The Two Kingdoms.

Recently, I heard a liberal theologian (Dr. Robert Price) say that the Christian religion is built on fables, mystery religions, and ultimately born out of syncretism. According to him, a Christ that is born of a virgin, dies and rises, ascends to the right hand of the Father, and saves the cosmos is the most natural thing in the world. He also adds to his argument that novels had been written in the 600BC, and the NT was the pinnacle of these writings.

Specifics aside, (when people say things like this they stretch the evidence way too far), in my experience, syncretism is born out of a compromise for a peace and unity where there is no peace and unity. But Jesus is totally the opposite! In the Gospel, Jesus doesn't come to bring peace, but a sword, to divide people. That doesn't sound like syncretism at all. Furthermore, if it was a syncretistic movement, why a new religion that refuses to worship in the pantheon, undermines Cesar's ultimate authority, suffers intense persecution, and yet gives to Cesar what is Cesar's. It doesn't make any sense. As a Lutheran, this doctrine of the two Kingdoms blows me away. You have this almost-pacifism that doesn't give a crap who Cesar is, and yet suffers at his hands gladly. Christianity never tries to overthrow the state, whether by force or patience. That is the Lord's job at his reappearing. Although, I do find it ironic that Christianity did win the day centuries later. I highly doubt that the early Christians would have foreseen this in any way.

Sure, there are other religions out there who passively suffer for their faith, but I highly suspect any truth to a story about a gaggle of Jews willing to die for a fable to make some greater point in government. Both of these groups, Jews and Gentiles, wanted to make power grabs. Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world. I think people actually believed that and this is the reason for all the martyrdom that has gone on.

But what is also really funny, is that Dr. Price claims much of the New Testament is forgery, and filled with all sorts of interpolations. But this first-last and last-first mindset is permeated in all of the Gospels and Epistles through and through. If you take out all of the so called "interpolations" you have nothing in the Bible left, nothing significant at all, and no reason why anyone would want to be a Christian. It's amazing how much the New Testament itself works as evidence to outsiders. It stands alone as a great independent source, and you don't even have to presuppose divine inspiration/ inerrancy. How great is the strength we have in our weakness!

BTW, I would be curious to investigate what other mystery religions confessed of government. That said, Liberal theology makes absolutely no sense to me.

He is Risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia.

I managed to get a little break from homework this weekend. I went to a mega church, it was actually quite decent. There was strong preaching of Jesus. I was a little bit skeptical how it would be, but it wasn't all that bad. The pastor even reminded us that we are to say "He IS risen" not "he HAS risen" since Christ is still risen.

One of the best parts of celebrating Easter with them, 17 baptisms. What a great way to celebrate the risen Christ and seeing others raised with Christ through the water of baptism. I would also add that in this case, as well, as Luther would say, it is preferred to say, "I AM baptized" rather than "I was baptized."

Salvation and Scripture

For it ought above all to be settled and established among Christians that the Holy Scriptures are a spiritual light far brighter than the sun itself, especially in things that are necessary to salvation - Martin Luther

A Future Present

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not "types," not prefigurements or parables. They do indeed point to the future, but it is a future already present with its gifts of grace. - Hermann Sasse

Infused Herbal Tea, Christian Mission, and Everything Else.

I bought a new box of tea at the grocery store today. Had some lunch. After following the instructions on the box of tea, I read step 5: Contemplate your favourite eternal mysteries. So I did.

I started thinking about the mission of the church and how it seems so individualized these days, and how it hardly has any regard to community and the whole body of Christ. But if we stop and think, you cannot talk about the living body of Christ without saying something about the Church, and you cannot think of the Church without Christ. How is it that people think they can live as a Christian without the Church? The body can still live without the finger, but can the finger live without the body? If you claim to be a member of the invisible Church, you'd be right that the Church has invisible qualities, but it also has visible manifestations too. I think this attitude turns out to be more prideful, and more dangerous, as a super-spiritual gnosticism. And to me, this is one of the mysteries of his kingdom: the height and depth to which Jesus forgives sin, not merely as a mediator between man and God, but also as a mediator between man and man. Jesus forgives my sin so much that he forgives my neighbor's. Therefore, the Church and its mission can exist. That is where mission starts. If I attempt salvation without Christ, it is humanism, an endless toil, lofty goals, and in the end, fruitless. But the power of the gospel produces real effects, here and now, and forever. And that is why the Gospel needs to be central in all Christian conduct. Where some people see peace, love and kindness, as the Gospel, I see it as the cause and effect of the Gospel, but not necessarily the Gospel itself. It isn't about us, but it is about Christ for us, together with him, his gift to us. It all comes through his forgiveness. To be in Christ is to have him in us, to have each other, to be his body. So as the incarnation is a mystical union with God and man, so we also have a mystical union with him and to each other through the Spirit he gave us.

Deleted: "Rob Bell - You Don't Have to be Born Again?"

I deleted a post regarding Rob Bell and his promo video for his book "Love Wins" It has everyone in an uproar about Christian Universalism. While I do not condone his teaching, I do not condone my own knee jerk reaction. That is not what I am about; neither should this blog reflect that. Further, I like my criticisms to be cohesive, not disconnected sputtering sentences. Over all, I'm disappointed with how Rob Bell is baiting people into conversation, and I'm disappointed with how easily we get sucked in. For the most part his book is veiled by its pending release, and we're all falling prey to marketing strategy. But I am going to re-write, knowing a few more details, and will try a more irenic tone.

The post, probably isn't in hell, but it is at least deleted.

Picture:

It's kind of hard to see, at least on my laptop, but the picture of the crucifixion in the heading of my blog contains a skull underneath the cross. It represents the skull of the first Adam.

Although it is mostly speculation, traditionally, it is held that Jesus was crucified where Abraham offered Isaac, on the grave of Adam. It is not necessarily true, but it makes for a good picture to focus death and life, law and gospel.