World Without End

New Directions in 2011

The last few days I have been working on blog stats and planning how both this blog and my "usual" blog outsideisbetter.net will run for the next year. It is always good to be constantly tweaking things.

I am moving towards version 2.0 ( I like to call it POMO2.0) on PostModernEschatology.com. My desire for this site has always been to resource and write for the average Christian, and putting the book of Revelation back into the hands of worshipping congregations. These slight changes in POMO2.0 are designed to help this site work better inside that mission. I just wanted to let you know of a few upcoming things.

1. Swag- I and a few others are producing some great little pieces of swag for the blog. I think that in the 21st century, Christian resourcing needs to take on the idea of the grassroots rock band instead of the huge publishing house. So why not have fun stuff?

2. Giveaways-I held a contest on twitter a few months back, and I send the winner a random package of Revelation related stuff that I had collected. I have a great reader pool that sends me all sorts of stuff, so I want to pass that along to you. Sometimes these giveaways can be serious and at other times they can be zany.

3. Videos- I am writing a producing a few short videos that are designed to be used as conversation starters for small groups and bible studies. These videos will be given away free on the internet, but I might package them together and sell them on disc CHEAP.

The main move will be taking content on the blog in a more focused direction towards resourcing. When I looked at the stats for my first few months I had a better reader spread. As the months went along I noticed a dip when my posts became more technical than they needed to be.  This happened when I spent to much time in original languages and more complicated information. Since I study Revelation and Eschatology in the Academic Sector, I fall into this mode at times. 

But that doesn't fit the original model and mission of the site.  In the next week I will be rolling out a format where I spend several posts on a topic, and at the end of the series I will release a .pdf of more research oriented material for the folks that like that type of information.  That way I can provide two levels of writing and information that YOU can use.

I wanted to share this so you can keep your eyes open in the future for POMO2.0. I am really excited and I hope you are as well. If you have any thoughts please feel free to share them in the comments.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

Where it all started....

Today marks the 1 year anniverary of PostmodernEschatology.com. I want to post the first two posts today, because I think the really grounded the ideas that I wanted to start writing about.

What is this blog?

So why would someone start a blog about postmodern eschatology?  Is this a ploy for a book deal, or a really demented church plant?  Why would anyone want to spend this much time thinking about the end of the world?

Those are all questions that I rolled around in my head for a few months while contemplating devoting a substantial piece of time of my life to thinking about Eschatology.  After some urging from a few trusted friends and a professor allowing me to use this site for class credit I decided tgo for it.

My hope for this space is to direct and provide a place for conversation regarding how our faith interacts daily with what believe regarding the end of the world.  I think that our views on the end will affect how we view the rest of our faith.  Jesus preached an eschatological message, that of the envisioned kingdom. 

I do think that the greater scope of Christianity (not just 20th Century Evangelicalism) offers a critique against rampant apocalypticism, especially that which has become so popular in the last few decades.  I once had a friend ask me a question during a teaching time, "Chad, whats the end of the world going to be like?"  This wasn't a probing question looking for a heavy theological message, but a question directed out of the need for hope.  As Christians, we have an Eschatalogical hope that is about the fulfillment of the entire created order.

This man named Jesus of Nazareth spoke of hope.  His message was directed to those who had lost hope, and to a religious structure that was misdirected and man made.  That model can be placed at many other points of time in the history of humanity, and it will also be one of the key places that I will use to direct what will hopefully be a communal look at the end of all things.

So we will end things with the Gloria Patri, a great statement grounded in Christian Eschatology.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

What is Eschatology?

Why the big word Chad?  I agree, eschatology is one of the words that gets thrown around that the average person really doesn’t understand.  Academically, it has a pretty wide focus of meaning; such as “end times”, “Kingdom of Heaven”, “judgment”, rebirth”, etc..etc...

Lets have a formal definition.  This one is from the IVP Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms:

eschaton, eschatology (consistent [thoroughgoing], realized, inaugurated). Derived from the Greek term meaning “last,” eschaton refers to the ultimate climax or end of history wherein Christ returns to earth to establish his eternal kingdom of righteousness and justice among all nations. Eschatology, then, is the theological study that seeks to understand the ultimate direction or purpose of history as it moves toward the future, both from an individual perspective (What happens when a person dies?) and from a corporate perspective (Where is history going, and how will it end?).

Ok, that's big and fancy, but good idea of what Eschatology is.  I would define it this way:

Eschatology is the people of God thinking about the action of Past,Present and Future time wrapped around Gods final purpose.

