The Speckled Mind

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Surprised by Hope Part 2: Heaven Is A Place On Earth?

Everybody knows
Everybody knows
Everybody knows
You only live a day
But it's brilliant anyway ~ Elliott Smith
No one debates the inescapable nature of death. As certain as taxes, each day we draw one day closer to our ultimate demise. So what follows that demise?

Let's just say the aforementioned universal consensus ends at that point.

Answers to the question range widely, but one very popular answer centers around the idea of "heaven." Most Christians would give this response concerning their own destiny, but Wright notes that the conceptions of heaven amongst Christians often bares little resemblance to that of the Biblical authors. What follows are some of the important places of departure between the prevailing Christian view of heaven and the Biblical accounts:

1. The most important thing about heaven is its essence, not it's geography. In the Jewish conception, heaven was that place where God's will for God's creation happened perfectly. Thus, the state of affairs of that place--its Lordship, if you will--was the primary thing of interest to the Biblical authors when they referred to heaven .

2. It follows from this that when the reign of God is enacted on earth, heaven and earth can and do overlap. The places of that overlap can be seen throughout the scriptures, most notably in the holy of holies in the Jewish temple. Not to mention, Jesus taught his followers to pray for that overlap--"...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

3. The eternal dwelling place of the faithful is not heaven. Rather, a post-resurrection new heavens and new earth (a la Isaiah 65 - 66; Revelation 21 - 22) are God's plan for the future. Probably my favorite quote from the book stems from this truth: "Heaven is nice, but it's not the end of the world."

4. The idea of humans leaving earth at the end of time is a misnomer with no Biblical evidence to support it. The new Jerusalem, the heavenly city, comes down to earth. Thus,the overlap of heaven and earth will be ultimately be perfected.

So what's the problem? Are these misconceptions really that big of a deal? I would argue that, when combined with the spirit/matter dualism (Gnosticism) described in my last post, the results can be disastrous, not least in the musical worship of our churches.

As a worship leader, I have noticed how often this dualistic Gnosticism plagues the writing of our hymns and choruses. Here are some of the more egregious examples:

When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls, I’ll fly, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away (in the morning)
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away (From I'll Fly Away)

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious! (From My Glorious)

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine (From Christ Tomlin's
Amazing Grace)

Certainly, the effects have been felt in the preaching realm just as much as that of music. But I figured this would be a good start to the discussion. Do you agree that there is a heaven confusion? If so, where have you seen it happen?

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5 Comments:

  • Whoa, I just got the book. Now I need to catch up.

    By Blogger Post_Fidelitas, at 12:31 PM  

  • Bro man,

    I'll try to keep up but there is much to do which is why I would highlight your own respect for Wright as pastor theologian. Each of us need to be engaged on both fronts - with the good book and with people....which is why I will put the ball back in your court.

    You spoke to the impact on songs of worship and alluded to an impact on preaching. How does your two recent posts (on heaven and spirit/matter dualism) impact average Joe pewsitter? I wonder if you might speak to the impact this understanding of God and his kingdom has had in your relationship with him and with others. And, perhaps, what do you feel the consequences are for our church's to continue in what you view to be a limited understanding of heaven/resurrection? Because it is no small thing to say "we've greatly missed the significance/implications of the resurrection."

    The theologian in me says, "Let's talk about all this!" The pastor in me says, "In the end, how does this impact my love for God and neighbor."

    If I'm understanding this set-up the implications will come out over time and you will share why.

    By Blogger Pastor Cor, at 1:59 PM  

  • Cor, you should know the implications are coming; part 3 (reshaping the mission of the church) is perhaps the most important contribution from this book.

    It is important we understand the theological implications. In my discussions some people want to just place this whole discussion in the usual end-times "it will work itself out". This is generally true, but we must understand that a big chunk of the gospel is the redemption of the physical world.

    Just last night I got into a discussion with a church member who was convinced that the world was unnder the Lordship of Satan. Here is why this book is so important. The incarnation and the resurrection is once again evidence of God's blessing on ALL of creation, and God's plan to redeem ALL of creation.

    This means we are not waiting for our pie in the sky, but our actions today can be signposts of the great hope we have in a world made right - at the return of Christ.

    Escapism is not an option, because God himself did not flee the world, but engaged it, entered it and is in the process of recreating, and has asked his people to partner with him.

    Belinda Carlisle was so right.

    By Blogger Joe, at 2:31 PM  

  • Tim-

    I love this series of posts you've started. I agree with all you've said so far, which is of no surprise. I also think Cor has asked some very relevant questions of why this matters for love towards God and neighbor. These seem to be the questions that people, in general, ask of theology. I find it frustrating sometimes to see all the implications of theology so plainly and yet not be able to communicate them as effectively as I want.

    I want to offer a personal response to Cor's questions. This shift in theology for me has done at least 2 things. The first is it has ended some serious cognitive dissonance within me which has freed me to worship God in deeper and broader ways than I thought possible. The dualism you asked about was something I wrestled with both consciously and unconsciously. I remember sitting in a counseling session some years ago racked with guilt over not seeking God enough through "spiritual" means like prayer, fasting and Bible reading. This actually stalled and paralyzed my faith to some degree. I kept looking for an emotional experience with God through these avenues and was increasingly frustrated and guilt ridden when it didn't happen. My faith upbringing mainly esteemed these specific spiritual practices because other modes of worship were too "this worldly". Well, if I had understood that being this worldly was precisely what God wanted from me then I would not have been paralyzed. So seeing that heaven is now and God loves His creation and does not want to destroy it but rather redeem it brought great personal freedom and allowed me to find God in such things as art, film and even (shocker) non-christian music. Most importantly to me it knocked down the wall I felt between wanting to be faithful to God (finding my all in Him) but knowing I needed people to do that. This brings me point 2.

    Loving others through service, giving, talking about good music and sharing a beer became real possibilities for God to enter into my world. Before I would have said the only legitimate ways God could do this were through traditional church services or other experiences sparked only by the "approved" practices. So here too dualism crashed down as I realized bringing the kingdom to others was more than soul winning (although I think conversion is utterly necessary and of utmost importance). Now I see that sometimes my imperative to give and serve may be just that...to give and serve because God loves his creation and wants to redeem it. I no longer feel a disconnect between conversion and, say, feeding the poor.

    Finally I want to say that I've met plenty of pastors who think this type of discussion makes little difference. I have to say that for some that's true, but for others like me who struggle with finding freedom because bad theology has tied me up in knots this type of careful reasoning and deep discussion brings great joy and freedom. I sincerely wish more pastors took these nuances more seriously. There are people, in every church, who struggle like I did. They desperately need a careful theologian pastor to lead them home.

    By Blogger Jerod Lucius, at 1:08 AM  

  • Joe,

    Haven't read the book. I'm not likely to read the book before this conversation/blogging is over. Didn't know what part 3 of the book was titled "Reshaping the Mission of the Church." Good to know.

    Jerod,

    I appreciate hearing your implications and the "freedom" God brought through these theological insights.

    By Blogger Pastor Cor, at 12:29 AM  

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