On Power - Political, Economic and Other

==== to be written. Here are some pointers for what I expect to write, with links to where various issues are to be found:

• By 'power' I am talking about societal and social structures that exert some control on the way human beings live.
• Societal and social structures are part of God's plan, and not irrelevant.
• They are of several basic kinds, not just one homogeneous 'system'.
• Each kind is meaningful in God's plan in a different way.
• Each kind operates by different rules and is guided by different norms.
• But all the types of norms interlink, and are intended to contribute to shalom.
• Augustine's view, that the function (or 'meaning') of politics is merely to curb sin in this fallen world, is false, in my view.
• By virtue of social and societal structures, human beings can more effectively carry out their mandate to 'shepherd' the rest of creation and help each other in the way that the Triune God desires.
• Structures can 'amplify' and 'conduct' or 'channel' our good activity over greater distances from us and more widely.
• But they can also 'channel' them in the wrong sense, of unduly limiting and narrowing them. Humankind has the joyful responsibility to work this out.
• Where power goes wrong: religious, ethical and juridical aspects of how it goes wrong.
• Societal and social structures work well, to the blessing of the cosmos, when society is functioning well in all these aspects.

See page on Sectors of human society, especially its piece on New View of Economics.

Copyright (c) Andrew Basden 2009, but you may use this material subject to certain conditions.

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Created: 2 September 2009. Last updated: 2 May 2010 link to economics, sectors.