Episode 74: Engaging Evil with Open Eyes, Part 3--Saying "No" to the Powers

In their ongoing series about engaging evil with open eyes, pastors Erica and Steve now take a look at what happens when evil operates behind the scenes in systems and structures--often ones that society accepts or goes along with.  The powers of evil are often at their most cunning when they don't use pitchforks to force us to do terrible things, but rather when they allows us to feel comfortably doing nothing, or to go along with evil things because "the system" says it is OK.  So whether it was the early church getting into trouble with the Empire because they would not bow down or burn incense to Caesear, or the church in North America wrestling over how to speak up against the evil of slavery, or the resistance movements of the Confessing Church in 20th century European countries speaking out against the Nazis, Christians have been faced with the presence of evil that constructed systems to keep itself going.  So, how can we learn form those witnesses in the past to learn when we need to speak up against evil, and how to identify places where we have been complicit in sinful, and even wicked, systems, and need to gain the courage and clarity to say, "No!"?  Here's where our conversation takes us this week...