'“All authority is from God.” Authority commands a response of freedom; it is a sufficient reason for acting presented to us by the world in which we act, comprehensible on its own terms, yet liable to be incomplete. Political authority is in some ways like the authority of wisdom, in other ways like the authority of a parent. Its “ungrounded” character poses a peculiar puzzle. It is immediately dependent on divine providence. It is inexplicable simply in terms of inter-human relations. Yet it is conferred by God upon humans to exercise over one another.
'The paper then examines the paradox of political authority: does it lie in the power to dispose of subjects’ lives? No, it lies in the state’s right. As a claim of right, the claim of authority must be publicly intelligible; yet it is irrespective of whether we approve it. The paradox defies attempts to resolve it on purely humanistic premises.
'Political authority can only be exercised when God gives it in fact. God gives this authority as an expression of his will to preserve particular communities. He preserves particular communities through the mutual service of their members. Political authority serves the “common good”, which takes concrete form in a state of law. God allows political authority to serve the state of law by giving judgment. However, political authority must be the last instance in resolving dispute and controversies. God sets all political authority before the horizon of his own coming judgment, the Kingdom of God.'
(Excerpt from here).
No comments:
Post a Comment