Unmasking the Powers No. 2: The Demonic in Personal and Public Life

Before continuing with this week’s post on the demonic, I want to let those of my readers who follow the philosophical posts know that my newest scholarly effort, Illumined By Wisdom and Love: Essays on a Sophio-Agapic Constructive Postmodern Political Philosophy, is now available from Amazon and on other platforms.

A friend of mine, who is a professional philosopher and theologian, considers the book to be a formulation of a proposal for the importance of a pragmatic as opposed to an ideological approach to political life. It is deeply impacted by Peirce’s pragmaticism and the thoughts of his followers and those modern thinkers most affected by the developments of modern physics. I am not a professional philosopher, but having been challenged by one of my children to undertake the task I did several years ago. Those who read my posts weekly will recognize the rough outline of my thoughts.

Accusations of the Demonic

There is nothing more common than for someone to describe a person, political party, institution, or other group with which they disagree as “demonic.” The word often means little more than “I violently dislike this person, party, institution, or group.” Like the term “Nazi,” the term has almost lost any serious meaning. In a culture in which unstable or prejudiced people, as well as political manipulators, constantly attempt to influence people by using the term demonic, it is essential to gain an understanding of the proper use and meaning of the term. Furthermore, as Wink points out, in a materialistic world where most people have difficulty conceiving of any spiritual reality, it is important to understand the Biblical use of terms like “angel” and “demon.”

Demons

In keeping with his definition of spirit realities as the inner reality of the physical world and his understanding of persons as embedded in a network of relations, Wink sees the demonic as a warped, inner spirit of human beings and their institutions. [1] He doesn’t deny that people have personal shadows, even demonic potential. Yet, this personal shadow or demonic is part of the network of institutions and physical reality in which a person is embedded. This is in keeping with a post-modern, pragmatic view of the human person as constituted in relationships with self, others, society, and the “life-world” they inhabit. This observation is consistent with modern thought about persons and groups developed within many disciplines, secular and sacred.

Once again, Wink is motivated by a desire to resist two opposite errors made by modern thinkers and many modern Christians: a denial of the demonic or an overly concrete, mythological understanding that overestimates and overemphasizes the demonic. The modern materialistic mindset tends to discount the demonic, giving free rein to demonic activity. On the other hand, a fundamentalist approach tends to see demons everywhere and give them more credence than is deserved. Wink does believe in the reality of the demonic as a separate category of existence—albeit as an “inner spirituality.”

Types of Demonic Manifestation

Wink identifies three kinds of demonic manifestation:

  1. Outer personal possession,
  2. Collective possession, and
  3. Interpersonal demonic possession. [2]

Outer Demonic Possession. By outer personal demonic manifestation, Wink means an individual’s inner spiritual captivity to internalized social realities.[3] By collective possession, he means the possession of individuals in social groups. Finally, by interpersonal demonic, Wink means the struggle to integrate a split-off or repressed aspect intrinsic to the human personality that is only made evil by its rejection.[4] In all this, one can see Wink’s attempt to bring his explanation of the demonic into conformity with modern depth psychology and a process of understanding human personhood.

In discussing outer personal possession, Wink focuses on the story of the Gerasene demoniac. In his view, outer personal possession is not merely personal or the personal pole of a collective melody affecting an entire society. In outer personal possession, one person bears the brunt of the collective demonic, which is thus allowed to remain unconscious and undetected in society at large. I find this unconvincing. It would seem to meet a better analysis of personal demonic as a spiritual reality within an individual personal being who is the result of social forces.

Collective Demonic Possession. Collective possession is somewhat easier to understand. Following Kierkegaard, Wink sees that the 20th century has seen many instances of what might appear to be societies giving themselves up to evil in mass. [5] In such phenomena as Nazi Germany, and perhaps some social phenomena in other societies, one sees a kind of mass possession by a demonic spirit that has an existence in a group impacted by the same spirit. Once again, Wink sees these demonic manifestations as the inner reality of a social dysfunction that is allowed to become collective and highly destructive. I will devote an entire blog to the Angel of the Nations, examining nations’ redemptive and demonic spiritual potential.

