I reopened my reading of In Search of Paul, Crossan’s Pauline treatment that is the companion New Testament study to his “Historical Jesus” studies.

This stood out for me tonight:
“Wherever Rome went, in brought its gods; and whomever Rome conquered, it assimilated their Gods into the Roman pantheon” (p. 57) (in Chapter 1: Jewish Faith and Pagan Society)

I am reminded once again of the dual-edged sword of Empire’s conquest and subjugation of the faith of its subjects: Their gods come in and get air time; and the “highlights” of the native faith that are “twistable” are taken for a spin (ie. the use of Christian imagery for purposes of divinizing the State, and its purposes.

Bush has been as daring as they come amongst American presidents, equating the “Logos” passage in John to “The American people” (at least those who “are with us” and therefore not “against us”)

The gullibility of the Religious Right, along with their shallow perceptions of the Biblical warnings against idolatry (they see “idols” only when the powers are overtly hostile to their faith and its practices; meanwhile, when their language is appropriated, they confer blessings upon the assimilators; more likely because with that “approval” they receive a sense of power, and the expectation of advantage, and a fanatical belief in the promises sounded by the ideological leaders: “Follow us and you shall receive trickle down blessings”. But as Thomas Frank points out in “What’s the Matter With Kansas?”, they’re being duped, and the real benefactors of the tax windfall are not about to share that with the “lesser of these”, which to them, includes the likes of the entire bottom 99%; with a cooly calculated amount pushed ever so slightly down to benefit the ones just powerful enough to give them ideological support, (so they can rally the troops), and a bloc of votes.

The media age has been conquered by the manipulators. Sellers of wares have done it for years. Political power now boasts Madison Avenue finesse and covert manipulation, and the selling of “values” that maintain the system.

Lost in America is the prophetic emphasis of the Gospels and the Biblical witness to the Kingdom that is NOT of this world. To the Religious Right, the “worldly” scourge are the perverts, the not-our kind, and the “liberal conspiracy” (many of which use words like justice and equality and reconciliation, which is not what they’re really after. Not on the radar of “wordly” forces are the Empires of Power and Dominion which run on the hard work of the “lessers” (including many of those who are convinced that it runs in their favor). Despite the fact that there are constant warnings abouut “the powers of darkness” and “Principalities and powers” and “Empires” whose Pride will ultimately bring them to ruin, the American Empire somehow stands on the side of Good , and the restof the world is therefore EVIL. But the power is in OUR HANDS; and yet this empire is simply takling its place in line along with Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome, and later Britian and now The United States. And the American Church sides with Empire, even though the History of the Faith in the Biblical witness proclaimed a siding with the Oppressed vs Empire; that the City of God will conquer the Kingdom built on Might and Lust for Power (along with its weapons used to defend the privilege, and to subdue opposition to it).