One More Look
There has been a lot of good discussion about the concept of the Kingdom as a world-dominating culture. I thought I would add these remarks to the dialogue.
Perhaps the best way to articulate this change in perception is to refer to a book given to me by Dan S. Against Christianity by Peter Leithart is a penetrating examination of the difference between the post-modern view of the world and the biblical view. According to Leithart:
Modernity refers to the civilization of the West since about 1500. Culturally, modernity is characterized by “value pluralism,” which entails the privatization of religious institutions and religious claims. Every individual and every group chooses its own shared values, and civil society is the arena where those values enter into combat. Politically, modernity is shaped by “liberalism,” the political system dedicated to the one proposition that political systems must not be dedicated to one proposition.
Through its roots in the patristic period, Christianity in its more developed form is the Church’s adjustment of the gospel to modernity, and the Church’s consequent acceptance of the world’s definition of who we are and what we should be up to Christianity is biblical religion disemboweled and emasculated by (voluntary) intellectualization and/or privatization. Christianity is not merely haphazard embrace of the values and practices of the modern world. Worldliness in that sense has plagued the Church since Corinth and will be a temptation to the end of time. Christianity is institutionalized worldliness, worldliness accepted in principle, worldliness not at the margins but at the center, worldliness build into the foundation.
Leithart draws a needed distinction between Christianity (the “official” religion of the West) and the Church (God’s people in the world). Christianity is a part of the world culture, accommodated to the systems of the world through its organization, goals and operation. Just think about the scope and actions of the Roman Catholic Church. It is big business with a worldwide organized hierarchy. In fact, it is probably the first multi-national company. Of course, any of the mainline denominations fit the bill today. What this implies is that the members embrace a cultural orientation that is dictated by the religion and that religion is in cooperation with the state. So, state and religion work out a pact of mutual non-aggression. The state passes laws that endorse or protect certain religious freedoms and the religion endorses and supports certain activities of the state. Just consider the almost universal acceptance of democracy as the proper political system of Christianity. Nothing in the biblical record supports this idea. Where did it come from? From the Greeks. The Church is not a democracy. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy. But most Christians have accommodated to the state by accepting democracy as the correct political system.
This same shift can be seen in economic policy, social liberties, civic responsibilities, education, ethics and philosophy. The biblical worldview is an all-embracing reorientation of life to a radically different culture. It is Semitic, ancient, theocratic, without hierarchy, distributive economics and maximized personal responsibility. Its legal system is compassionate but without appeal (there is no supreme court that can overrule God’s law). Its educational system is focused nearly exclusively on Torah. It is exclusive (drawing careful distinctions between those who are followers and those who are not) and intolerant (demanding repentance). In fact, it is a lot more like the culture of Islam than it is like the culture of the West.
Most Christians today have absorbed the cultural values of post-modernity. They believe in tolerance, inner truth, private religion and the separation of State and Church. They just don’t realize that none of these are biblical. So, they act more like Greeks than followers of the King, but they aren’t aware that there is really a difference.
It’s time to open this discussion, to realize that living a “Christian” life is not the same as being a good, morally upright member of the nation. Everything must change if we are really going to embrace the teachings of the Messiah and make Him our King. How can “Your will be done on earth” be our motto if what we do is nothing more than proper ethical behavior as outlined by the laws of the land?
One group of our blood family, including our 15 month old great=grandson, is on the way to visit; so one fast observation.
For 50 years we have been announcing to anyone that would listen, the denominational churches, and at that time we really only knew about one denomination, that they were Big Business, and nice Country Clubs, (but that you had to bring the food, for in those days they did not have full restaurants inside the building as many do today, with theaters, book stores, large indoor play equipment, etc. Yes, many “churches”, I know do have those things and some even have gyms with complete workout centers, plus areas for playing sports. If anyone wants a name and place write and ask, I will give them some.
