find the concepts emerging again and again as I view the world around me with a slightly different lens.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book greatly influenced my theology. The concept of structural evil is something that I find very relevant when observing how society functions. Wink does some great reinterpretations of Gospel stories which have become classics in progressive religious circles.

[Bryan Neuschwander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hits the nail on the head--glancingly, bending the head; then striking again misses, bending the shaft to right angles; then hammers a flurry of blows, leaving the nail firmly embedded horizontally in a field of elephant tracks. Totally worth the fifty cents I paid for it.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquently sets the sociological scene for Christianity. Powerful concepts articulated in a practical way. Walter Wink is brave and crazy enough to put himself out there and draw lofty concepts to practical and personal conclusions... so admirable and inspiring, if a bit wacky at times.

[Bernie Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect the book to be an extensive treatment of the role of violence in civilization. It certainly was well worth reading although a difficult read. I will definitely be thinking about what I Iearned for quite some time.

[Aggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book... starts with the origin of the domination system... one of the most revealing chapter for me was Ch 10 Not Becoming What We Hate...