When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations

Repressive authoritarian regimes are falling and fragile new democracies emerging around the globe. How are longstanding conflicts and deep divisions to be healed and enemies reconciled without breeding further injustices? To answer this question, Walter Wink here applies his compelling analysis of "the Powers, " as they appear in the New Testament, to the global scene. Surveying the wrenching religious and ethical dilemmas involved in transitions from despotism to democracy, Wink neatly summarizes key concepts from his Fortress Press trilogy on the Powers, including sections on "Jesus against Domination" and "Nonviolence." He then shows how central concepts in the teaching of Jesus can clarify true and false ideas of forgiveness and reconciliation and apology - without sacrificing justice. The personal, political, and geopolitical pertinence of Wink's ideas shines in his discussion of specific situations in Africa and Latin America.