As Christians we confess our belief in an end, “We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come” (from the Nicene Creed).  Eschatology is us thinking about what we confess, and some complex ideas inside of that.  What does life look like after death?  What does the Bible teach us about heaven?  What does tradition teach us about death and heaven, and how might we recognize the classic teachers of the Church and what they have said about the end?

Overall, the greater history of Christianity defines eschatology in a light that many haven’t (except in a vindictive way) through most of the 20th century.  Eschatology is about expectation and hope, not participating in modernity and its story of hopelessness and despair. 

We have hope towards all of the eternal promises that have been given to the Church. 

We have hope in regard to what God will do to this world.....

We have hope towards a life that is both fully absent of pain, but has full knowledge of the Godhead.

The average person has to think about eschatology, because it informs the way that we undergird almost everything we think about God.  It is part of our life with God and how we share our life with others.  We need to remember Eschaton and not Apocalypse is our primary view of how God will put finality on this world.

But this isn’t just theological snobbery...

 

Revealed Glory: unmasking apocalypse

Lately I have been thinking and reading about the “aim of scripture.”  Not the point behind scripture, but the overall view of what it tells us.  The aim takes in the entire book, from Genesis to Revelation, and inside of the idea we are consistently looking at scripture to explain itself through scripture.

That sounds kinda complicated....doesn’t it?

What this means is that the places that are really confusing should be interpreted in light of the whole text.  This isn’t just jumping around the Bible and trying to find something similar (this is pretty dangerous actually), but instead working out a view and reading of the Bible as the overarching story of God in this world.

I am writing a paper right now that of why the aim of scripture is important, directed at how the early Church Fathers had to use scripture in defense against the gnostics...who were particularly good at sculpting scripture to say what they wanted it to say. This practice didn’t die in the 3rd century. To them, the aim of scripture and the act of a right reading, is what defined what was Christian and what wasn't.

In books like Revelation, the aim of scripture become extremely important, because many people will separate Revelation from the greater sense of the biblical text, especially the New Testament.  For a book that is considered part of the community of John (G.of John, 1-3 John and Revelation), these fantastical interpretations really pull it out of the greater characteristics of it’s literary family.

The best place to start off this idea is the word apocalypse (in greek Ἀποκάλυψις).  At the beginning the book is identified as an apocalypse of Jesus (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) given to John (Rev 1:1).  Often, we think of apocalypse as a word describing a dramatic and violent ending.  A simply lexical study will prove this false.  The BDAG gives us a major definition as follows

1. Making Fully Known
a. of the revelation of truth (Romans 16:25, Eph 1:7), a light of revelation to the gentiles (lk 2:32)
b. of revelations of particular kinds, through visions etc..(Gal 1:12, Rev 1:1, 2 Cor 2:1), the secret was made known by revelations (Eph 3:3, 2 Cor 12:7)
c. of the disclosure of secrets belonging to the last days (1 Pt 4:13)

2. As part of the book title-

So we see that apocalypse, defined as revealing, has meanings listed higher than the one that we usually ascribe to it (c). But even the references behind c gives us a picture.

1Pet. 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

Even in the supposed “doom and gloom” definition, we see a distinct idea of the term Ἀποκάλυψις through the witness of scripture (also see 1 Pet 1:7, 13, 1 Cor 1:7, 2 Th 1:7) . Even in 1st Peter’s usage, we don’t see a cataclysmic reading, but the idea that the glory of Jesus will be revealed.  So it is in the defining of the “glory being revealed” that a view of the end is formed, not a view of destruction.  In the finality of our knowledge of Christ, our adoption will be revealed in its full sense of power.  This revelation is part of our inheritance as part of the family of God.

Yes, the vision given to John is a revealing message.  The first word of the book is heavily loaded, instantly painting a picture across scripture of the glory of God being revealed...and many of the references are specifically directed to his people.  How will we handle this knowledge placed to us?  In Revelation we don’t read the theological treatise of Paul regarding the exalted Christ, but we see him living as the risen Lord Jesus.  This is BIG knowledge.   I also do not want to discount judgement, because it is going to happen, but it should be placed in the proper context.  Allowing judgement to be the defining theme of Revelation as well as defining the word apocalypse simply isn’t a good use of scripture. 

So how do Christians understand Revelation to be about God and His glory incarnated in the Son of Jesus Christ?  That is the contemporary question that exists within Revelation today.  Just as the 7 churches struggled with distinguishing themselves from the world, we today have the same call. By us better understanding Jesus Christ we better interpret our place in this world. We are what we worship!!!

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

What are your questions?

