Chapter 3
I am beginning to see the shape the the book, and its very exciting. It seems this chapter is the beginning of the context of the book of Colossians. Their story of Nympha was great. I absolutely love their understanding of Pax Romana and Pax Americana. Their parallel between the two in their emergence out of a barbarian countryside, their observance of other countries as less progressed, their entire system of government focused on the aquisition and maintanance of power structures. Why do we subsidize cotton in the US? Because without these subsidies the agricultural communities of Kenya might have the ability to actually make a profit inthe international markets, but instead the price of cotton is so low each season from US subsidies that every year Kenyan cotton industries lose money. I could care less of profit margins and industrialization, but the families and the better life that is possible in Kenya necessitates foreign powers to reduce their self-benefit, something unthinkable.
The logo and the image of Caesar was a nice touch.
Mostly though, I am wanting to read ahead to see their solutions. How does a community of Jesus live in such a country? Can it?
I could write pages on my understanding of the Christian faith as an altruistic eqalitarian path of living the fullest of life, but when I attempt to connect it to actual living, I am bogged. IE: I used to be a pacifist till I realized how much I love the product of the policeman and the necessity of retribution for a static society.
Really, I'm not asking these questions right now, since I think there will be tons of time to ask them in future chapters (I hope!). But right now, it is interesting to draw parallels between Rome and the West, between two massive socioeconomic world powers who saw/see themselves as the light of the world.