This week, there are remembrances of the Holocaust, which is a poignant reminder that societies do have demonic potential. This is not limited to Nazi Germany but can impact any society which loses its moral grounding and compassion for human beings in the quest for power and influence. After the Second World War, there was a lot of discussion in Germany about the collective nature of the German demonic spirit. Karl Barth thought it was only necessary to admit that Germany had been foolish. (It’s hard to look at the death of 6 million Jews as the result of mere national foolishness.) Others felt that Germany had been infiltrated by a demonic spirit that created a mass disaster.[6] Wink would seem correct that there was more than a mere political miscalculation but the idolatrous nature of Hitler’s entire regime.

Inner Demonic Possession. By inner personal demonic possession, Wink means a “split off” or unintegrated aspect of the self. This aspect is not alien to the self but intrinsic to the human personality and needs to be owned, embraced, loved, and transformed as part of the struggle for personal wholeness. [7] Jung’s influence is evident in this definition. On the positive side, this way of conceiving the demonic explains why some people who can be seen as demonic can also be seen and diagnosed as psychotic in some way. The notion that this unintegrated aspect needs to be healed by love and transformed into wholeness is not alien to the descriptions of the healings of Jesus in the New Testament. In Christ, the demonic is confronted with the steadfast love of God in human form.

Exorcism

One benefit of Wink’s analysis is his belief that not all demonic is subject to the tradition of exorcism. In so doing, he sets out some traditional signs of the demonic and guidelines for exorcism:

  1. The exorcist can only discern if exorcism is strongly recommended by reason and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every potential explanation, other than demonic possession, needs to be rationally eliminated before an exorcism is performed. This would mean, I think, that to the extent a condition is treatable by psychology, it should be explained and treated as a disease, not a possession.
  2. The exorcist must discern an evil presence or personality alien to the person or individual being exorcised. Thus, anyone considering themselves an exorcist must have strong faith, developed wisdom, long-suffering love, and discernment. Inexperienced, immature, or untrained persons can do much damage by ill-advised attempts at exorcism.
  3. One common indication of possession can be if the person speaks in a voice distinctly other than their voice or speaks in a foreign language unknown to the victim. However, this is not conclusive since the potential for fakery or psychosis is always present.
  4. While blasphemy against God, morality, or everything sacred is an indication of demonic presence, it cannot be said to be conclusive for the reasons set out above. There is often the potential for fakery or psychosis, as I have observed.
  5. If the person possessed displays impossible physical contortions or seems to possess unusual power or strength or convulsions, it is an indication that the demonic is present. However, there can be other causes that must be eliminated before an exorcism should occur.
  6. If the person believes they are possessed, it may be an indication that exorcism is appropriate, yet it cannot be said to be conclusive for the reasons set out above.
  7. While exorcism is sometimes effective, it is not successful in all cases. This is particularly important for contemporary Christians. While the disciples were able to cast out some demons, they were not always successful. If exorcism is not necessary and unsuccessful, it can do more harm than good. This means that exorcism should be a remedy of last resort.

Thus, exorcism is only appropriate in rare cases. In most situations, another approach may be warranted. Although generally speaking, exorcism is not practical or even possible, Wink discusses the potential for such an exorcism to occur when there is a collective possession. A form of social madness or possession can likely be alleviated by the collective prayer of the church and the communal manifestation of the spirit of exorcism within the church. In my opinion, this essentially amounts to answered prayer. This is why prayers for deliverance from social evils and oppression are important and practiced by nearly every Christian group.

The Importance of Love

Near the end of his chapter on the demonic, Wink makes what I believe is his most important observation: “The best exorcism of all is accepting love. It is finally love, love alone, that heals the demonic.” [8] Thirty years of pastoral ministry have convinced me that this is true—and the greatest truth of all. It is to be remembered that when demonic spirits confronted Jesus, they faced the love of God incarnate. They confronted that wise and gentle love that Isaiah tells us would not break a bruised reed (Isaiah 42:3). So often, those who feel attracted to exorcism and confront the demonic forget this great truth. We are not facing the demonic in the name of Jesus unless we confront it with the very same love that Jesus showed towards every human being. As one Jewish friend commented, we must remember the infinite value of every human life. [9]

Copyright 2025, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces that Determine Human Existence (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1986), 42.

[2] Id, at 43

[3] Id, at 43-50. I find Wink’s entire discussion confusing and unpersuasive. He seems determined to locate “outer personal possession” within individuals’ psyches, and while critiquing modern secular analysis, he substantially adopts it. It is hard to see what is being analyzed as “outer” and what is being analyzed as “inner.” It is hard to see as “personal” what is being described as internalized social forces.

[4] Id, at.