Just a few books on the end of the world
Originally uploaded by chadbrooks

Piles of books.....don't ask me why they look so good.This is just a few I picked up this week from the library. I have my specific view of studying Revelation that is directed towards the questions I have. It has been several years since I first struck out on this journey, and my questions have just expanded more and more.

I want to let my reader direct the blog for a few weeks. What are your questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments-I would love to spend some time chasing answers for you.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

What about crazy guys living in the desert?

Chapter 2 of "The Late Great Planet Earth" is about the prophetic witness, focused on how the prophets staked their life on prophetic claim.

If you grew up in church, we didn't hear about the prophets that often.  I sure don't remember hearing about Ezekiel laying naked on the ground cooking his food over a fire stoked with poop (trust me, an 8 year old would remember that).  We might hear about Daniel, or possibly Elijah (Elisha and the She bear is another story to tell 8 year old boys), but for most of a child's formation of Christianity, we can cruise over around half of the Old Testament.

So when we get older, we don't know what to do with the prophets.  Lindsey uses Deuteronomy 18:22 as the basis for this chapter.

If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it. NRSV

There are a few interesting pieces here, but what is most troubling is Lindsey's presupposition that a prophet has the foremost act of speaking of the future.  One of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned is the power of presuppositions, and this is a huge one.

Two things:

1.  The word ‏הַנָּבִ֜יא that we get "prophet" from is tied to a very early idea of the prophetic role that comes from the verbal concept of "bubbling up".  The primary role of prophecy in this early state is an ecstatic fervor or proclamation that is "uttering words from the Spirit of God".(theological wordbook of the Old Testament)

2.  The idea of "name" in Hebrew doesn't mean that the prophet's authority is coming from God, but instead describing the qualities of God.  In reference to our Deut passage, the prophet is concerned with speaking about the character of God.  If what they say doesn't come true, what they are doing is giving a false impression about the character of God.  That is quite an offense.

Mr. Lindsey goes on the rest of the chapter about the quality of the prophetic witness in terms of foretelling the future, but this act is just a small segment of the Jewish idea of the prophetic voice.  Later this week, I want to actually look at the history of the prophetic role, voice and place inside the Old Testament, with a special emphasis on what it meant to the Jews and the current OT situation.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

The Eternal Body

Eschatology and Eternity are two topics that go hand in hand.  When our culture speaks of The End, usually it is in conversations of judgment, cataclysm, and despair.  As Christians existing in a postchristian landscape, we need to learn to direct thought back towards a direction that is focused on eternity and not end.

How do we speak of heaven?  What do we think about the body in relation to the soul?

I think many of our issues stem from a evangelical past that is thoroughly “non-creedal”.  What this means is that certain traditions don’t hold to the creedal tradition of Classic Orthodox Christianity. These are usually churches from the “free-church” persuasion (and not mainline, Catholic, or Orthodox).  Other churches choose to not engage the creeds on a regular basis.  The missing link that often goops up our eschatology is this:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
(From the Apostles Creed)

While this teaching has been hammered out in a more theological manner in many places, the small sentence in the Apostles Creed puts the idea of a bodily resurrection into the minds of the believer as they are/were being baptized (the creed was originally used as a baptismal covenant). 

To not think of our bodily renewal is to forget the incarnation.  “Heaven is the home of the totally human”(Anthony Kelly).

How many times have we thought of Heaven as a disembodied spiritual state?  The Church hasn’t traditionally taught this.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our bodies will be redeemed too.  This is sandwiched between forgiveness and eternal life, two key parts of Christian doctrine.  Our bodies will know no better existence than in their resurrected state.

Our world now looks at humanity as a disembodied entity.  We don't matter, we are killing our world, and this place will exist without us one day.  This simply isn't the case, but telling folktales of planes loosing pilots and chairs suddenly becoming empty doesn't answer the questions or relate Christianity to the world in a way that speaks of who God is.  We matter and so does our physical existence.  God made us to dwell as spiritual AND created creatures, the perfect combination of the entirety of his creation.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

Coming to terms with fulfillment

Part of getting past an innate fear and confusion with eschatologicaly focused theology is really thinking about fulfillment.  Often, Christians only mention heaven in passing, and hell as a threat.  Others stay away from the subject because they don't seem relevant or of true potential worth.  They are areas that seem so distant and almost un-interesting. 

What is fulfillment?

What is the thing that would put humanity back in touch with it's original design more than anything else?

How are we connected with creation and life with God?

These are all questions that we ask ourselves as we start to truly think about these things for the first time.  I was in a seminar last week that mentioned only 5-7% of our brains truly function in linear thought.  When we think about eschatology, we often imagine it to be a head trip, but have we ever thought about it with our hearts (the more prevalent place of human introspection and desire). 

