Redeemable Powers?

I had to opportunity to hear Dr. Walter Wink lecture in Oakville, Ontario a few months ago. He delivered a keynote address at a conference entitled “Amidst the powers” exploring how the Church should exist in our current culture. He proposed a way of living that simultaneously avoids conformity and sectarianism; the powers of the world are at the same time good, evil and being redeemed. No doubt there is tension is trying to view the powers this way. Bear with me as I try to convey Dr. Wink's explanation and defense of his thesis. Any confusion is entirely on me.

The powers are good
It isn’t particularly difficult to look around and see that, as loath as we are to admit it, the powerful institutions do provide necessary and good services. The roads that allowed a safe drive to work today and the paramedics who brought an injured patient to the hospital this morning are both a result of the powers. This doesn’t imply that the powers are entirely or always good but does prevent us from entirely vilifying or condemning them.

The powers are evil
Again it’s not hard to find examples of this. I’ll cite just two examples. First, an elderly woman with a hip fracture complained to me recently that her nursing home was a horrible place to live. She felt that the management was more concerned with showing a profit for the investors than hiring enough qualified staff or spending money on interior decorating and quality food. Second, one year ago in Burma many people died because a powerful government refused to allow those affected by the natural disaster access to available aid. Also though is those of us in wealthy nations and our purchasing decisions that contributed to the poverty in Burma and therefore the lack of options available for the people displaced by the earthquake.

The powers are being redeemed
Redemption of the powers is the reality of the Kingdom of heaven. It is happening now and will not fully happen until Christ returns. Dr. Wink suggests that most powers have a proper vocation and that when they don’t perform this vocation they are fallen. Therefore being called back to this proper vocation can redeem them. For example my patients nursing home was created with the needed vocation of caring for elderly folks. It can be redeemed by recognizing this calling and placing it ahead of profit. In order for this redemption to occur though these institutions require leaders who are themselves redeemed.

Individual redemption from the powers in Dr. Wink’s view requires nothing short of death. He suggested, “we can’t elevate ourselves out from complicity with the powers but rather must make ourselves less.” He later stated that we need to, “die out from beneath their power and command so we are no longer complicit.” Death happens when our will is subservient to God’s will and his purposes. The paradox is that it is at this point we become a fully alive and free people able to challenge the powers.

Dr. Wink ended with the reminder that despite the importance of this individual redemption, “the gospel is not a salvation of individuals from the world but rather news about the transformation of the world right down to its individuality.”