[5] Id, at 50.

[6] Id, at 54.

[7] Id, at 53.

[8] Id, at 57.

[9] Doron Avital, “Speech at a Council of Europe Holocaust Remembrance” found at https://youtu.be/PU4znOiICgI (downloaded January 27, 2025). This entire talk is well worth the time. It was given twelve years ago. Its words are even more relevant today.

Unmasking the Powers No. 1

In Naming the Powers, Walter Wink does a deep dive into the language of the New Testament concerning what we refer to as “the Powers and Principalities.” [1] At the beginning of Unmasking the Powers, Wink restates his thesis from Naming the Powers that the New Testament language referring to “principalities and powers” is best understood as the inner spirituality or interiority of an outer manifestation. The powers must become incarnate, institutionalized, or systematic to be effective. [2] In other words, there are no “invisible little green men” out there acting without some human actor embodying them. By and large, the principalities and powers indwell human actors, who are the outer manifestation of inner realities.

Unmasking the Powers

One might ask the question, “Why do these entities need to be unmasked?” the answer would appear to be too many. First of all, they’re invisible. Their operation must be inferred by things occurring in the physical universe. Second, perhaps more importantly, they must be masked in the modern world because our fundamental worldview inclined us to be blind to their operation. The modern worldview is highly materialistic and hostile to any spiritual realities. This makes it relatively easy for them to operate in the physical universe since, essentially, they are ignored. [3]

Fortunately, recent developments, especially in physics, have undermined the materialistic worldview of the modern world. What appears to us to be physical reality is a disturbance in the universal field. We refer to material objects as events that have reached a certain degree of stability and become subject to description by Newtonian physics. The end of the materialistic worldview opens up the potential for a spiritual and religious interpretation of events, which Wink attempts to do.

Satan the Adversary

There is no question about it: both the Old Testament and New Testament refer to an angelic being called Satan. (See Zechariah 3:1-5 and Matthew 4:1-11. Luke 4:1-13 & 22:31-34, I Corinthians 5:1-5). In its fundamental grammar, the name “Satan” means “the accuser.” Indeed, it is the fundamental role of Satan to accuse and make use of the human guilty conscience. Less, Wink says:

Satan is thus not merely a mythological character invented out of whole cloth; the “adversary” is that actual inner or collective voice of condemnation that any sensitive person hears tirelessly, repeating accusations of guilt or inferiority. [4]

Satan’s role as the tempter is thus the spiritual reality that our fallen guilty conscience leaves humans open to temptation and attachment to secondary or lesser goods and the ability to ignore or even violate the will of God. [5]Satan is the real interiority of a society that idolatrously pursues its own enhancement as the highest good.” [6]

One of the most challenging aspects of Wink’s analysis is his tendency to reduce Satan and demons to, in the words of Jung, “archetypical reality.” [7] This deprives Satan of independent “personal reality.” In his books, Wink is attempting to overcome simplistic notions of the devil as a horned man with a red tail and a pitchfork. In my view, popular religion has its place, and picturing Satan in an almost comic hook characterization is simplistic but not necessarily without its theological importance. Such pictures emphasize the personal reality of evil, though its reality is not physical and may not appear as a physical reality outside of visions and dreams. I would prefer to think of Satan as the Bible describes him—a fallen angel created in the image of God who misused his freedom. One does not need to consider such a fallen angel as a comic book character with horns and a tail. Like any angel, Satan would be a noetic being but having a personal reality and character.

The second aspect of Wink’s analysis that I suspect is his tendency to locate Satan’s activities and the demonic in “the real interiority of a society.” This theological move tends to remove Satan’s independent reality as a personal force in the universe and replace him with a kind of maladjustment of societies and people within them. The “actual inner or collective voice of condemning” that we all perceive is satanic. The question is, “Does it originate in an inner or collective voice, or is there some personal reality outside of the personal and collective voice through which the deceiver speaks?” I suspect that Wink’s analysis is correct as far as it goes, but reality is more complex and mysterious. What is essential about Wink’s analysis is its insistence that the invisible reality of evil requires broken human institutions and persons to act in the material world.

