What Did You Expect?
Have you ever noticed that when we Christians speak about things like “the gospel,” “Jesus,” or “the kingdom of God,” it can mean very different things from one person or group to the next? We all seem to have unique ways of explaining what the gospel is, what Jesus cares about, and what the kingdom of God is all about.
It’s a fun exercise to ask other Christians, “What is the heart of the gospel?”, “What does Jesus care about?” or “What is the kingdom of God?”
As a matter of fact, I did this exercise with my staff, which led to a long and rich conversation about several of the things N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird discuss in their book, Jesus and the Powers. Among many other things, at one point they claim current ideas about “the kingdom of God” are “Neoplatonic.” Wright and Bird explain, “The aim was for the individual ‘soul’ to be so purified that, after death, it would leave the world of space, time and matter and make its way into the divine presence in ‘heaven’. It cannot be stressed too strongly that none of this is found in the New Testament. It represents a major step away from the biblical vision to which Jesus and his first followers were obedient.”[1]
What?!? The Christian faith is not just about going to heaven when you die? For many of us, this seems foreign and takes some mental reorganization. Even though I do believe we return home when our heart stops beating, this book attempts to realign our mission in the here and now.
One of my staff, who was raised Protestant, like me, also inherited the message that the goal of Christianity is to go to heaven when you die. They have since reevaluated the idea that the kingdom of God is out there, and we do what we do here, so that we can go there. This focus has huge implications for what we do with our faith and what our faith does with us. As Wright and Bird say, this can nurture individualism, and I’ve noticed it can justify sitting on our hands while we wait to go to heaven, all the while judging the world from our ivory towers of righteousness. It can also cultivate a deterministic mindset that nothing will ever change with the government, the world systems, or the culture, so why get involved or even try?
Another strategy I became accustomed to was anticipating an apocalyptic event that would eventually erupt and change everything in a moment. During seminary, it was surprising to realize that even the writers of the New Testament had to grapple with their understanding and expectation of what the kingdom of God was as the second coming of Jesus continued to be delayed. Thomas Keating, a well-known Christian Benedictine monk, in Meditations on the Parables of Jesus says, “So 
hard was it for people of Jesus’ time to get over their idea of the kingdom of God as a triumphant institution that even the evangelists tried to change it into something great anyways.”[2] By great, Keating doesn’t mean the Kingdom isn’t spiritually transformative or powerful, but it wasn’t a heavenly army coming out of the sky to overthrow Rome, but rather a new Spirit that would begin working its way into the hearts of humanity like yeast in bread.
History proves it was more subtle and gradual than many expected.
Tom Holland, in Dominion, a brilliant book, discusses just how much the Western world has been shaped by the life and message of Jesus (the kingdom of God). So much so, that we might not even recognize it and certainly take it for granted. He lays a case that both liberals and conservatives, believers and atheists, theologians and humanists all stand on extremely Christian values and principles as we argue with one another. In other words, the divine plan seemed to work, and we are blind to it at times. Wright and Bird hit this cord when they defend liberal democracy and “confident pluralism” as foundationally Christian. They state, “We can provide a Christian justification for ‘liberalism’ through the notion of ‘love of neighbor’. In order to love our neighbor’, we must allow our neighbor to be beside us and yet be different from us…Unless their happiness is to the direct detriment of our own, our neighbor is free to be who they are, how they are, where they are, whenever they are. Love of neighbor is a way to disrupt hierarchical, grievance-based, identity-ordered ways of assigning status. The natural sequel is love of enemies, and the best way to destroy our enemies is to make them our friends, our partners, our neighbors.”[3]
Liberal democracy and confident pluralism is not where I was expecting the book to go at first glance. It was a nice balance and pleasant surprise that one of the chapters, which I honestly assumed was going to bash liberals, didn’t, but rather defined and identified the roots of liberal democracy and advocated for pluralism. At one point in Christian history, ushering in the “kingdom of God” meant government and power systems imposing their will, doctrines, beliefs, and rituals on others through force. Christendom was known for torturing fellow Christians until they renounced beliefs that were not in step with the majority orthodox views. Some Christian “conversions” came at the end of a sword. [4] That approach seemed to take the Christian faith and baptized it in the violent ethos of the powers and dynamics of that day and age. Ironically, we have moved away from that Christian conversion strategy due to Christian ethics. Go figure!
