Nevertheless it is possible, in the midst of the limits and transitoriness of human existence, to make societies which are more liberating and less oppressive, and hence closer to the kingdom. To deny this is to deny all efficacy to God in history, to make the world solely the kingdom of Satan.
The opposite of God’s kingdom is not “man’s” kingdom, but Satan’s kingdom. Both God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom are human kingdoms, societies of this world.
The task of the follower of Christ is to move human society a little farther from the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of alienation and oppression, and closer to God’s kingdom, a society of peace, justice and mutuality.
from To Change the World: Christology and Cultural Criticism
—————————————————————————-
Gender-inclusive version:
Nevertheless it is possible, in the midst of the limits and transitoriness of human existence, to make societies which are more liberating and less oppressive, and hence closer to the kingdom. To deny this is to deny all efficacy to God in history, to make the world solely the kingdom of Satan.
The opposite of God’s kingdom is not “humanity’s” kingdom, but Satan’s kingdom. Both God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom are human kingdoms, societies of this world.
The task of the follower of Christ is to move human society a little farther from the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of alienation and oppression, and closer to God’s kingdom, a society of peace, justice and mutuality.
from To Change the World: Christology and Cultural Criticism