Marshland

In a novel I wrote under the pen name Alystair West, I explored the phenomena of the demonic and angelic presence. I believe the connection between depth, psychology, and perceiving angelic activity is complex and interesting.  Here’s a part of what is said in the novel:

“There is something I’ve been wanting to ask my father,” I said. “Since we are here, I would like to ask you. Recently, I’ve been having dreams. In my dreams, I see a burning black figure. The black figure is almost exactly my size and shape. I don’t see any features of any kind on the figure. The figure is humanoid but black as night. Surrounding the figure is a kind of deep, blood-red fire that becomes yellow just at the fringes. In my dreams, the figure is filled with hate.”

Father White’s eyes looked intently into mine. I could see that he was thinking hard about the dream. When he finally spoke, he was direct. “Do you know anything about psychology, the psychologist Carl Jung, and something that psychologists call the shadow self?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Very little. Jung is just a name I heard in college.”

“You’ve been having a series of dreams. As a Christian, I believe dreams are revealing. Almost always, dreams are about the inner life of the dreamer. Our dreams reveal things about us that we do not consciously understand or perhaps want to understand. On the other hand, dreams present opportunities to grow as a person. Much of the time, we human beings submerge inner conflicts in the subconscious. In this way, what deeply concerns us does not interfere with our day-to-day lives. When we sleep, however, our capacity to submerge worries and anxieties is lessened, with the result that dreams often reveal something important.

“I don’t think you need to be much of a psychologist to understand that a young man in the prime of life who has a dream about a demonic figure of darkness is worried about something, perhaps about something within himself. From a Christian point of view, I wonder if you are concerned about the wisdom and goodness of the path you have taken in life. I even wonder if perhaps there isn’t a demonic capacity within you that you fear is seeking to be unleashed. From a purely secular point of view, I wonder if you are not worried about your life, character, actions, and ambitions. I cannot answer what the exact interpretation of your dream might be, but I think it is worth your going to see a professional or at least taking time to think this out for yourself.

“The psychologist Carl Jung called the darker aspect of one’s personality one’s shadow. In my experience, facing he dark aspects of our personalities takes courage. All human beings have good and bad sides. There is darkness in all of us. That darkness results from what we Christians call the fall. We are all anxious and self-centered, desire to succeed, gratified by power of all kinds, and seek our own self-interest to the detriment of others. Finally, we are all fearful about the future, especially about the prospect of our own deaths.

“You seem to be a young man who is ambitious and wants to please. These are good qualities with a darker reverse side. In the attempt to get ahead by pleasing your  clients, your employer, your friends, your lovers, and others,  if you deny you fundamental self, it can lead to nothing but suffering.”

We talked for another few moments, as he focused on my need to understand that the dream almost certainly had to do with me.

“It is easy to think of dark powers as outside of us. It is harder to confront the fact that dark powers cannot warp our lives without help—and that help comes when we humans allow our inner darkness to impact others around us: family, friends, colleagues, and the like. In some cases,  that darkness can reach the point where it deserves the description of demonic. When the darkness in us reaches this point, we can cooperate in our own self-destruction and the destruction of the families, communities, and nations we love. Just look at Nazi Germany as one huge example.”

I digested this information as best I could on short notice. I’m not a particularly reflective person. Before Father White’s analysis, I did not perceive any deep conflict within myself. Yet I knew that I was not happy about certain aspects of my life and my lack of any effective response. I wasn’t happy about working with Roger. I wasn’t happy about being involved in the transaction—and a lot less happy after my conversation with Maria. I was happy about Gwynn’s disclosure of our baby, but I wasn’t happy about putting her in that situation. I wasn’t happy about the difficulties we faced in getting married. I could blame others if I wanted to, but any fault was mine.

He asked me to describe my last dream. This involved a bit of a problem. I didn’t want my fiancée involved in this. Nevertheless, I decided that I could admit that I was in a relationship of which neither the church nor my parents would approve.

“Well, I’ve had this dream about five or six times. I was with my fiancée the last time. That time, the black figure was threatening not me but her. I woke up having jumped on top of her to protect her from the imaginary figure. She thought I was crazy and suggested I see someone, which is partly why I’m here talking with you.” I thought about what to say next. “I am always protective of my fiancée, but I’m particularly protective now. We think she’s going to have a baby, and I wouldn’t want anyone or anything to hurt that baby.”

He looked at me quietly, as if biding me to continue.

“On this occasion, the dream had a sequel. I either woke up or had another dream in the middle of the night. I don’t know which. I saw a thin pillar of multicolored light shimmering in the same corner where the dark figure appeared. It was a kind of comforting quality to the light, so I went back to sleep. Of course, when I woke up, there was nothing there.”

