Revisiting God's Authority

This is an essay in political theology, namely the theological underpinnings of politics. It is centered on the idea of the authority of God and its current implications in radical political Islam. There is a tension between two attributes of God as the source of authority: the will and reason. The will stresses God's absolute decisionism as the source of his authority among the radical Islamists. The Messenger (Muhammad) who conveys God's will is not a postman, although he hands over to the believes God's book. Yet his exemplary life as told by authentic stories should be taken as authoritative, as part of God's message.