What questions have always been left unanswered?  When do the typical "church" answers fail to actually meet a need?

Instead of turning to complicated systems, what does our heart tell us that eternal fulfillment will look like?  No church language, but true human desire.

Worship and Eschatological Vision: Anamnesis and Prolepsis

A picture is worth a thousand words......right?  Well since we are in the middle of finals week at Asbury, I wanted to direct you towards one of my mentors.  JD Walt serves at Asbury Seminary as Vice-President of Community Life and Dean of the Chapel.  This is video was shot a few summers back by my friend Omar.  JD was the first person who taught me about Anamnesis and Prolepsis, so I figured I would let him teach you today.

Christians and Postmodernity: Take 2

One of the largest issues that Christians have within the idea of postmodernity stem from thoughts behind the idea of "absolute truth".  Absolute truth is the idea that there is a governing truth in our world that isn't subjective, social or regional, but it exists within the extreme (and universal) scope of humanity.  In some areas, the largest identifier of postmodernity is the absence of absolute truth.  Conservatives (and others) have issues with Christian engagement into postmodernity because they feel that by recognizing and participating, they will be denying the basic tenets of Christian faith; primarily the absolute existence of God and salvation history.

Where the most confusion happens, is when practice departs from theoretical method, and outliers feel that fundamental parts of Christianity are being cast aside.

As I mentioned yesterday, postmodernity is moving past a philosophic reality and is become part of every day life.  It is also a reaction to the modern ideas of individualism, and in some circumstances postmodernity actually functions as hyper-modernity (meaning that it has a very narcissistic view of the self).  Immanuel Kant's ideas of the autonomous self, existing within isolation from community, makes alot of sense if you spend time around people in despair.  The modern idea of absolute truth (and the rejection of it in postmodernity) has to do with the need for a rational explanation of a truth that is held over all of humankind.

The story of God (vital truths and all) is not rejected in Christian engagement of postmodernity because the engagement is drawing individuals out of a hyper-self and into an identification that is found within community and a shared story of God.  In regards to eschatology, this journeys a person away from an individual approach to life after death and back into a more classic Christian eschatological approach of the re-creation of all things in Christ (Barry Harvey Can these Bones Live?).  Classic Christian eschatology is nothing but truth, but the focus of the truth isn't on the individual, but on the Church.  The original place of eschatology in the church wasn't a far off reality, nor was it impending doom, but it was a prayerful hope in the mind and hearts of the Church.

So how do we transmit a communal truth regarding eschaton?  That I think is one of the greatest questions and movements of Christianity today.

Tomorrow:
Story telling and re-telling

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

Christians and Postmodernity

One of the things that I haven’t tackled greatly so far is the issue of postmodernity.  Last week I spent alot of time setting up reasoning for the study of eschatology and why I feel that it is important in our current social milieu.  I do want to take a couple of posts now and asking some questions and think about the greater idea of postmodernity and how it is involved with Eschatology.

At its root level, postmodernity is a reaction to the era of modernity in Western culture.  The modern era is generally described as a cooperation with rationalism and enlightenment.  In plainspeak, this means that society lifted up prove-able and quantifiable data.  Also, society began to believe in the power of humanity, instead of a divine being that created and controlled the world.  This was mainly due to philosophic developments that influenced the greater arena of culture.

One of my favorite quotes regarding the issue of modernity comes from Robert Jenson was mentioned in my previous post of Pop Culture and Eschatology.  This is part of a greater article relaying how our world is now coming to the realization that it has no narrative of its own.  We are bankrupt and have no story line.

Many Christians are weary of the idea of postmodernity and there are a great deal of confusions regarding the theory.  There are no “postmoderns” in relation to people, or a “postmodern generation”.  This is a societal shift in reaction to the Enlightenment and Rationalism, not a clique or particular type of people.  While the last 20 years of engagement with postmodernity have been among Scholars and people that read philosophy and theology, we are starting to see true societal integration. 

The most postmodern person I know is a 14 year old male from Eastern Kentucky.  I say this not because of his intelligence, or his ability to think in a non-linear manner....but because of the many conversations I have had with him regarding good and evil.

Like many of his friends, he is his own plumbline of truth.  What is best for him is good, and what is bad for his most immediate situation is evil.  He doesn’t believe that he is a part of anything larger than meeting the needs that are right in front of him.

Friends, this is postmodernity.

Tomorrow:
Absolute Truth and Postmodernity

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be