The priest now sat up straight in his chair. He looked at me with an intensity I have rarely seen or experienced.

“Arthur,” he said, “different people can look at what you have experienced in different ways. I am not a secular psychologist. I believe either your subconscious is confirming to you that all will be well despite your inner conflicts or  angelic powers are simultaneously challenging and looking after you. [8]

Conclusion

My understanding incorporates much of Wink’s beliefs, though I approach the issue slightly differently. I share with Wink concerns about people who give too much credit and focus too much on Satan and the demonic. Our former pastor in Houston used to urge the congregation not to give too much credit to Satan—and I think this is good advice. The key is to develop a balanced approach. It is also important not to “over humanize” Satan, as if he were a potent, supremely powerful person we cannot resist. We can indeed resist the evil.

In Unmasking the Powers, Wink restricts his analysis to Satan, Demons, the Angels of Churches, the Angels of Nations, Gods (little ‘g’ gods), the elements of the universe, and a new category He proposes: “Angels of Nature.” This week, I restricted myself to the fallen angel, Satan, because next week, I want to discuss the demonic more generally and exorcism in particular. In response to a question from one of the readers last week, I am going to talk about one specific instance where some Christians sense the presence of the demonic. In the following weeks, I intend to deal with the Angels of the Churches, the Angels of Nations, and the Angels of Nature before moving on to Engaging the Powers.

Copyright 2025, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1984),

[2] Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces that Determine Human Existence (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1986), 4.

[3] Id, 5.

[4] Id, 12.

[5] Id, 19.

[6] Id, at 25. Italics in the original.

[7] Id, 25.

[8] Alystair Wes, Marshland (Bloomington, IN: Westbow, 2023), 157-161.

Naming the Powers and Principalities

This week, I begin a new blog series on the work of theologian Walter Wink1935-2012). Wink is best known for his “Powers trilogy: Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (1984), Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces that Determine Human Existence (1992), and Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (1982). [1]Wink attempted to bring his insights to a broader audience in a series of smaller works.

The Basic Thesis

Naming the Powers introduces this basic thesis: The language of “Principalities and Powers” in the New Testament refers to the inner pole of human social dynamics—institutions, belief systems, traditions, and the like. Presidents, legislatures, judicial systems, and the like are the outer dynamics that political science and other disciplines study. These institutions, actors, and “manifestations” possess an inner and an outer aspect. Thus, Wink states:

Every Power tends to have a visible pole, an outer form—be it a church, a nation, an economy—and an invisible pole, an inner spirit or driving force that animates, legitimates, and regulates its physical manifestation in the world. Neither pole is the cause of the other. Both come into existence together and cease to exist together.[2]

The outer dimensions of the powers and principalities cannot dominate our understanding, or we will inevitably misunderstand them. Science can study the outer dimensions of powers, but religion can examine the inner and spiritual dimensions and gain profitable insights.

What are The Powers?

In Naming the Powers, Wink conducts a deep biblical, grammatical, historical, and theological examination of the powers and principalities, which forms the basis of his deeper study and conclusions. When I first read Wink more than thirty years ago, I did not fully appreciate the necessity and importance of this first step. Relying on biblical and other sources, Wink details the basic words used to describe powers and principalities in the New Testament. The following is a brief personal summary:

  • Angelos: In the New Testament, Aggelos primarily refers to a supernatural being sent by God to deliver messages, execute His will, or provide guidance and protection to humans. Angels are powerful, holy beings who carry out God’s commands and assist His people. However, the term can also refer to human messengers in specific contexts. It emphasizes the role of the messenger rather than the nature of the being.
  • Angels of the Nations: In Middle Eastern thought, nations are assigned angels. For example, Michael, the only angel mentioned on my list, protects God’s people.
  • Arche: beginning, origin, first; ruler, power, authority; position of authority, domain. This is usually a more abstract and general term than Archon, a specific ruler.
  • Archon: An Archon is a “ruler,” often referring to a specific human public office title. Arthur is an Archon, and a grand archon is a prince. It can also mean someone who holds a form of status or power.
  • Dunamis: Dunamis refers to power, strength, or ability. It is often used to describe God’s miraculous power available to believers.
  • Exousia: Exousia (“from being”) is often translated as authority or power. It mainly refers to legal, moral, or spiritual influence and jurisdiction or dominion over a specific realm, right, privilege, or ability.
  • Kyriotes: Kyriotes derives from Kurios or Lord. It refers to human, divine, or angelic lordship, domination, and dignity, sometimes concerning a celestial hierarchy.
  • Arch-Angel Michael. Michael, or “Holy Michael, the Archangel” or “Saint Michael.” the first role is the leader of the Army of God and heaven’s forces in their triumph over the powers of hell. He is viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the “spiritual warrior,” his conflict with evil is taken as “the battle within,” which is why he is included in preparation for this novel. Michael would be Arthur’s natural angelic protector. The second and third roles of Michael in Catholic teachings deal with death. In his second role, he is the angel of death, responsible for carrying Christians to heaven. In his third role, he weighs souls on his perfectly balanced scales. For this reason, he is often depicted holding scales.
  • Onoma: Onoma means “name.” In Greek, it can refer to a person or place or signify authority, character, reputation, or identity. It is often used to express the essence or nature of a person, especially about God or Jesus Christ. The term can also imply the power or authority associated with a name, as seen in phrases like “in the name of Jesus. As a term of power, it means that the name mentioned embodies a power or authority that the speaker claims as their own under the circumstances.
  • Thronos: A throne is a chair of the state with a footstool from which a ruler exercises power. The New Testament “Chronos” metaphorically refers to those with governing powers, including God and Christ. However, it can also be used abstractly to refer to an actual ruler’s power of judgment and action.

As these examples show, the inner or spiritual Powers are not separate heavenly or ethereal realities but rather the inner aspects of material or tangible manifestations of power in relation to nature—as well, we may note, in relation to prisons, the police, racial and sexual violence, debates over gun control, militarism and the ‘War on Terror.’ As Wink writes in Naming the Powers:

I will argue that the “principalities and powers” are the inner and outer aspects of any given manifestation of power. As the inner aspect, they are the spirituality of institutions, the “within” of corporate structures and systems, and the inner essence of outer organizations of power. As the outer aspect, they are political systems, appointed officials, the “chair of an organization, laws—in short, all the tangible manifestations which power takes. Every power tends to have a visible pole, an outer form, be it at a church, a nation, or an economy—and an invisible pole, the inner spirit or driving force that animates, legitimates, and regulates the physical manifestations in the world. Neither pole is the cause of the other. Both come into existence together and cease to exist together. [3]

In Wink’s view, the biblical worldview allowed its writers to comprehend the spiritual nature of human structures. The language of demons, spirits, principalities, and other such entities helped these writers recognize that social life has both seen and unseen elements and that both need to be considered to understand the dynamics that shape our lives.

Process Roots

As I explained in other writings, the biblical worldview has been supplanted in the minds of many people who struggle to grasp spiritual realities. One way of reincorporating the ability to grasp spiritual realities and yet continue to appreciate the advancements of modern science is to embrace a new way of looking at reality. One option, an option that Wink takes, is to incorporate the insights of what professionals call “Process Theology.”

This is not the place to examine process thought. Moreover, it is unnecessary to adopt all of its implications to appreciate Wink’s point. It’s enough to point out that Alfred North Whitehead and the process thinkers are trying to create a philosophical and theological worldview that incorporates the insights of modern physics. Fundamentally, this is a change from seeing the world as a material entity built of material entities bound together by forces. The new worldview sees reality as fundamentally a process.

This new worldview posits that the fundamental realities are actual occasions. Wink believes that social institutions have both a material pole (or, for example, an institution) and a spiritual pole, that spirit that empowers the institution. Material objects or actual entities are simply occasions that have reached a period of stability. According to Whitehead, actual occasions and entities possess a material and a mental pole. In the same way, Wink believes that human social institutions have a material pole (or, for example, an institution) and a spiritual pole, the spirit that empowers the institution.

This is to say that experience and intelligibility are present in everything from subatomic particles to human beings. In Whitehead’s view, every level of existence possesses mental and physical poles, including quanta, atoms, cells, organisms, the Earth, the solar system, our galaxy, the universe, all the way up to God.  For God, the whole physical universe is the physical pole, and all ideas and forms are the mental pole. [4] In other words, there is no ultimate distinction between mind and matter. Mind and matter are two aspects of a single reality. The potential for the kind of consciousness that human beings possess is, thus, an evolutionary possibility within the structure of the type of universe we inhabit.

