Growing numbers of us are acknowledging with grief that many forms of supremacy– Christian, white, male, heterosexual, and human–are deeply embedded not just in Christian history, but also in Christian theology. We are coming to see that in hallowed words like almighty, sovereignty, kingdom, dominion, supreme, elect, chosen, clean, remnant, sacrifice, lord, and even God, dangerous vices often lie hidden. We are coming to see in the life and teaching of Christ, and especially in the cross and resurrection of Christ, a radical rejection of dominating supremacy in all its forms. The theological term for [this] is kenosis, which means self-emptying. Rather than seizing, hoarding, and exercising power in the domineering ways of typical kings, conquistadors, and religious leaders, Jesus was consistently empowering others. He descended the ladders and pyramids of influence instead of climbing them upwards, released power instead of grasping at it, and served instead of dominating. He ultimately overturned all conventional understandings of . power by purging [it] of violence–to the point where he himself chose to be killed rather than kill. Brian D. McLaren
About This Quote

The Bible is often described as God’s Word to humanity. Because of the enormous influence the Bible has had on the history of Christianity, it is tempting to think that this means that God’s Word is also God’s Word to all people. This is not the case. The Bible was meant for a particular people who lived at a particular time. The Bible is not for us today.

Source: The Great Spiritual Migration: How The Worlds Largest Religion Is Seeking A Better Way To Be Christian

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true. - Unknown
  2. As time and space are bent by gravity, so too is truth bent by power. - James Rozoff
  3. It is the destiny of the weak to be devoured by the strong. - Otto Von Bismarck
  4. The worship of power is an old religion. - George Santayana
  5. What a curious power words have. - Tadeusz Borowski
More Quotes By Brian D. McLaren
  1. We must understand the essence of our faith to be something other than a list of opinions, propositions, or statements that our group holds but cannot prove. (p. 22)
  2. I’m sure I am wrong about many things, although I’m not sure exactly which things I’m wrong about. I’m even sure I’m wrong about what I think I’m right about in at least some cases.
  3. Accumulating orthodoxy makes it harder year-by-year to be a Christian than it was in Jesus' day.
  4. If you love someone, you will want to understand them and accept them as they grow and change; similarly, loving yourself involves a never-ending process of self-understanding and self-acceptance through life's ups and downs..we are finally coming to understand that love for neighbor and love...
  5. Oppression theology and supremacist spirituality developed in the belief ecosystem of an angry God who needed appeasement in order to dispense grace, who favored some and disfavored others, and who welcomed the favored into religious institutions that accumulated and hoarded privilege and protected the status...
Related Topics