Theology’s future: Addressing the global crisis by resisting strongman politics

The combination of strongman politics, pandemics, and climate change, means we are in a global crisis. This has implications for theology and theologians. Under the circumstances, all theologians are called to be political theologians. The key to addressing the crisis is the problem of strongman politics, and violence is the key to addressing strongman politics.
Typically, a predisposition toward violence is generated in groups of men (e.g., clergy associations, college fraternities, criminal organizations, sporting clubs). Relationships are strong. They entail ritual, loyalty, as well as shared narratives and epistemic commitments. Members may refer to each other in kinship terms (e.g., mate, brother). The relationships are ambivalent (cf. homosocial/homophobic). Ironically, ambivalence reinforces the bonds. That is, fear of not having a brother, and fear of the feminine, strengthen group bonds.
In all this, an excessive sense of entitlement is a predominant feature. Of course, there are everyday entitlements. An excessive sense of entitlement, however, is an expression of a masculinity that employs strategies pre-empting threats to power and status. Historically, this has been reinforced by fear of the feminine and discourses of possession, fusing identity and property. Failure to improve status, or loss of status, is a source of shame, predisposing men toward controlling behaviour and violence. This is indicative of strongman politics.
The strongman is concerned about status. He is the exception. Typically, strongman politics, and individual strongmen, exploit historic or even imagined trauma. This, combined with a sense of aggrievement, plays a role in intensifying entitlement.
Critically, strongman politics exacerbates pandemics (e.g., vaccine production/distribution) and climate change (e.g., profits from/use of fossil fuels). The theologian’s vocation then is to resist strongman politics. So, all theologians are called to embrace a sustained period of self-critique, mutual collaboration, and explicit political engagement.