Work,world cup and other bits

Well its been a while, in fact about two months since my last post of substance and this one won't be much more than an update. If anything the time away from the blog has taught me a few things. First, if you are going to blog on a book your reading things dry up when you have no time to read it. Second, the world cup is a great distraction. Third and finally though I have had chance to get away and done loads of reading and thinking and have some ideas in my head of things to write about and other areas of thinking and exploration to get stuck into. so please check back to keep up to date.

Why did Jesus come to earth?

The title for this post is the question Tony Campolo asked some of his students and the kind of answers he got are as follows. To seek and to save the lost, to reveal God to us, to provide us with a model of how to be fully human and finally to defeat the demonic powers of the world. All good answers, but Campolo asks why does no one answer with the statement Jesus gives; to tell of the kingdom of God. He notes that this is the focus of a number of Jesus' parables and is one of his common phrases.

Campolo goes on to note that the kingdom of God as Jesus talks about it seems to contradict the focus of much of evangelical Christianity. There focus seems to be on surviving this unjust and corrupt world until you die so that you can then get to heaven. where as Jesus teaches us to pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Kingdom of God though is not just a NT thought but has its roots in the OT as well. Campolo notes that it is a new society as mentioned in Isaiah 65:17-25 as well as Revelation 21:3-5. He points us then to history and those that travelled to the new world in order to set up the kind of society's Isaiah spoke about in a place untouched by the western world. America was to be the home of a utopian society.

Campolo finally leaves us with stories of those seeking to bring God's kingdom to earth here and now through there actions in the world partnering with God to make earth a better place. McLaren has a harsh warning to add to what has gone before. He states that if we seek to convert people to our individual and eternal theologies (God wants to save me from this corrupt world) we allow them to bypass God's concern for the historic and global (God's will being done on earth as it is heaven). This means the more people we convert the worse the world will become as it will matter to less people. The question he is asking is, If we convert people to this version of the kingdom as otherworldly are we working against the will of God for the Kingdom on earth?

The kingdom of God. My first question is what is it about? and what does it mean? if it is Jesus' main thrust of teaching why do we hear and know so little about it?

First some facts and figures, The phrase kingdom of God is used around 52 times in the gospels add to this Matthews similar phrase the kingdom of heaven (used 32 times) and you see that the kingdom is mentioned by Jesus 84 times. Compare this to how many times Jesus talks about other more familiar words you see that maybe we have missed something. Church: 3 times, Salvation: 7 times, and Hell: 12 times. If we then look at Jesus' teaching in the parables of which there are around 30, 13 are linked to the Kingdom with the others covering a wide variety of issues from prayer to forgiveness.

From all this I would say that the Kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus message. In light of that I feel I need to explore it a little more to find out what this is about? and what it means for people in the here and now?

When most people hear the word kingdom their mind probably thinks of a geographical area. We live in the United Kingdom which we know is the piece of land floating in the north sea plus the northern point of Ireland. But when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God is he talking about a physical place. The Greek word for kingdom is βασιλεία (basileia) which can mean kingdom, sovereignty or royal power. It comes from the word βασιλεύω (basileuó) which means to be king or reign. There has been much debate over how this word should be translated but most would affirm that the word kingdom is problematic as it links too closely to a physical entity. To avoid this problem the phrase could be translated the reign of God, the commonwealth of God, or loves rule. These translation may help us to begin to understand the message of Jesus as announcing the reign of God.

To try and explain, in the UK we live under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, if we travel abroad although we are outside of the physical United Kingdom we still travel under the authority of the Queen (if you don't believe check the front page of your passport. It is by her authority that you are allowed to travel freely).

