I’d like to add a little levity back into this forum by taking a moment to turn away from the tedious subject of re-recounts, to touch once again upon my eternal torment.. No, I’m not talking about reading the comments on (un)Sound Politics… I’m talking about the widespread belief that upon Christ’s imminent return, I shall be cast wailing and screaming into the pits of Hell.
When I last wrote on this subject a couple weeks back (“Have you heard the good news? I’m going to Hell!“), I generated some thoughtful and not-so-thoughtful criticism, ranging from those who accused me of demonizing Christians, to those who bluntly stated that the “truth hurts,” I am going to Hell.
But the critique to which I gave the most consideration was that I had misinterpreted Revelations. The truth is, I’ve only read the New Testament once, and that was twenty years ago for an Ethno-History class in college. And so I read with great fascination Tim Appelo’s cover story in the current Seattle Weekly: “Is Bush the Antichrist?”
Appelo delves into the history of the Antichrist and modern apocalyptic theology that I was only peripherally aware of. But while Appelo makes it clear that these themes are not part of main stream Christian theology — and Rev. Rich Lang of Seattle’s Trinity United Methodist Church goes so far as to make accusations of “heresy” — it is hard for me to dismiss these “heretics”, knowing that they control the White House.
“The progressive church should bring back–and this sounds so crazy–the word ‘heresy.’ The end times theology and this other thing called Dominionism or Christian Reconstruction–those are heresies.” Lang says not to believe Christian Coalition leader–turned–Whore of Enron–turned Bush/Cheney campaign lieutenant Ralph Reed when he claims the Christian right has no plans to upend the Constitution and impose its religion on civic life. “He’s a liar,” says Lang. “Dominionism is the notion that God has given the dominion, the governance of the world, to the church. And so Christians literally are born to rule, by force if necessary, to bring the Kingdom of God on Earth. I believe that the theology that drives the Bush administration affirms this.” When Falwell preached, “We must take back what is rightfully ours,” his ambitions did not stop at U.S. borders. This is a Church of a Law Unto Itself.
Years ago, after an especially harrowing driving experience in Boston, that involved my (now ex-)wife angrily driving the wrong way up a freeway exit, she turned to me and said, “I put the fear of God into you didn’t I?” To which I shakily replied: “It’s not God I’m afraid of.”
That is also my reaction to those Evangelicals so enraptured with The Rapture, so eager to leave people like me behind to our imminent and eternal damnation. I do not, cannot, will not accept Christ as my savior. If these people so fervently believe that I will be punished for this sin in the next world, how can I expect them to respect my rights as an American in this world?
Dismiss them as wacky cultists, whose time will pass, if you wish. Just remember that 2000 years ago, that’s what my Jewish ancestors probably said about the early Christians.
And now you know why I shy away from organized religion…
I have a friend who has been a Pastor & Missionary in Africa for 40 years. He has studied the Book of Revelation for 50 years…and he will be the 1st one to tell you it is chronically misinterpreted out of ignorance ot for individual convenience (to bash Christianity or to try to be the most “enlightened” Christian. His position is if you just open up Revelation, it can be pretty scary & empty. It is important to study all the prior Books in the Bible 1st. Goldy, the most frequently used verb in the Bible is SEEK. People like my friend have dedicated their lives to SEEKING the truth. You can bash Christianity & those who misuse Scripture or fall short of the mark (which is every single one of us)….You can pick on high profilers like Falwell, Robertson etc. However, show me where the Bible is wrong in your eyes…and don’t just take words out of context. Human Messengers will always fail…but the Truth from the message is what we need to seek. My favorite human messenger is Billy Graham. What a fine & Godly man. His son Franklin is also. I just saw part of a profile about him on CNN earlier today. Billy Graham shied away from politics after Nixon used him to gain additional power. However, he was a wonderful spiritual counselor to every President. A man to admire….who happens to be a Christian.
Goldy- In our society, it is necessary for its functioning that we respect others rights in the area of religous belief (or unbelief)- that we hold to that which we believe, but do not impose those beliefs upon others. In simple form, we must respect the rights of conscience.
It is not only from the right that there is a threat to conscience- look at the pro-choice movement, and its demands that the informed consciences of pro-lifers bow to the pro-choice will in the provision of medical services (as an example). To force a Catholic hospital, or a Catholic medical worker, to perform abortions is tyranny.
However, as you noted, not all Christians fail to see the importance of respect and tolerance in our civil society. Starting in the rearliest years of the Republic, American churches understood that the ways of Europe had to be left behind. My tradition, that of the Presbyterian Church, at its first synod in 1789 amended Article XXIII of the Westminster Confession of Faith, regarding the Civil Magistrate, in recognition of the lack of an Established Church upon these shores. And while that 1789 formulation referred only to Christian denominations, it was a dramatic change and recognition that the Church should not control the magistrate, nor should the magistrate control the church (not that there shgould not be a dialog between them).
