Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Those who go to the Bible expecting an unambiguous message on the issue of politics need to recall William Blake's witty aphorism:“Both read the Bible day and night / But thou readst black where I read white” (The Everlasting Gospel, 1808). That is a salutary reminder to anyone embarking on a consideration of“what the Bible says” on any subject (Barr 1980). In different social and historical contexts, different texts have been used. Thus, with the emergence of Christendom after the conversion of Constantine, an understanding of Christian polity became more tied up with the task of Christianizing society. There was a corresponding diminution of the stark contrast between God and Caesar in history and political arrangements which had applied before the fourth century. Charting these two perspectives would involve describing the complex oscillations between accommodation and separation, between God and Caesar. Different texts have been used to justify these positions. An“accommodationist” position would tend to focus on Romans 13 and read the gospels in the light of that text, as was done, for example in the Alternative Service Book (1980) of the Church of England, in the readings for Pentecost 15. A stark contrast appears between the“accommodationist” and“separatist” positions if one reads the New Testament through the lens of the Apocalypse and gives primacy to the teaching and example ... log in or subscribe to read full text