I'm currently reading The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren. I know that, as an LCMS Lutheran, I'm not supposed to like him very much. But I do. I find McLaren's writing to be compelling and insightful. I don't always agree with him, but that doesn't mean he has nothing of value to say to all of us. We can learn a thing or two by listening to him.
In the book I'm currently reading, McLaren offers a picture of the Kingdom of God that many of us aren't used to, yet it somehow rings true. He presents a pursuasive Scriptural case for his reasoning.
One of the salient points of this book is a stark criticism of what people normally think of when they hear the phrase "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven"-- two ways of saying the same thing. Most Christians, when asked, will say that the Kingdom of God is "the place we go to when we die". This is patently false, as the Kingdom of God is never presented that way in Scripture. The post-mortem understanding has led to a mentality of individualist escapism and disengagement among many Christians.
Actually, the Kingdom of God is a reality which gently invades and pervades our existence in the here and now. Its citizens engage the society as God's ambassadors by lifting up the societal rejects and losers. McLaren uses the Biblical images of yeast in a batch of dough and seeds planted in the ground very effectively. They work quietly, covertly, and productively, producing a loaf or a crop, never seeking the limelight but always working to bring the grace of God to everyday situations through their given vocations.
This sounds correct to me. We have some rethinking to do.
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Douglas Hoag
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Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Lenox, Illinois.
I'm married with two children.
My MBTI type is E/INFP, in case that means anything to you.
My prayer: Lord, help me finish everything I sta
Most importantly, I believe that the reality and personage of God was uniquely and fully realized in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No one else comes close.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for the seizures and/or convulsions you may experience while reading this blog.
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I'm married with two children.
My MBTI type is E/INFP, in case that means anything to you.
My prayer: Lord, help me finish everything I sta
Most importantly, I believe that the reality and personage of God was uniquely and fully realized in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No one else comes close.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for the seizures and/or convulsions you may experience while reading this blog.
Doug Hoag's Profile
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5 comments:
Do you think two kingdom theology comes into play here? Could there be some kingdom of the right and kingdom of the left application here?
I think it does, in the sense that church and state should never become one and the same. History proves the disastrous result of that ideology, which is why I consider Hagee and Robertson, et al, to be extremely dangerous. However, I see no division between what's commonly called "sacred" and "secular". There is no such thing as a "secular" realm, because then it becomes all too easy for Christians to compartmentalize their lives into "Sunday morning" and "the rest of the week". The citizen of the Kingdom has one Head in all aspects of life. Being mindful of this informs the Christian's actions in his/her own sphere of influence.
That said, Sasse decried the fact that very few Lutherans are active in the political realm. Today, I think this is because of far right idealogues who give the overall impression that government should be hijacked by the church, and Lutherans don't want to go there. Christianity should inform, not dictate, state policy.
You both are correct, but you don't go far enough. The phrase "Kingdom of God" is actually what is at fault. It actually refers to the reign of God.
Both John the Baptizer and Jesus announce that the reign of God is at hand. What they mean is that God has shown up, and is going God things. The blind see, the deaf hear, etc.
The Christian Church's message is the same: The Reign of God is at hand. Not in some GOP pseudo-theocracy, but as God showed up and has done God-things (especailly forgiveness of sin) and continues toto God-things. true we cannot replicate the miracles of Christ, but we can "do them" in other ways. WE cn help the blind "see", etc.
Thoughts?
Thinking about God reigning or being King makes me think about the nature of His kingdom or kingdoms. God created heaven and earth. He is one King but seems to have two separate kingdoms.
I know little about His heavenly kingdom. It seems to consist of a lot of angels, strange heavenly creatures and believers in His Son's death and resurrection for them.
God's earthly kingdom consists of humans (believers in Him and unbelievers) He has created to live on the earth. God rules over this earthly kingdom using His created order. God seems to rule over this kingdom using parents, governments, etc., moved by either the devil, sinful flesh, or Christ or a combination of the three. It seems strange that God would evenly partly use the devil or sinful man to carry out His reign over the earthly kingdom, but it appears to be the way He is doing it.
Christ who reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit in heaven also reigns over the earth. He often uses us who dwell in Him to carry out His dominion over His earthly kingdom. While we are still here on earth He asks us to help our neighbor as He did during His earthly ministry. While we believers are living on the earth we are in the kingdom of heaven at the same time we in the kingdom of earth. It seems God rules in part by having us share Him and His heaven with our neighbors in this earthly kingdom. We don't necessarily have to have a place of leadership in the government, we just need to serve our neighbor.
This line of thinking seems to me to jibe with what you two have written. Please help me to flesh it out. What do you think about my understanding of how God rules over the earth? And does He make some special interventions today via the weather, meddling in human affairs, or some other way?
We also have to be careful with two kingdom theology because it has been used to give our government a hallowed carte blanche to do whatever it wants, citing Romans 13, in the areas of war and capital punishment (both of which I oppose, by the way). Ideally, God rules in every facet of life. Many times our two kingdom theology blinds us to this reality. And, yes Chris, the Kingdom of God is God's reign and is made visible in Christ as he showers us with his gifts and as we serve our visible neighbor.
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