How Does James Davison Hunter Reflect On A Theology Of 'Rethinking Power'

James Davison Hunter is Labrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. In To Change The World, The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in The Late Modern World, Hunter writes three interconnected essays that are filled with chapters to make his case for the possibility of change.

In essay 1: Hunter considers the ways in which Christians in much of their diversity actually think about the creation mandate today, examining the implicit theory and explicit practices that operate within this complex and often conflicted religious and cultural movement. In essay 2: Rethinking Power, Hunter believes when faith and its culture flourish, it does so, in part, because it operates with an implicit view of power in its proper place. When faith and its culture deteriorate, it does so, in part, because it operates with a view of power that is corrupt. In essay 3: Toward a New City Commons: Reflections on a Theology of Faithful Presence, Hunter says The problem of difference bears on how Christians engage the world outside of their own community,

It is easier to force one’s will upon others through legal and political means than it is to persuade them or negotiate compromise with them. The tactics have expanded to include worldview and culture, the logic at work—that America has been taken over by secularists, that it is time to “take back the culture” for Christ—is identical to the longstanding approach of the Christian Right. This is because the underlying myth that defines their goals and strategy of action has not changed. The creation mandate is a mandate to use power in the world in ways that reflect God’s intentions. Thus, the question for the church is not about choosing between power and powerlessness, but rather, how will the church and its people use the power that they