Anonymous Sovereign

In this study, I investigate the history and ethical implications of Christian discourses of political power, expressed through the modern phenomenon of bureaucracies. I argue that as a technical system of political power there is little in the Christian tradition at odds with bureaucratic systems but that as a mindset (Weber’s ‘Iron Cage’ of Modernity) bureaucracy is incompatible with the wider Christian tradition’s conceptions of power, political life, and humanity. I suggest some tentative ideas on how to navigate this power structure. This study is prompted by three interrelated concerns. First, I seek to add to the fields of Christian Ethics and Political Theology by expanding on and clarifying aspects of these scholarly domains. Second, I aim to address the gap in Christian Ethics regarding power and political life. Modern Christian ethics have too often reduced ethical reflection on power to its effects instead of investigating the nature of power: the how and why power is used, for good or ill. Third, the material on the primary political concern of the study, bureaucracy, is spread over several different disciplines, is relegated to minor status in many cases (especially in the humanities), and often does not receive the critical ethical attention such a ubiquitous aspect of modern life deserves.