Ordinary radicals need something to be radical against. In the second section of Jesus for President, titled "A New Kind of Commander-in-Chief," Claiborne and Haw describe the political powers empire and imperialism as that which Israel, and then Christ, is supposed to be rebelling against. As Christians, we are called into a struggle that touches our physical, emotional, verbal, and spiritual lives. The Empire has its own language and way of doing things. They have created a dominant culture bent on maintaining the status quo, i.e. their power, at any cost. This is one of the big reasons Christ died: he stood in the way of Empire.

Where does standing in the way of Empire get us except killed? More importantly, why should we stand in the way of Empire? The authors answer is because Christ did, so we should do the same. Christ has called us to an alternative community, a place where we are citizens of the Kingdom, his Kingdom, the one he mentions in his lesson on praying ("thy kingdom come.") This is greater than the kingdom the Adversary tempted him with, a kingdom of majesty and power that bows down to no one. The gates of Hell cannot stand against it. Neither should Herod's or the Caesar's.

That's why standing up against Empire and Imperialism is so important: we are greater than they are. We are the true Kingdom, they are just shadows. Though they try to kill us and place us in darkness, we find the way, the truth, and the life in Christ's death and resurrection---the turning of darkness into light, a light that lives in us and will last forever in Jesus' Kingdom. As Claiborne and Haw write: ... more