To start I would like to refer you this excellent post by N.T. Wright who is one of my favorite theologians. There seems to be a focus particularly in evangelical American Christianity on the process of getting 'saved'. One simply has to walk down to the altar, make a profession of faith in Christ, and then one has the magic golden ticket to heaven. We are justified by faith so that is the end of the story, right? Not exactly...
While I certainly agree with evangelicals on justification by faith and the subsequent conversion of life I think this kind of theology misses the point. Becoming a Christian is not about punching our ticket to heaven although eternal life is a result of salvation. The Christian life is about helping to usher in the kingdom of God and becoming part of the new creation. This new creation will not occur through the destruction of the material world but will be made present when God does what Wright calls 'setting the world to rights.' We are to be part of that process.
So do I believe in heaven and hell? I certainly do, but I think these ideas need to be integrated with a larger understanding of the meaning of the kingdom of God.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
Thanks for linking to this. Wright has profoundly impacted my thinking on this subject as well. I love your "golden ticket" metaphor.
Post a Comment