This idea of the reign of God helps us follow the idea we find on Jesus' lips in the NT back into the OT. Here we have the story of a group of people who God has promised to be their God and king. This people entered the promised land and under the reign of David and Solomon this people were prosperous. After these kings passed away though things went from bad to worse, the nation split in two, then it was invaded by various other nations and many of God's people were taken into exile. After a surprising return to Jerusalem for the exiles during the time of Cyrus and a rebuilding programme that took place under Nehemiah and Ezra came another blow to this holy nations dreams. The Roman empire rose to power and Israel became an occupied land, something that hurt many Jews more than exile had in the past. It is into this story that the Jewish people began to hope for the time when God will become King of his people again. the Jews were waiting for the reign of God to come about and this is the message that Jesus brings.

What then does Jesus say about the kingdom? it is near, and advancing forcefully, it is like a mustard seed, or yeast, that it belonged to the poor and persecuted, that it was like a man who prepares a banquet or a hidden treasure or an expensive pearl. The list goes on but in all of Jesus teaching about the kingdom what should we hold onto and live by.


First, the kingdom is hear now, it is not just some future hope (though it does include that) but a present reality that we can live under right now. The reign of God is at hand and it is being made present in the world through the lives of those who live in relationship with God.

Second, it is for all people. Like a mustard seed that grows so that all the birds of the air can rest in it the reign of God is for all people. The religious people of the day were highly nationalistic and exclusive (the temple was a case in point). Jesus' words when he cleared out the temple was that it should be a house of prayer for all nations and so the kingdom is a place for all nations as well.

Third, the kingdom is different. It is not like the kingdoms we see on this earth, it is governed by different rules. the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, the persecuted and those in poverty. The first in it are actually last and the last in it are first. It is a kingdom that prostitutes and tax collectors (classed as big sinners in Jesus world) enter before Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders).

Forth, the kingdom is shown by actions. When asked whether he is the Messiah Jesus answers by telling them that the blind are given sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the Good News is preached. The list of evidence that Jesus is the Messiah and that he is brining in the kingdom is filled with actions and only at the ends do we hear about his words.

I am sure there is much more you could say about the kingdom of God but these are my first thoughts. Please feel free to comment, agree or disagree.

talking about God

The second chapter in the book I am reading is on that scary word, theology. Tony Campolo wants to point out though, that all it means is talking about God. If you want to look at how your job relates to your faith then you are thinking out a theology of work or if we are tying to figure out issues around sex, relationships and marriages we are talking about a theology of sexuality.

The next important point from the chapter is around the idea that just because something is a theology doesn't mean it is right. Each of us will have a slightly different theology from someone else due mainly to our experiences. This means as Campolo puts it 'all our theologies are heresies'p34. They do not tell us about the fullness of God, but glimpse a small part.

Campolo would want to add to this a caveat which recognises certain absolutes, though for him this is summed up in Jesus' death that rescues us from sin and his resurrection which assures us of eternal life. Beyond this truth of Jesus Christ, he states that everything else is guesswork.

Finally, he notes that we have to recognise that there are different theologies and he highlights two of these in liberation and black theology. McLaren agrees with much of what Campolo says and asks us to recognise our theologies not as arrogant certainties but as humble thinking before God.

I would agree with much that is said in the chapter, theology is just words about God and people should be encouraged to express and converse about what their theology is in order to help work out and expand their understanding of God and his creation.

I think the most important thing to recognise is that a single theology is never right, not completely anyway. It has been white western Christians biggest sin to hold up its theology as the true and right theology and oppress, smear, torture or kill anyone who thought otherwise. Particularly as a number of these have been proved as nearer the truth later on.

Some examples for you to think about...

Copernicus a scientist in the 16th Century put forward the theory that the earth was not at the centre of the universe but that the sun was. After his death he was supported by another scientist by the name of Galileo, who through his development of the telescope said he could prove the theory. This was denounced by the Catholic church with some noting it was close to heresy and Galileo being banned from teaching on the subject. Finally, he underwent a papal trial which judged his teaching as heretical and placed him under house arrest till he died. Today the truth that Copernicus and Galileo taught is universally excepted by all including the church who deemed it as heresy.

Another example of wrong theology would be surrounding the slave trade and the racism born out of it that was a prominent part of white western culture and thinking. Many in the church thought that white people where the pinnacle of God's creation and that other races should be subservient to our demands. Again this thinking which was widely held by those in the church as well as outside is completely rejected by the church today.