Wink extends this distinction, positing that social institutions, such as governments, agencies, and other entities, have both a material and spiritual pole. These two poles are organically related and cannot exist without one another. Nevertheless, they cannot be understood except by understanding both the physical and spiritual poles. Thus, for example, one could say that Europe in the 19th Century and the United States in the 20th century were possessed by a spirit of colonialism that existed separately from their actual colonial empires. The United States, not a colonial nation in 1960, had become one by 1960 and possessed by that same spirit. (I do not mean to use the term “possessed” with the connotation of demonic possession. It merely refers to the presence of the power in its decision-making.)

This understanding is crucial because it seems that Europe and the United States often engage in foreign policy ventures controlled by the remnants of that colonial spirit—for example, the notion that they can and should impose a two-state solution in Israel and the West Bank or ensure the continuation of Syria’s current boundaries. The colonialist assumption that we know what is best in the region may blind actors to more productive solutions.

Next week, I move on to Unmasking the Powers.

Copyright 2025, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved

[1] Walter Wink, Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1984), Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces that Determine Human Existence (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1986), Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1992)

[2] Naming the Powers, 5.

[3] Id.

[4] Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality (New York, NY: Free Press, 1929, 1957), 128.

A Meditation for Epiphany 2025

This week I am once again publishing a bit early. January 6 is Epiphany, which is traditionally the celebration of the coming of the Wise Men to see Jesus. As the notes at the bottom of the poem note, I’ve been working for on this poem for some time. I’ve even published it before. Nevertheless, I think it has a message given through the voice of Quirinius. It gives voice to the fatalism of an older, cynical, and world weary public servant of an empire faced with inevitable decline.

When Quirinius Was Governor of Syria

A bright day for traveling, but foreboding warns—
The transit of Magi may be a vile omen.
I sent them on to Herod, confident his fear and paranoia
Will unravel the mystery of a messianic child-king.

Octavian: Friendship did not send me here
To oversee an unpopular tax at your empire’s edge,
With Varus barely competent and Herod “the Great,”
Your lap dog perched upon his throne by a razor’s edge.

With no legitimate claim to rule, only convenient friendship,
Force of arms and a conniving mind, devious and twisted,
A man lacking any genuine principles or honor,
Herod rules because he flatters Rome and enlists our aid.

We can trust Herod no further than our leash extends:
The Arabian revolt and his actions then shows
He will honor us, then another, then us again
If it serves some dark purpose or strategy.

Nicholas of Alexandria defended his most recent
Scheme—and if death does not interfere,
There will be another duplicity, another scheme,
Intrigue upon intrigue until he lives no more.

Worse, his “people” loath and hate him for his blood
Is only half Jewish, and that half open to question.
Therefore, this visit of Wise Men sparks my fear
That to overthrow this usurper may be Heaven’s plan.

(Not that this would be too cruel a fate—
That this Idumean upstart, a vassal king
Who treats his pigs better than wives or children
Should be replaced is not too terrible a thing.)

I warned our “friend” and “king” by a secret message,
Sent with the Star Followers from Chaldea far to the east,
Knowing full well Herod’s madness and cruelty
Will cause the death of at least one small and helpless child.

These Median wanderers and their speculation
Concerning a Jewish King born in Palestine,
home to Rome’s most stiff-necked subjects,
Assures death when Herod hears their reading of the stars.

Someday, I fear, Herod’s “friendship” notwithstanding,
We will raze their temple, disbursing Jews as an example
Of our powers of domination and willingness to us  it
(These Jews, with their One God and disdain for other Gods)

Octavian: I watch these Wise Men fade into the autumn sun
As I watch my life fade into that autumn that leads
All men to another world, deep below where Hades
Rules. We are but slaves and shadows of the night.

My heart is desperate within me and wishes it were not so,
But I see no light beyond this darkness we inhabit.
How could any Olympian light follow this life of maintaining
A violent empire doomed to fall  (when we cannot know).

My career, our friendship, this empire Rome created
And I serve, is founded on power, deceit, and force of arms.
I am honored for my defeat of the Homonadenses—
A victory no one will recall within a generation of my death.

I have served as commander, governor, tutor, counselor,
Friend of Augustus Caesar and loyal servant of Rome,
All this is but a spider’s web of violence and shrewdness
My glory and honor will last no longer than my life.

All this for you, Octavian, Augustus, “Son of Caesar” (that
Child of ambition that broke our Republic and left
Us with this “empire,” vast, unstable, and expensive–
It dooms our ancient character through riches and war.

