So why do we?
As Christians, we have an eschatological faith. Jesus spoke about this throughout his ministry. He proclaimed an envisioning of the Kingdom upon the earth that was both in the present and future. Our faith is part of our hope that we are hurtling towards an end that will bring about the completion of Gods promises and eternity with him.
That's fine and dandy, but we need to learn how to actually talk about and live it, instead of writing nice sentences. We need to navigate the Christian time-line, in a helpful and non condemning way to others. We understand our status in this world is not permanent, as Rowan Williams says “The Church can never truly be “at home” in a fallen world, but exists in this time between the two ages as a pilgrim city.” (from The Wound of Knowledge). We live in a society that in its present state, is hostile towards the grace of God. But we know of a time where everything will change and it will be that way forever.
Our culture, in the last few hundred years, has become convinced that reason and logic are the underlying vehicles towards learning how our world came into being. The church decided to both cooperate (Liberal protestantism) and reject while still engaging (Fundamentalism). The Church began to use secular language and concepts to show how Christianity could continue to be a part of contemporary culture. So while the world claims that the world began with a chance cataclysm and therefore has to end with one, the Church (mainly through sociological developments) then adds its own concept of cataclysmic end, primarily through what is called “Pre-millennial Dispensationalism”. Most people are familiar with this viewpoint through the fiction series “Left Behind”.
I am not going to take the time to really unpack that last paragraph today (but it will be done in further posts), but I wanted to get to the idea that Christianity has a different vision. At times, we have cooperated with the Empire, and become caught up in fear and despair, but it is time for us to allow Eschaton (a loving complete fulfillment) to influence our faith on a daily basis.
Barry Harvey writes regarding Church history and our thinking about the end “The Christian hope gradually shifted from the renewal of all things in Christ to a concern with the fate of the individual after death.” (Can These Bones Live?). What Harvey is speaking about is the Church gradually forgetting her status as foreigners in this world,and instead “settling” and becoming part of it.
As Christians, we have a prophetic role in everything, and that includes talking and thinking about The End. We need to learn to answer questions instead of contributing to fear. We have to clear up where we have been wrong. We must learn to translate our sometimes complex thoughts into everyday conversation, because the basic elements of our faith are directed towards a finality.
Tomorrow:
Why I dig Eschatology so much
Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.Amen
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