For those interested, the original Article XXIII, as adopted at Westminster in 1643-47, can be found at http://www.reformed.org/docume.....tml#chap23 and the American version, maintained by all branches of the Presbyterian tradition to this day, can be found at http://www.pcanet.org/general/.....#chapxxiii The changes occur in Section 3…
Finally, any true Christian would step back in awe from the mysteries of salvation. There are too many examples given in the Scriptures of those who are declared to have been saved, who had no personal knowledge of Christ. And there are many of the “fire-proofed” among us who would proclaim they are among the Elect because they have been baptized- sometimes several times- all evidence in their lives as to their “exalted state” being to the contrary- not only without works, but without any evident faith.
Which is one reason the neo-cons seem so laughable- if Dino is to be Governor, if God upon His throne has so ordained it, why are they so worried. And if He has not ordained it, why are they working so hard to counter His will…
Hey, if they’re so certain God is going to punish you in the afterlife for all eternity, you’d think they’d leave you alone in this one. Have a little patience, for crying out loud. =) Christians like that give us a bad name. I’d like to think they were a minority, but I wish they could be a silent one.
Interesting thoughts. I know from what I have studied and read that President Bush is about as far from “dominionism” as anyone with the Christian name can be. There are people out there from several diferent wings who might come under that heading but I can say for certain that dubya is the kind of person those people don’t even think of voting for. Think “postmillenialism”…that’s just one example of dominionism-like thinking.
And Mark makes a good point- the LaHayes, et. al., are all Scofieldist premillennialist, and are most definitely NOT dominionists.
Goldy- a brief explanation of this stuff- premil or postmil refers to whether one believes Christ will return before or after the millenial reign of the church. Premil, in all its variations, holds that Christ will return, establish a 1,000 year reign within creation, and then comes the judgement and the everlasting. Postmil, in all its variations, see a 1,000 year reign of the Church in a perfected creartion, followed by the return of Christ, judgement, and the everlassting. Premils tend to see things getting really bad, then Him returning- Postmils see a need to make things get really good, with a dominion established by the Church.
Popularist premil today is also pre-Tribulation rapturist- before that seven year stretch when it gets REALLY, REALLY, bad, the believers will be raptured out of it, returning when Christ returns seven years later- that is the Scofieldist heresy. Orthodox thinking doesn’t see that the generation of believers alive when Christ returns is so much better than all preceding generations that they should escape trial, tribulation, and martyrdom. No rapture out of the Tribulation- the rapture is concurrent with the Return.
Implications of these beliefs- Scofieldists are not preparing themselves to possibly go through some very tough times, when they will not be able to drive their SUVs to their big suburbab mega-churches where they tell themselves just how good they are and how when it really gets tough, Jesus will beam them out. No they are not prepareing for actually having to go through the shit…
Will no real respect, J K- I think we all just went through the bull shit.
Today, taking a case of canned corn, on sale, to the mission, with a couple of freshly laundered blankets. Giant sized, mega bucks, organized religion is so off base. Whatever I believe about Jesus, sure does not involve all the sillyness and bunk.
Bob- you know, one of the groups I respect the most is the Salvation Army. Really quite conservative in their theology (yes, they ARE a church)- but they live what they preach, oh so much better than many of us, including people like you and me, Bob, that try…
People who truly believe (whatever they believe) don’t wear it on their sleeve, but just go about what they do. And I haven’t written as much theology as I did above in years, and it is greatly simplified, but most Christians neither know whether or not Goldy is going to hell, nor want the church running the state or vice-versa.
We just want to have some semblance of getting along, despite differences…
The Weekly article does not equate Dominionism with the Darbyite/Scofieldist Evangelicals, it merely presents Langs argument that they are both heresies that are clearly influencing government policy at the highest levels.
And Cynical… I am not bashing Christians anymore than criticizing the policies of the Sharon government would be bashing Jews.
Goldy- I think the underlying point you’ve been trying to make in these couple of postings is that in a society such as ours, we have to balance our right to our private beliefs with the necessity to engage in a larger society on a mutually respectful basis.
And I understand concerns about how belief systems influence public policy- I believe it is imperative that candidates be honest about what they believe, so that the electorate can make informed choices (and it is incumbent upon voters to understand some of these beliefs so that they can make informed choices- no one who has any knowledge of church-state relationships through the centuries really believes that the Pope can very successfully order heads of state around- just too many examples of the failures of those Popes who tried…).
Anyway- this gets all too serious today. The Hawks are entering the dangerous two minute zone with a four point lead- will they choke?
Well stated, Jim.
And the Hawks held on! Damn- now I have to think about tickets for 12/26…
Mr. Cynical asks to “show where the Bible is wrong…”. I think Thomas Paine did a good job at doing just that more than two hundred years ago in “Age of Reason”. I wouldn’t argue that there is no value or truth in the Bible, but wrong in many places it certainly is.
It’s people, such as you described in your article, that caused me to not be a christian any longer. And, I have some great news for you! You AREN’T going to Hell. It’s pretty hard to go to a place that doesn’t exsist. I believe that Hell was thought up by those then in power to subjugate a gullible and superstitious people. Kind of like when you tell a kid that the Boogey Man will get them if they don’t go to sleep. Keep on writing! John