What is Empire?

A friend posed this question to me last week. He had been hearing a lot of people use the language of “Empire” – particularly at the Politics of Discipleship conference – but remained unsure what exactly was being spoken of.

That’s certainly understandable as the term seems to be used quite flexibly, and many people who speak of empire do so without defining what they mean.

So, I thought I’d have a go at writing a definition, at least as best I can.

“Empire” refers to totalizing systems of power that allow for no limits to their influence, shape culture beyond national borders, and offer a narrative about the world that places themselves as the pinnacle of the human story.

Historically, such a definition applied to traditional empires such as Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome. The Bible was written in the shadow of such powers.

Later empires took on the form of colonization, particularly European powers such as the British Empire. At this point trade routes, resources, and cultural influence begin to play a role equal to or greater than the acquisition of territory.

By the late 20^th century, empire was increasingly ideological in nature, from Fascism in Germany and Italy, to the rise of the Communist USSR and its counterpoint in the Democratic/Capitalist West.

Today, the traditional understanding of empire as a geographical-political entity is being challenged. The United States is, in some sense, the last remaining classic imperial power. Instead, the writings of Hardt and Negri have argued that the new form of empire is a decentralized and complex set of networks which comprise global capitalism.

So that, in the era of globalization, the building of a nation’s first McDonalds can be spoken of as a marker of empire somewhat akin to the building of an embassy.

Now, what does all this have to do with theology or practicing my faith? I’ll get to that momentarily, but first a couple caveats.

Personally, I’m inclined to suggest that “empire” is a contextually determined phrase. By which I mean, if I lived in China, or Europe, or the Middle East I would still be able to use “Empire” as a shorthand for particular actions by the state or powerful cultural influencers.

Also, stating that America (or any other power) qualifies as Empire is not to equate it with every other power that has ever deserved that title. All empires are not equal, just compare Biblical accounts of the brutal Assyrian empire with the more humane actions of the Persian empire.

So back to my earlier question, what does this have to do with my faith? Quite a bit actually.

Yes, to some extent this is simply a social-political account of systems of power throughout history. But our faith is lived in context, it is not simply a individual practice with no bearing on how we live our lives in the “secular” world.

So these questions of empire quickly become relevant to a people who claim to give their ultimate allegiance to Jesus as Lord (not Caesar in his many forms), and whose sacred writings were written in the shadow of empire, and are often filled with critique and judgment of such powers.

We’ve somehow (left and right) made our faith to fit comfortably with our status as children of the empire. I’m suggesting that perhaps such an easy fit is only possible if we turn a blind eye to some significant biblical themes, and the realities of the world around us.