Jesus and the Empire—The Pervasive Reality of Colonialism

We have established that true mission is inseparable from social justice. To find our decolonized blueprint, we must look at the ultimate authority: Jesus Christ.

The genius of Harvey Kwiyani, Ph.D.’s analysis in Decolonizing Mission is highlighting the forgotten context of Jesus’s ministry: Jesus lived, taught, and died under the heavy, oppressive arm of the Roman Empire.

A Colonized Land: Judea was a Roman vassal state. Taxes, borders, rulers (Herod, Pilate), and even the language were dictated by Rome. As Kwiyani notes, the empire was not just the backdrop; it was the "foreground that coloured everything."

A Political Messiah: The Jewish people, crushed by centuries of foreign rule, desperately awaited a Messiah—a figure whose identity was inherently political and militaristic, expected to be a new Moses who would break the yoke of Rome.

Jesus’s very presence as the Messiah in a colonized land, born in Bethlehem due to a Roman census decree, meant his ministry was a direct political intervention.

This realization dismantles the modern interpretation that Jesus's message was purely private and spiritual, divorced from economics, politics, or policy. The idea that faith leaders should stay silent on structural injustice is an interpretation only possible when one ignores the very colonial context of Christ's life.

When ministry operates within an oppressive system (like the Roman Empire or a modern, unaccountable church empire), the ultimate act of liberation is to challenge the emperor's sovereignty and proclaim an alternative allegiance. This is the original blueprint for decolonized ministry.

Guiding Light Press, 4th Floor, Silverstream House, 45 Fitzroy Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 6EB.

Join the Discussion:
How does understanding Jesus' ministry as a response to the Roman Empire challenge your view of the modern church’s role regarding political, economic, or social policy?

hashtag#DecolonizingMission hashtag#JesusAndTheEmpire hashtag#RomanEmpire hashtag#TheologicalColonialism hashtag#GospelOfLiberation hashtag#PropheticJustice hashtag#HarveyKwiyani hashtag#DeJoeQuarcoo