Check out the first two parts of this series on the political nature of the Bible and its role in Britain.
Political Bible - Part 1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/aug/09/politcal-bible-british-attitudes?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
Political Bible - Part 2
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/aug/15/political-bible-justice-king-not-king?CMP=twt_gu
Of particular interest to me was the discussion of the contrasting authoritarian and libertarian emphasis in different parts of the Bible. This 'messy' combination of what we would ordinarily view as incompatible positions does set up a dauntingly complex picture of the what the Bible says to us about politics. But since one of our aims with Metanoia is to explore God's ideas about politics, we shouldn't be too daunted. Why not use this series to raise some questions about that we can discuss here? Enjoy.
Friday, 19 August 2011
Monday, 15 August 2011
Supply Shocks in the Delta and the Desert - the Economics behind the Passover
One could argue that the political and economic situation in Egypt at the time of Moses had reached an equilibrium. The Israelites found themselves stuck as victims of extreme oppression, including brutal slavery and genocide (Exodus 1:8-22). Despite their numbers, it is unlikely that they would have had the military might to launch a successful revolution and any attempt to do so would have risked making their plight even worse (suggested by the events of Exodus 5). Moreover, unlike in today’s world, there was no international community to put pressure on Pharaoh politically or militarily. Perhaps their only chance of salvation was to wait until the death of the current Pharaoh and hope that his successor might show more mercy. So what a time for the God of their fathers to reveal himself as a force to be reckoned with, overthrowing the oppressors and coming to the rescue of his people. In the language of economics, he did this by instigating a succession of supply shocks.
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