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Just want to say that while I have talked about the role that white supremacy & anti-blackness play in modern American life, I think they are powers & principalities among many that we are waging war against.
other powers & principalities that pose a threat to the holiness of God's people and the success of our mission include a disregard for the goodness of the body, a celebration of hoarding resources vis-a-vis the Big Sort, and the celebration of sexual immorality.
I think all of these sorts of battles will find us tempted to invest in high-profile symbolic actions over the more boring, difficult work of real sacrifice and "a long obedience in the same direction".
So if you want to argue that these powers aren't real or they aren't legitimate threats, I think you've been blinded by their wiles. If you want to argue about what the most effective way to deal with them is, that's an essential conversation.
It gets complicated because most powers are normal sinful tendencies that have metastasized and acquired institutional/cultural power. Tribalism & ethnic strife are universal features of the human society, but anti-blackness or anti-Semitism are more specific and more dangerous.
The strife we see in our culture is an opportunity for the Church to proclaim the reconciling power of God. But our proclamation will be strengthened (in a lot of ways!) by the work we do in and amongst communities the most harmed by the power of these demonic forces.
Not only does suffering with people give you an opportunity to love those who most need it, it also allows the Church to be the vanguard of cultural redemption and gives our message more legitimacy in the eyes of those inclined to be skeptical.
There will always be powerful people who hate the Bride of Christ no matter what, but they're a minority. Imagine if 30 years ago it had been hundreds of churches listening to John Perkins instead of dozens. How much different might our current moment be?
