Theological Fragments

Now we finally arrive at the place where this journey all started for me: the "Kingdom of Heaven." This whole journey began when I first really asked myself the question,  ​W hat is the Kingdom of Heaven?  You see, I was taught in Sunday School, VBS and youth group that the Gospel was all about getting my sins forgiven so that I could get into Heaven when I died. "Fire Insurance," we called it. And so when I was confronted with this phrase, the "Kingdom of Heaven"--a phrase that Jesus uses constantly to describe his message--I just assumed that he meant, "Heaven." So when Jesus said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near," I thought he meant that the  way  to Heaven was near. When he talked about "entering the Kingdom of Heaven," I thought he was talking about getting into Heaven when you die. But that interpretation caused me a whole different problem. Have you ever noticed that Jesus seems to spend so little tim...

The word "Gospel" comes from an Old English word that means "Good News"--which, of course, is the meaning of the Greek word that "gospel" replaces. When Jesus came to preach his message, it was described as "Good News." So what exactly was that good news? I have preached/taught on this topic many times, and whenever I ask the audience to summarize the Gospel in one verse, they always pick the same one. You know which verse I'm talking about: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ​(John 3:16, ESV) In the Western Church, John 3:16 is considered the most important verse in the Bible. It is so central to the message of the Bible that it has become shorthand for the entire Gospel--hence why people write it on signs and in their greasepaint at sporting events. The idea seems to be that if a person got curious enough to look that verse up, they would fin...

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[From Part I Chapter II.C, " You  Shall Love Your Neighbor "] “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5: 43-5, ESV) “Men think that it is impossible for a human being to love his enemies, for enemies are hardly able to endure the sight of one another.” [1] I must say, this applies absolutely to me. I find it so hard to love the people I don’t like, or who don’t like me. It feels wrong, like it’s the opposite of what I’m supposed to do. And yet Christ orders us to love our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us. But how? How do I get myself into the mindset of one who loves their enemy? Kierkegaard continues:  “Well, then, shut your eyes—and your enemy looks just like your neighbor. Shut your eyes and remember the command that you shall love; then you are to love—your e...

[From Part I Chapter II.A, " You Shall Love "] And a second [commandment] is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself . ~Matthew 22:39 (ESV) In the second chapter of Works of Love Kierkegaard begins a reflection on one verse that will take him three chapters to finish. The verse is quoted above, and in this chapter he focuses on the phrase “you shall love”—which, as Kierkegaard explains, is perhaps one of the most revolutionary things ever said: A political cartoon of Kierkegaard  “[I]n relation to this Christian imperative, as in relation to everything Christian, you will humbly confess with the wonder of faith that such a thing did not arise in any human being’s heart. Now after it had been commanded throughout Christianity’s eighteen centuries and previously in Judaism, now when everyone is instructed in this and, in a spiritual sense, like someone brought up in his prosperous parents’ house, is almost made to forget that those brought up in it f...

It is one of the great tragedies of our time that Christians are taught to be ashamed of our past. Anyone who has taken a course in Western history in the last seventy years is undoubtedly aware of the long list of atrocities that are laid at the feet of Christianity, while the list of its victories is short (if it exists at all). Evangelicals have tried to deflect this phenomenon by pointing the finger at certain denominations (mainly Catholicism) or at Denominationalism in general—a maneuver that is neither fair, accurate, nor true—but have largely failed to avoid condemnation. We all drown beneath the onslaught of historical crimes: crusades, witch-burnings, subjugation of native peoples, human slavery, the list goes on. Of course, no one points out the hypocrisy of these accusations (For instance, on what basis can the secular world tell us that killing in the name of God is barbaric—which it is—while killing in the name of a government is perfectly moral?), nor do they acknowled...

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A few days ago I did something I promised myself I would never do: I watched a sermon by Joel Osteen. The reason I try not to watch Osteen is because it always gets me riled up—he and I never seem to see eye-to-eye (To put it mildly). But one good thing did come out of this particular instance: it gave me the motivation to write this post, which I hope will end up as something more significant than a simple reactionary tirade. In his April 21st sermon, Joel Osteen gave a sermon entitled, “Taking Control of Your Happiness.” During the sermon he talked about those situations in which the people around us expect us to make them happy, to give them all of our time and attention, etc. Dealing with this kind of people can be exhausting, emotionally, mentally and physically. So the question is, how should we respond to such people? What do we owe them?