The list is much longer than these two examples and it does not make for very good reading at times. We have to recognise that our promotion of certain elitist theologies has caused great problems and will continue to do so. There are still areas where the church has to struggle some more, still many refuse to allow women into leadership roles, homosexuals are still seen as less than human and there are I am sure other areas that need our attention.

I think the question we have to ask of our theologies has to be how Christ-like it is. Does it reflect the Jesus we find in the bible, who eats with sinners, touches the untouchable, does the unimaginable, but most of all loves without prejudice. Maybe if we ask this question of what we believe we will make more smaller steps forward.

questions of salvation

I'm reading Adventures in Missing the Point which is a conversation between Brian Mclaren and Tony Campolo on various issues. The first of these is salvation about which the questions are many. What does it mean? How do you get it? Do you know when you have it? What is important about it? plus many more.

McLaren's main points are that most people understand salvation or being saved as one or all of these things. 1) Accepting Jesus as your personal saviour. 2) Believing Jesus died for your sins and it is this not our own works that save us. 3) That they have prayed the "sinners prayer" or responded to an alter call. 4) That they have assurance that when they die they will be going to heaven.

McLaren points out there are good reasons for these understandings but that some are modern trends that have become prominent and that there are images in the bible that have been lost that are important to recapture. Campolo agrees with the majority of what McLaren says but does want to affirm the need for an individual decision to whether someone follows or does not follow Jesus.

So, some thinking from me. What does the bible say about salvation? The Hebrew word in the OT is yeshuah which means rescue or deliverance and is used mainly in the context of God's rescue of his people. In the NT the Greek word is soteria and is the only one that is used for salvation. It is used in conjunction with God's salvation for his people, salvation being found in Jesus, and the vehicle of salvation as the gospel. From this I would say that the meaning of the word seems to be pointing to something about the rescuing act of God for his people.

This rescuing act is played out in the OT in the exodus story. Here the Hebrews enslaved by the Egyptians cry out to God who hears them and through Moses brings them out from under oppression. On the banks of the Red sea the song of the people states the Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Here God is rescuing his people from oppression and injustice.

When David had been rescued from Saul he sings, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.
Here David is rescued from his enemies that were seeking to kill him.

In Isaiah the prophet speaks to a people in exile saying; I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. Here again we have a message of rescue and liberation from those in captivity.

Skipping forward to the NT we see in Luke the father of John the Baptist sing; He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Here we have a man living under Roman rule speaking of the rescue of his people from his enemies.

So we have a number of references that tell us about salvation from people who seek to oppress others. There is though a shift in the NT to a rescue from something else, not political powers but from sin. Matthew reads; She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

So Jesus came to rescue people from their sin. But Why? many people would respond so you don't go to hell or so you can go to heaven or maybe even so you can have eternal life. These answers all seem to miss something though, what does it do for me right now?

To concentrate on what happens when I die seems to miss the point of the here and now. What does the salvation from sin do for me as I live my life today? Jesus tells a tax collector who he meets that salvation has come to his house that day
So what does salvation do for me today?

I think that salvation or God's rescue plan for humanity has to do with liberating us from oppression. The picture we have in the bible is of God's salvation rescuing those that cry out to him from powers that oppress others. This liberating act in the exodus story also brought about a time of God building a relationship with his people, though sometimes it did not go to plan. So, if God allows us to be rescued from sin and the oppression it brings I would want to say it also allows us to build a relationship here and now and that means salvation means I can live a different life here and now. God rescues us from sin to participate with him in the building of the kingdom of God and to live in relationship with the creator.

Finally, salvation is not a one time trick, it isn't about saying a prayer once or making a response to a call once. It is something that we need to choose each day to do. We either decide to build the relationship or to move back under the oppression we have come from.

That puts an end to my thoughts, if you have anything to add, question, disagree with then comment below. This isn't about me being right, but about and exploration and a search for the stranger I would like to know much better.