Daniel 2:1-47

1. What’s one kind of abuse/misuse of power that you’d be tempted to excuse or ignore?

2. How can Daniel’s vision of God’s kingdom help you to persevere in public life? Be more proactive? 

3. Is it of comfort to you that the “rock” will one day become a “mountain”? 

[State-ism] is a belief that solutions to our biggest problems are found in the state and that the Christian’s responsibility from the Left or the Right is to get involved and acquire political power. It is a belief that legislation is morality, that more laws will make for better people. [It] refers to the idol of making a human, an office, a seat of power, a constitution the world’s true ruler. 

Scot McKnight 

 

The Church works best as a force of resistance, a conscience to society that keeps itself at arm’s length from the state. The closer it gets, the less effectively it can challenge the surrounding culture and the more perilously it risks losing its central message. 

Philip Yancey 

 

To the extent that we truly do acknowledge Jesus as Lord, we will engage the Caesar before us with compassion, respect, and wisdom, speaking and acting in ways that contribute to the common Good.

Bruce Ashford 

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