Dallas Morning News: Q&A with theology professor Joerg Rieger: America as empire

Perkins School of Theology Professor Joerg Rieger is one of a growing group of academics asking how far America should go in establishing an empire. Some theologians are particularly concerned about theology being used to justify an American expansion.

McKenzie: What do you mean by “theology of empire?”    

Rieger: In my book Empire and the Christian Tradition: From Paul to Postcolonial Times, I define empire in this way:

"Empire, in sum, has to do with massive concentrations of power that permeate all aspects of life and that cannot be controlled by any one actor alone. This is one of the basic marks of empire throughout history. Empire seeks to extend its control as far as possible; not only geographically, politically, and economically - these factors are commonly recognized - but also intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, culturally, and religiously."

In a nutshell, empires are efforts to take control of how people live and think, and so theology is always a natural part of empire.          

Empire theology is the approach that tells people "there is no alternative," there is only one way to do things. In my book I talk about how this mindset has impacted the Christian tradition from the very beginning, starting with the Roman Empire.

The good news is, however, that empire has never been able to take over Christianity completely and so there is always some resistance to empire in the Christian traditions, a fact that is often overlooked. (emphasis mine)

McKenzie: Is this an issue people both on the left and right talk about? Or is it mostly among religious progressives? 

Rieger: In the current situation, I don’t know how helpful the "right" and "left" distinction is. The problem with empire is that it is a matter of life and death and that many people end up dead, not just in situations of war but also in situations of hunger, disease, neglect etc., even within the borders of our own nation.