The monstrous American heresy is in thinking that the whole drama of history takes place between God and humanity. But the truth, biblically and theologically and empirically, is quite otherwise: The drama of this history takes place amongst God and humanity and the principalities and powers, the great institutions and ideologies active in the world. It is the corruption and shallowness of humanism which beguiles Jew or Christian into believing that human beings are masters of institution or ideology. Or to put it differently, racism is not an evil in human hearts or minds; racism is a principality, a demonic power, a representative image, an embodiment of death over which human beings have little or no control, but which works its awful influence in their lives.
William Stringfellow, quoted in Eugene F. Rivers III, “Powers and Principalities: King and the Holy Spirit and Why Today’s Activists Need the Power of the Holy Spirit,” Plough Quarterly 16
A really challenging and thought-provoking article.
Image: William Stringfellow, plus quote, “from the internet” – please forgive me …
Matters of Interpretation 