Afternoon Seminars & Workshops

 

BC-04 — Jesus, in the Face of His Enemies: Overturning Politics as Usual

John Rankin

What is power? The ability to bless others, or the exercise of dominating others? Rooted in the mission of "first the Gospel, then politics ..." this seminar will define the 10 positive assumptions in the biblical order of creation. Their truth, beauty and goodness have proven self-evident even to hardened skeptics. From this foundation, the six pillars of biblical power are drawn - the powers 1) to give, 2) to live in the light, 3) of informed choice, 4) to love hard questions, 5) to love enemies and 6) to forgive. Jesus embodied these during Passover Week where he catalyzed the strength of childlikeness, giving his sworn enemies a level playing field to pose him their toughest questions. But they only silenced themselves, allowing Jesus to be publicly seen as the blameless Lamb of God. This ethic, if lived by enough Christians, can readily bring human politics into willing submission to the kingdom of God, and is the most honest and effective way to address Islam, perhaps today's greatest spiritual and geo-political challenge.

 

John Rankin — President of the Theological Education Institute (TEI) and the Mars Hill Society in West Simsbury, Connecticut. He holds degrees from Denison University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School. Since 1993, John has hosted nearly 150 Mars Hill Forums, inviting questions from a wide range of skeptics concerning the truth and implications of the Gospel. John is also author of four books, including the most recent, Jesus, in the Face of His Enemies: A Paradigm Shift for Overturning Politics as Usual.