Missional Mondays: Tony Stiff

"No mention of the Kingdom. For the first time in my life I have an impetus to moral living outside of being scared of hell. It's difficult to do the right thing for 70 years if you believe everything else around you is getting worse (just as God promised). I think the Kingdom, and a more robust eschatology is making a huge difference today."

Me to Phil. Thanks for that. I totally resonate with what you're saying. Eschatology as something that isn't just a blueprint of the end but is rather a shaping force in the present for the sake of God's Kingdom makes all the difference in the world. Your thoughts reminded me of a wonderful article Scot wrote for Christianity Today a while back called, "8 Marks of a Robust Gospel."

Scot said in that paper, "The little gospel promises me personal salvation and eternal life. But the robust gospel doesn't stop there. It also promises a new society and a new creation." Too many of us live out of that little gospel, huh.

Great post! And Phil (#1) -- great comments, with which I agree.

I want to add at least two:

1. a strongly foundationalist theology that paradoxically is fearful and reactionary of the broader world of Truth

The Church's failure to think creatively about the relationship of faith and science -- which thankfully is beginning to be remedied -- IMHO is Exhibit A in this regard. We became irrelevant because we were stuck with a 19th Century model of the world.

2. A lack of any theology of hope.

Again, this is starting to be remedied as evangelicals gravitate towards the eschatology of folks like N.T. Wright, and realize it's ok to read non-evangelicals such as Newbiggin and Guder. We're only now starting to emerge on a broader scale from the "Late Great Planet Earth" mindset.

I believe the enlightenment had a transforming impact upon the west which resulted in the fall of "Christendom" (which may not be that bad a thing). Secondly, the Western Church became inward focused. While we sent missionaries "out there" to do mission we turned in on ourselves at home. Third, during many of the years that the church held considerable influence over government/society we didn't put our best foot forward. That is we were not church in a way that was modeled on Jesus. Fourth, the postmillenialist "liberals" thought we could build the kingdom on earth through social progress, while the premillenialist "conservatives" believed the world would get worse and worse prior to God's returning. In this way evangelism and working for justice were rent asunder and the church became entangled in infighting that alienated many.

Thank you Tony and dopderbeck for interacting with my comments. I did in fact miss one and that is the evangelical tendency to equate a modern worldview with a Christian worldview. With that there is a strong reaction with science, using scientific method, etc, but not really "getting it", both culturally and academically. All in all the person in the pew and many pastors just don't understand worldview's (theirs or others) and don't have the ability to see the situation critically. I think popular writers like Dan Kimball are doing a great job with that interaction.

Thanks Tony,
Reading back my comments seem very pessimistic! There are signs of hope, especially in these sorts of discussions. Maybe we can pray that out of brokenness will come a healthier, humbler, missional church.