Ξ January 19th, 2009 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Life |
Our knowledge of the past, especially that of the history of Christianity, has, mostly starting in the last century, led us to question whether everything in the Bible is true and/or literal. Many of these questions are coming from Christians or former Christians who simply, by virtue of study and research, have not been able to abide many events depicted in the Bible as true, literal accounts of events described there. Are these "questioners" heretics, false believers, maybe even agnostics or, heaven forbid, atheists? Not necessarily! and probably not at all.
Until genuine searchers of the truth no longer were fearful for their lives, fearful of excommunication, fearful of just being ostracized, would we begin to see a picture of the Bible (especially the NT) that had never before been revealed. Somehow, for centuries and centuries, it escaped the notice of the average believer that all the fathers of the Church were Gentile in origin. For some reason, it did not occur to them that the Gospels were books written by people who were Jewish. We now know that Jewish people did not relate to the history of the sacred as did we as Gentiles. The Jews did not see sacred history as if it were an objective description of literal events. Very few practicing Jews today for instance, take the creation stories as literal, actual events in history. Perhaps one of the reasons this fact escaped the average believer until recently, is that there was in the early years of the Christian Church a spirit of anti-Jewish hatred that was very pervasive. Even the idea that the Gospels were the products of Jewish authors would have seemed both incomprehensible and perhaps revolting to the faithful. The Church, therefore would lock itself into certain basic assumptions by which it lived and taught the faithful and to which it admitted NO challenge.
Some of these assumptions were: the Bible, especially the Gospels, were the exact word of God, they were objectively true, they described literal historic events, and the faithful could confidently assert that ALL that was contained in them happened exactly as it was written. Objective research on the part of a Christian today will show how the typical follower of Judaism and therefore the early followers of Jesus, saw the sacred history of the movement that came to be called Christianity. It is not the way the early Church (self-appointed) leaders saw it.
from: "Liberating the Gospels" by John Shelby Spong
Ξ January 10th, 2009 | → 6 Comments | ∇ Life |
Kevin Beck, in his new book, is giving us a look at the idea of Transmillenialism. Here it is in a nutshell. Transmillenialism presents the "novel" idea (novel by today’s traditional eschatological standards) that the Bible never predicts the obliteration of the beautful planet that God had created. Further more, the end of the space-time universe is not the intent of the Biblical message". I discovered the idea of Transmillenialism several years ago, and I like it! What follows is a review of Kevin’s book.
Transmillenialism demonstrates that Biblical prophecy relates to the "transformation" of the ages within a forty-year transition period between the crucifixion of Jesus and the fall of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE, thereby fulfilling the Old Covenant and consummating the New Covenant.
Kevin opens his book with , "I’m tired of people reading the Bible like a crystal ball". Ain’t it the truth…….. The Bible for them becomes a way of predicting what comes next. It continues and gets worse. If you have followed all the right rules, you COULD , just COULD escape the any-day-now tribulation, thereby missing all the bad stuff that everybody else will be subject to. Kevin wants us to assent to the fact that there may be another way to tell the story.
What if there is another way of reading the Biblical story; one that doesn’t end with the destruction of the planet as a way to get a great big "do-over" for God, who obviously made a mistake the first time he created the universe.
Kevin gives credit for the idea of Transmillenialism to Max King and his original theological work. King’s groundbreaking work, The Spirit of Prophecy , presented the idea that we have it all wrong when it comes to prophecy of the "end times", Perhaps it doesn’t mean an end of the "world" but instead, the end of an "age", and the beginning of something new.
We are told that transmillenialism is a new way of thinking about millenialism other than the traditional way which is exemplified by: pre-millenial, post-millenial, and a-millenial views. These three share a common denominator: "the end of the world is upon us, and that’s bad news for almost everyone".
Counter to those three views is Transmillenialism which recognizes that the "kingdom of God" is a present reality, since the consummation took place 2000 years ago.
If you are not familiar with Transmillenialism , it focuses on the first century arrival of the "kingdom of God" and the implications for you and me. This perspective is centered in a specific understanding of God. That being that God is LOVE. Everything else that emerges from that principle Kevin calls Agapetheism.
Kevin says that when we change the way we read the Story (of the Bible), everything changes. This is also the basic thesis of Marcus Borg in one of his works. Kevin, you are in good company on this.
Kevin then proceeds to explain the importance of context in determining the "real" story which the Bible presents. Context is very important in determining meaning. We cannot read the Story with a 21th century context and expect to get the same Story that a 1st century writer intended. Kevin makes his case very clear for a change in the way we should see that Story.
The book looks at the misinterpretation of verses which led many today to the belief that the "end" is near; the "rapture" could take place at anytime. Kevin does a wonderful job of explanation how this "already, but not yet" system came about to explain why it’s taken 2000 years for the consummation to take place. One of my favorite "visions" from the chapter called ‘Time After Time" is a picture of our current crop of prophetic geniuses: John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, Rod Parsley and Tim Lahaye riding as the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse". What a picture in my head!!
