on the Good State (via The Theology of Joe)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Here are some very challenging thoughts about basic cultural beliefs. Here is a key paragraph –

I was thinking in church today how often we make wild assumption about God acting via our state, and that the state is essentially a Good Thing. In fact, whilst it is entirely appropriate to question belief in a deity, it is sacrilege to question the assumption of the Great United Kingdom. Some of us might laugh at the USAmerican assumptions of moral goodness and influence in the world, yet the truth is that we also talk in this way. Not only is the state good because it is good to ‘us’ (in the process dismissing all those who do not experience good things from the state as being somehow outcasts), ‘we’ are agents of good in the world. To assume that our commitment to the gospel of Christ might be in conflict with the working of the state is to label ourselves as fanatical – possibly dangerous – fundamentalists.

This is tough and difficult for many to accept. But we should think about these things. The status of “city on a hill” is not given but earned.

James Pilant

I do love Slavoj Žižek.  I like his energy when he speaks, his crumpled appearance and his frequent nose-wiping. I like the fact that most of the time I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about, but that is brain moves so quickly from one point to another that there is no time between confusion and enlightenment, humour and deep thought.  To be clear, he may as well be speaking in Slovakian for all I understand him. I like the way he spea … Read More

via The Theology of Joe

2 thoughts on “on the Good State (via The Theology of Joe)”

  2. The “city on a hill” is a key element of American exceptionalism. Here’s a reference – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_upon_a_Hill. And another – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_Light. I think it’s a silly idea. I believe as a Christian that every city should try to establish a reputation for righteousness but there is no nation that cannot establish its worthiness in holiness and morality. To consider the United States as the owner of the “city on a hill,” status is arrogant.
    James Pilant

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