Highest Power: Church + State Ep51: How Authoritarian Christians Appeal to the Bible but End Up Recreating Ancient Empire Dynamics in Modern Politics
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Aug 25, 2025 Delve into how authoritarian Christianity echoes ancient empires, shaping modern politics. Discover the roots of societal norms regarding gender roles and authority, questioning conservative biblical interpretations. The discussion navigates the ties between spiritual and earthly hierarchies, revealing how divine rule influences governance. Explore the relationship between Christian nationalism and authoritarianism, using familiar Disney narratives to highlight the urgency of awareness and engagement in countering these movements.
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Theology Drives Political Action
- Theology matters: authoritarian Christians explicitly say their theology informs politics and should be taken at face value.
- Ignoring the religious root misses why they act politically and prevents addressing the core problem.
Exile Shapes Israel's Political Theology
- Israel's biblical narratives reflect a wound of exile that shaped desires for land, temple, and king.
- Those national-hierarchy themes echo through Genesis and Israel's self-understanding.
Covenant Language Mirrors Empire Treaties
- Ancient suzerain-vassal treaties framed divine-human covenants as conditional protections with blessings or curses.
- The Ten Commandments and covenant language mirror those imperial treaty structures.