Old friend, we are not the powers we think we are,
Only servants of silent powers and principalities of the air,
Powers we believe we control but which, in fact,
Control us and our destinies, and wish us death in the end.

No, I cannot deliver this to you, old friend;
It would be my certain death now and not tomorrow.
Yet, how I wish I might write to you this word of my heart
That together we might find our way out of history’s trap.

Now, they are gone, these pilgrims, gone to seek a God/Man,
This anointed Messiah for which the Jews so anxiously wait.
Would it be, I wonder, such a bad thing if this King of Kings
Did arrive and we all gave up our pride and bowed down?

Gone our wars, gone intrigue, gone the lies of diplomacy—
All that I have spent my life doing and achieving
Swallowed up in a victory of a Prince of Peace:
Foolishness, of course, but if true, then what?

(Written by Chris Scruggs)

Note: I suppose this poem may have been inspired by some memory of T. S. Eliot’s poem, “Journey of the Magi.” It began in a November day of 1991 as I sat in the Union Theological Seminary library studying for final exams. It was cold and the leaves were swirling outside. Suddenly, I was overcome with the transience of empires. The first lines were written that day. Years later, I worked on it again in Brownsville, Tennessee, recognizing that it needed much work. Recently, inspired by a friend, I began again. That day in Richmond, I researched the figure Quirinius, who Luke says was governor of Syria, when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1). Now, I work on it from time to time in San Antonio.

Pubilius Sulpicius Quirinius (51 B.C.- 21 A.D.) was a friend of Caesar Augustus. Born of an aristocratic family, he was a good administrator and daring military leader. Luke has been questioned as to the veracity of his account because Quirinius did not actually become governor until 6 A.D. However, he held official posts in the region from 10 B.C. until about 7 B.C., which puts him in the region at or about the time of Jesus’ birth. He was an excellent soldier, capable administrator, and friend of Caesar. Census’ were taken about every fourteen years, and scholars believe that one might have been taken in the year 8 B.C.—a time when Quirinius was present. His role during this period was probably that of an extraordinary legetate with Quinctilius Varus as the Governor, who was not as capable as Quirinius. Varus appears in the poem as a figure Quirinius does not think capable. Quirinius ended his political career during the reign of Tiberius and died a trusted advisor and friend to Caesar. I have completely made up the notion that the Wise Men met him in Syria, though the trade routes might have taken them in that way. I have also made up the notion that by this time, Quirinius was a world-weary servant who knows only too well the vagaries of history.

Herod the Great (74 B.C.-4 B.C.) was a friend of Octavian and the Roman government, to whom he owed his power. He was capable, brilliant, ambitious, and over time, cruel and mad. The title “Great” comes from his great building projects, which included the Second Temple, Caesarea Maritima, Masada, and Herodium, where he died. Herod was of both Jewish and Idumean descent. Because of this, he had no real claim to the Jewish throne and was hated by the Jews. He was viewed as a half-breed. His cruelty and murder of his wife, mother-in-law, and three sons caused Augustus to famously say, “It is better to be a pig in Herod’s household than a son.” Although Herod was a client king of Rome and generally loyal, he was not above minor challenges to Rome’s authority. One of these minor disloyalties is referenced in the poem.

The Magi were probably historically of Median origin. Babylon and the region of Chaldea were famous for its wise men. The Medes were a warlike people, but after their conquest by the Persians, the ceased to have military power, they turned to scholarship and wisdom. Thus, the term “Wise Men” is not entirely without foundation. These Magi studied the stars and believed in the powers of their astrology. They were sought after as advisors.

As Rome grew, it became increasingly unstable militarily and economically. The empire founded by Julius Caesar and solidified by Augustus Caesar ended the Roman Republic and the virtues of the early Roman State. It’s stable years did not last for long, and by 64 A.D. when Nero allowed the burning of Rome, it was on a long slide towards is fall, which is ordinarily placed around 410 A.D.

All this has been on my mind because Christmas and Epiphany are my favorite times of the year, and the American Empire resembles the Roman Empire in many ways —a republic founded on simple virtues corrupted by wealth and power.

Beginning next week, I will write a series of blogs on the Powers and Principalities, which have a purpose for both the last of the Arthur Stone novels and my work on political theology. In the next few weeks, I will publish Illumined  by WIsdom and Love, a philosophical work.

Copyright 2025, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved