Antonio, Gonzalez. God’s Reign and the End of Empires. Miami, Florida: Convivium Press, 2012. pages. 365. ISBN: 978-1-934996-29-4

Here we have a great work on social theology which is contemporary, incisive and amazingly relevant for the world that we live in. This work of social theology helps us to focus on the threat of globalization and seeks biblical alternatives. Though Christian faith communities have voiced their concerns about the adverse effects of globalization a comprehensive social theology was lacking. This work is a great contribution to fill th

Gonzalez. Reign of God

at lacuna. In the chapter ‘Problems of the Global Village’ the author opens our eyes to realities of globalization. Globalization creates and maintains poverty and inequality besides causing serious threats to our ecology, democracy, etc. thus threatening our life and existence. Gonzalez strongly believes that globalization is not going to solve any of our problems but will not only worsen it. However, in stating this he is not ignoring the positive aspects of globalization.

In the context of globalization which poses a serious threat to human life and existence he moves on to find a biblical basis to formulate a social theology. In the second chapter he goes to analyse Genesis 3-11 to give a biblical diagnosis of the problems that plague humanity. However, this is not limited to the time of Genesis but a diagnosis of the contemporary world as well. In the third chapter the author continues his biblical analysis through the rest of the Old Testament. Though Genesis 11 ends with gloom, the call of Abraham is the light at the end of the tunnel as Abraham is presented as the figure-head of a new humanity. The analysis that begins with the call of Abraham and goes through

the rest of the biblical traditions concludes that, ‘The biblical alternative to poverty and injustice consists in something quite exceptional, namely, the formation, on the margins of the system, of a different kind of society, one over which God reigns directly. This society will be radically egalitarian and truly fraternal and, as such, will be an alternative that is unique and yet highly attractive to all the earth’s peoples, who will be invited to make a final pilgrimage toward it.’ (p. 105).

In chapter 4 he looks at solution that Jesus Christ offers to all these ills. Faith in Jesus Christ solves what the Mosaic religion could not solve. The reign of God is experienced through the people transformed by their faith in Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus has tremendous relevance for our society. However, Jesus’ message of social transformation lost its thrust as the church spiritualized its message as time went by.

In the fifth chapter titled, ‘The Messianic Communities’ the author first of all gives us an overview of the Roman world and its social stratification. This part is basically a re-presentation of the work of E. Stegemann. The Roman society was a highly stratified one. It was dominated by a small (5% of the population) of the social elite. Social mobility was minimum and social violence at the highest. It is into this society that the Christians entered with a message of the Reign of God. This was possible because the proclamation of the reign of God did not end with the ministry of Jesus but continued on through the preaching of the Apostles and the early Church.

The early church was not composed of entirely of poor people nor of rich. But it was a mixture of all the different social strata of the Roman world probably excluding the ruling class. He argues that the Christian communities as the household of God were organized structurally different from that of the Roman world. ‘It was not a structural change decreed from the palaces of the emperors; rather it was one brought about immediately and from the grassroots.‘ (187). These were communities that challenged the social and gender barriers of the Roman world.  However, these were not utopian ideals nor limited to the early church alone. But persisted throughout history among various groups to the present. They certainly pervaded the first three centuries of Christian history.

In chapter six he presents that the transformation that was brought out in the Christian communities were not limited to these communities but was meant to be universal affecting the entire society as well. However, by the advent of ‘Contantinism’ or the nationalization of the Church, the Church gained political power but lost the power that the Reign of God gave to the believing communities. Though the general picture is one of gloom, there were always believing communities who lived out the ideal that Jesus had established. The transformation of the society without power and political influence. He also ends with a positive note that the signs of the times also indicate that the biblical ideal doesn’t belong to the past but is highly possible in our own days.

The author argues that the time is ripe now for such communities to continue. The dream of the transforming communities where the reign of God is experienced is possible because the signs of our times points in that direction. This is the concern in chapter seven titled, ‘The signs of our Times.’ The new popular economy, the relevance of non-violence that has been discovered by contemporary movements, the new forms of dissidence that is possible in the network society all indicate the possibility of emerging new communities away from power structures.

Chapter eight thus leads to clarify his proposals. The solution of alternate communities is defined mostly in negative terms. It is not communitarianism, not biblicism, not ecclesiocentrism and certainly not sectarianism. It is building a new world up from the grass-roots up. Gonzalez is optimistic that such a project is possible and it is for our day and not for future.

This is an English translation of the Spanish work by the same title.