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

Rating:
Summary: Read this now
Review: I consider this book one of the most stimulating and penetrating books on Christian theology I have read. Wink's trenchant analysis of the dynamic of how nations/cultures/societies organize themselves around self-perpetuating "domination systems" is both accurate and profound. Everyone of any religious or political stripe can be illuminated by this aspect of the book, although there are many other contributions on this theme from other quarters. In general, I am enthusiastic about this book because it is a much appreciated example of a new generation of Christian thinkers who are opening themselves to thinking outside the conventions of rigid conservatism yet mark a pathway for relevant & transforming spiritual vitality. Wink importantly also attempts to grapple with the Orthodox delineation of the biblical God as the source of sacred violence. A wrathful God who punishes and requires blood sacrifice even to the extent of requiring the sacrificial death of Jesus articulates a schizophrenic understanding of God that in the end is incongruous with absolute love. Wink along with other thinkers such as Rene Girard, Raymund Schwager, Robert G. Hammerton-Kelly are attempting to lead us to a more fully integrated concept of a loving God and that is to be congratulated.

Rating:
Summary: Striking
Review: I found this book to be a very well articulated work about an important theme. It said things I and many people I know had observed and mused over, but it's so well stated and thought through with such precision. One gets the feeling that the author really has been somewhere and seen something beyond the normal realm of experience.

Rating:
Summary: Read this now
Review: Read this book now. I was reading it on Sept. 11 and it absolutely changed my experience of the terrible violence going on all around us, which continues to wage. The book highlights the essential connectedness of all forms of violence to one another, and ends with a beautiful, intense, and compelling section on prayer.

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Summary: Wink explains - "I am not of this world"
Review: Substitute "domination system" for "world" and Christ's declaration the He is not of this "world" takes on new meaning. Wink explains how the writer of the book of Revelation was a seer who could see the spiritual realm of the domination system. The movie "Bulworth" captures Wink's theme. Jay Billington Bulworth is a U.S. senator, one of the "powers" who has fallen. A black homeless guy spots Bulworth after Bulworth begins his journey to redemption and says "ya gots to be a spirit, you can't be a ghost." Like John of Patmos who portrays the fallen spirits as dragons, the black homeless guy is a seer who sees the "powers" for what they are and instructs Bulworth to "sing your song". Bulworth exposes the powers through rap sing song and renders them powerless by engaging them with ridicule. Wink is on to something here. Non-violence is the major theme of his book but it goes way beyond a treatise on non-violence. Wink introduces his book with a description of five world views which put his theology into perspective. Most of us never think of these world views but we are profoundly affected by the way we view the world. The materialists are clearly in control of the church these days and Wink argues that it is only through an integrated world view that we have the possibility of changing the world. A sub-theme of the non-violence theme is the way our culture is controlled by the ancient Babylonian myth of redemptive violence. In a word, that myth is embodied in the strict Hollywood movie formula of the good guy getting beat up for most of the movie and resolving all matters in the end with an act of terrible violence. Come to think of it that pretty much describes what went on in the minds of the Littleton murderers. Wink's book is a very penetrating look at humanity.

Rating:
Summary: Life changing
Review: There aren't that many books that can truly change the way that you think about the fundamental things of the world. This book turned around the way that I think about systems. You don't have to ultimately agree with him on everything he says to recognize that this is one of the most significant books to come out in a while. Both Scripturally based and firmly practical - this has had lasting impact on me 4 years after I first read it.

Rating:
Summary: Life changing
Review: There aren't that many books that can truly change the way that you think about the fundamental things of the world. This book turned around the way that I think about systems. You don't have to ultimately agree with him on everything he says to recognize that this is one of the most significant books to come out in a while. Both Scripturally based and firmly practical - this has had lasting impact on me 4 years after I first read it.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book with a significant insight
Review: Traditional language used to discuss spiritual powers no longer translates in a modern scientific world. Wink provides an excellent method for understanding spirits, demons, and angels using contemporary socialogical and psychological tools. He provides readers with a new tool for harvesting meaning from an already rich source - the Biblical text and traditional writings on spirituality and the powers. Although his style varies from engaging to weighty from chapter to chapter this is a great book for anyone wishing to grapple with the spiritual powers in a modernist world.

Rating:
Summary: This book will likely change your paradigm...
Review: Walter Winks' exposure and analysis of the domination system and its "myth of redemptive violence" changed the way I think. This is one of those rare books which provide new insights into everyday life, and in the process, forever redefine the way you look at the world. Brave, articulate, and oh so relevant to our day and age.

Rating:
Summary: This book will likely change your paradigm...
Review: Walter Winks' exposure and analysis of the domination system and its "myth of redemptive violence" changed the way I think. This is one of those rare books which provide new insights into everyday life, and in the process, forever redefine the way you look at the world. Brave, articulate, and oh so relevant to our day and age.