Another of my favorite parts comes from the chapter entitled, "The End of the World as We Know It". Here Kevin gives a Reader’s Digest, colloquial, version of the Biblical story, the traditional story as most of us church-indoctrinated souls heard it. It begins with:
"The story as it tends to be told makes God out to be a frustrated failure just waiting for the day when he can get even with us………"
You know the basic story, but according to Kevin, it is more like a plotline from a Wes Craven version of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" than it is "the Good News". The problem Kevin sees with this "version" of the Story is its view of the relationship between God and humanity. The question he asks is, "How can humanity foil God’s purpose and corrupt the entire physical universe? Good question!! Are we really that powerful. Methinks not!!
Since I’m a visual guy, I really enjoyed the charts which Kevin used to explain the "Covenant Worlds" and their overlap. The Old Covenant overlapping the revelation of the New Covenant. Kevin’s explanation of the 40 year period between the crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE was particularly clear to me. The details of that period added to the clarity of the presentation.
In the next chapter, "What About…..", Kevin adequately presented his case for a 40 year "millenium" instead of the 1000 years (which he sees as a metaphor) which is traditionally associated with that nebulous period, while continuing the use of his charts for clarity. He concludes the use of the charts with explanations of the "parousia" (see pantelism.com or Transmillenial.com for further explanations, if needed) , the "resurrection", the (last) judgment, and Kevin’s definition of the "ekklesia". In the dealing with the ekklesia, he corrects, in his view, an incorrect definition of our traditional word, church.
In his last chapter, Kevin attempts to put everything in the right perspective. Here he deals with Agapetheism- approaching God in terms of LOVE. Also discussed is Agapeology-loving your neighbor as yourself. Kevin believes that the fulfilling of the law translates to LOVE. LOVE is the ultimate goal of the Law all along. He believes that Agapeology allows us to transcend traditional Christianity. He says, "Agapeology transforms us from thinking, talking, and arguing about God into being God in our world by being love in our world". Those are pretty heavy words; but in my opinion, right on.
What follows is a description of comprehensive grace. Some the excellent tidbits I found here were:
"We’ve been conditioned to think about God in dualistic terms of "this life" and the "next one" (so true!)
(a quote from Brian McLaren) "Jesus is concerned with one central thing- the kingdom of God"
"It seems obvious that humanity’s religious insistance that fear and guilt are essential inhibitors to keep people from doing harmful things, hasn’t in fact kept humanity from doing those things."
"Grace is not dangerous, fear is……….Grace is not an innoculation that allows us to ignore ownership in the decisions we make and the pain we cause. "…………..grace is not just something to receive, like a Christmas gift…………..Being made in the image of God blesses us with the ability to live grace-fully."
Kevin then discusses a hot-topic today in prophecy circles, the rapture. Rapture-ism, as he calls it, according to it’s proponents is a way of escaping the tribulation of the last days (if you’re good enough). He believes all the various eschatologies involving a rapture have one common feature, they hope for an escape from the present. To those people, the present is not quite good enough or totally messed up and our best bet is for God to get us out of here and leave the rest behind. Hmmmm, that would make a good series for money-making books published for the Christian world. But. if we think as Kevin does, that the kingdom of God is already here, our spirits take on a different way of thinking. The Presence of God in the here and now changes things. It recognizes that life can be great and life can be harsh, but with God with us,walking through life along side us, we can honor all of life.The point of life is not about the enormity of our struggles, but the commonality.
A couple of final questions are raised in the book to which Kevin offers an excellent response. The questions are: "If the kingdom of God is here, why do any of us have to face problems?" Why do we still fight wars, face enviromental catastrophes, and inflict human rights abuses upon each other?" Kevin through another quote from Brian McLaren says, :How does the presence of God (now) allow you to face these problems?" (those we face everyday) How do love, connection, and grace allow you to reframe these issues and find creative ways of addressing them head on?" Kevin then proceeds to gve us the answer which is wrapped around "love and grace" and the three-fold practice of presence.
One final idea from Kevin basically reads that we are not burdened with trying to save the world, instead we are trying to remake it ( through love & grace). This is a take on the idea that we are now in the presence of the kingdom of God, co-creators with God, carrying out loving things everyday with grace, co-creating the world we wish to see.
One of my favorite quotes. Be the change you wish to see in the world. -Ghandi
That’s what presence in the kingdom of God is all about.
*Kevin Beck is COO of Presence International. He enjoys living under the blue skies of Colorado Springs with his wife Alisa and their three electrifying children. You can find him online at www.presence.tv and www.transmillenial.blogspot.com
Ξ January 5th, 2009 | → 6 Comments | ∇ Life |
Have you ever felt as though folks who haven’t been religiously endoctrinated for decades are the fortunate ones, when coming to an understanding of God’s love for her, his its creation.
I find that when I explore new issues concerning the character of God my old endoctrination keeps popping up again and again and it hinders me from acquiring the benefit thereof. It colors everything I think, everything I read.
Those who were raised outside of religious endoctrination don’t have this baggage weighing them down, and IMO can see through to the truths of God with greater ease, when our Source’s speaks in their hearts. The conclusion I have reached is simply anything worth having is not gained without pain of all kinds. What do you think?
Stumble it!