We started seeking and kept on for years, before a Living Lord Jesus came to us, and allowed us to get glimpses of HIM, and some of the truths from the Creator of the Universe, through the Holy Spirit. Yes, indeed HE LIVES TODAY. He is ALIVE!
No matter, all of the above, God is still on His Throne, and yes, the first & greatest one of the demoninations that Skip mentioned, owns more and has more than the Queen of England, who is supposedly the richest woman in the World.—–Yes, knowledge about these things is better than ignorance, but God is Supreme, He is ruling and making Himself known to those that are TRULY seeking Him. ” HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK, SEARCH, WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS, SOULS, MINDS, BEING——-Hebrews 1:6 b, and all the verses in the O.T. that it comes from: Jeremiah 29:11, Deut. 4:29-31. L.B.
What is distributive economics?
Distributive economics is profit on purpose – not for accumulation for my benefit but for the use in the community. So, I work hard, take care of my needs and the needs of my family, and what God gives beyond that is for His use among others in the community. I distribute His gifts to me because He is the owner and I am only the steward.
This is a radical departure from the post-modern, Greek idea that profit is for my consumption. In the world’s system, my profit is spent on me. Yes, I might give something to charity or to others, but fundamentally I work so that I may enjoy the gains myself. I feed myself rather than using what God gives to feed others.
Distributive economics is not socialism or welfare. Everyone is expected to work and to contribute. It is not communism. It is not based on according to need. It is biblical capitalism. All work to the benefit of each other according to God’s gifts.
Skip … I surely won’t argue the net outcome of the modern state of affairs. I do however think that the cultural shift can be more easily explained historically in the context of “The Age of Enlightenment” or more broadly the “Age of Reason”! This intellectual movement as you know sought to apply rationality as the authoritative means of establishing ethics, aesthetics and knowledge!
Sadly enough … it was this cultural influence that was shaping Europe and took hold of the Reformation Churches as the shackles of Rome were being loosed. And of course it weaved its way back into Roman thinking. Ultiamtely it Greek thinking as you point out regardless of the label.
But alas in the end it is the same be it Roman or not …. there is the Religion and then there is the “Body of Messiah” and the two are not equivalent!
Whenever people “rationalize” instead of faithfully obey what YHVH has declared, we will continue to witness the explosion of new self patronizing religious sects and frankly it is not a good thing!
Skip, once again, you challenge all of us to re-examine our lives, which is a good thing.
Sadly, modern Christianity has become just another of a number of (supposedly) ways to God, or Heaven. I believe this is due to the fact that most Christians do not really believe the Bible. They pick and choose those parts they like and discard the rest.
I believe it was Mark Twain who said “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
By the way, where is the Torah in the Bible, in other words, what constitutes the Torah and how do we find it?
Jay, I am not sure if you still want the above information, ” where is the Torah in the Bible,—etc.)
But from: Harper’s Bible Dictionary by Madeleine S. Miller and J. Land Miller in consulatation with eminent authorities, Harper & Brothers. , Publishers New York 1959—
Torah- “instruction,” “law”, applied (l.) to the five “Books of Moses, (see Hexateuch- which says six scrolls, or the book) in six scrolls)
Thus, Torah is a term used to indicate the first six books of the Old Testament. ( L.B. here, then under ” Hexateuch” it goes on with a lot of other information on why changes have been from Hexateuch is in place of the canonical Pentateuch, a modern critical invention.—-
(2.) the whole body of religious literature of Judaism, dervied through priests, prophets, and sages. The written Torah, regarded by the Sadducees as a completed book, was supplemented in the view of Pharisees and rabbinic Judaism, by oral matter; these groups believed in a dual Torah, one written and one oral.
—– The Torah is regarded by devout Jews as fundamental in the life of life of Israel.——(-and there is much more) ( L.B.— There is also some information for the Orthodox and Reformed congregations (see Synagogue) Which L.B. is not copying.—- Hope this helps—