Renowned theologian, scholar, and author NT Wright delves into the intricate dynamics of the powers within our modern institutions, politics, and culture through the lens of the gospel message. Drawing on his experience and studying of both Scripture and contemporary issues, he unpacks how societal structures often reflect deeper spiritual realities, and emphasizes the Biblical call to both critique and redeem these systems. Wright invites listeners to consider how the Christian faith can provide a framework for engaging with and reshaping the world around us. This podcast episode serves as a timely reminder of the gospel’s enduring relevance in addressing the abstract and often unseen powers, principalities, and dominions that shape our lives today.

This excerpt has been edited for length and clarity.

Curtis Chang: Tom, this vision that you’re explaining about the importance of paying attention to the powers as a way to make sense of our institutional lives, it’s raising the stakes for our institutional lives. And it also makes it really exciting because suddenly this whole sphere of life that you thought was just to fund your time going to church or your time with your family is suddenly infused with God’s purpose and meaning because this is central to the human calling of governing the world on behalf of the creator. So this is exciting actually.

NT Wright: Exactly. And as I say, when I’ve lectured about the kingdom of God, people have come back and said, but isn’t God always king? And the answer is, well, in a sense, yes. But – and C. S. Lewis is good on this in some of his children’s stories – you have the rightful king whose rule has been usurped by people who’ve come in and are just spoiling things for their own advantage. And then the rightful king comes back and there’s a clash.

And in Lewis’s stories, of course, the rightful king tends to win. But that is the story of the gospel in miniature, is the king coming back and discovering that his subjects have been giving their allegiance to other people. And then what’s gonna happen? How’s that gonna play out? And that is the story of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.