It occurs to me that the situation of the church in our society, perhaps the church everywhere always, is entrusted with a truth that is inimical to present power arrangements. The theological crisis in the church—that shows up in preaching and in worship as elsewhere—is that the church has largely colluded with the totalism of the National Security State. Or more broadly, has uncritically colluded with Enlightenment reason that stands behind the National Security State that makes preaching Easter an epistemological impossibility. Unlike Paul, the church is in such a posture that it is not likely to be bold or unhindered; that is, it is not likely to be unintimidated. This is now clear to anyone who thinks that the totalizing claims of the National Security State have failed and been shown to be false. It is thus a time when the truth of God’s victory over death invites fresh articulation and enactment—at its best, unintimidated.
Walter Brueggemann
Truth Speaks to Power