This book attempts to show and differentiate the kingdom of God from the “kingdoms in the 21st century.” The Christian faith still gets baptized in current-day identity politics, tribalism, dualism, capitalism, and nationalism. I only know to pray as Jesus did, “thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” and follow the Spirit, knowing that it may not look like I expect it to.
[1] Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2024, 66.
[2] Keating, Thomas. Meditations on the Parables of Jesus. New York: Crossroad, 2010.
[3] Wright, Bird. Jesus and the Powers, 160.
[4] MacMullen, Ramsay. Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries. New Haven London: Yale university press, 1997.
About the Author
Adam Harris
I am currently the Associate Pastor at a church called Godwhy in Hendersonville, TN near Nashville. We love questions and love people even more. Our faith community embraces God and education wholeheartedly. I graduated from Oral Roberts University for undergrad and Vanderbilt for my masters. I teach historical critical Biblical studies at my church to help our community through their questions and ultimately deepen their faith. I love research, writing, learning, and teaching. I oversee our staff and leadership development. Before being at Godwhy I worked as a regional sales coach and director for Anytime Fitness. I've been married for over 13 years to my best friend and we have two amazing boys that keep us busy.7 responses to “What Did You Expect?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Adam,
I really enjoyed reading your post, the questions you ask, and the way you engage people with curiosity and openness. Our presentation of the gospel is certainly mitigated by how we answer the questions you ask. Your post has me wondering what will be considered wrong or unethical regarding our modern day versions of evangelism and outreach. What do you think might be questioned by generations to come?
Thanks Jenny, you always ask great questions! I think we may reevaluate priorities in the generations to come. I believe we may shift evangelism from us imposing doctrines and western ideas on others that erase their culture and traditions to introducing and embodying certain virtues and theologies that enhance and transform them. Not that this is not already happening but I think this conversation will continue to develop. I also think we will recognize and talk more about what God is already doing in the areas that we evangelize and be more open to what we might learn from them in the process of outreach.
Hi Adam!
Thank you for sharing your insight, which offers me a new and thought-provoking perspective. I’m particularly struck by your statement, “The Christian faith is still baptized in today’s identity politics, tribalism, dualism, capitalism, and nationalism.” This raises a question, in this model of Christianity, how can the church and the Christian faith effectively resist the influence of empires that aim to dismantle the order of life?
Thanks
Thanks for you response Dinka! I think much of this book engages that very question. Liberal democracy, confident pluralism, service to others, and love for enemies, when put into practice, subverts the systems and empires of tribalism whether we are politically or theologically conservative, moderate, or liberal. I think this takes renewing our minds, as Paul mentioned and understanding our Psychology which tends to be groupish, judgemental, and fear based. I also believe the Spirit of Christ operating in our lives is the main key to overthrowing our basic instincts. Thanks for engaging with my posts!
I honestly read that same chapter on liberal democracy 2x because I was expecting them to bash it as well and I must be missing something. I appreciate your post and learned so much more about this book. Did your staff learn about liberal democracy and confident pluralism? What did they think?
Thanks Jana, and yeah it was a pleasant surprise!
We didn’t get in to that too much, but we definitely will! The main part of our conversation revolved around bringing the “kingdom to earth” and how everyone viewed the “kingdom” growing up and how that has evolved over time.
In the congregation I currently serve we use the language of “transitioning from this life to More life” when someone dies. We don’t know what “More” life is – just that is fuller than this one? Not even totally sure about that! But I do try to trust it.
However, I got questioned by a congregation member about our use of that language. He liked “eternal life” better. To which I said, “Great! Then use that language!”
The point being – who the heck knows what truly happens upon our death? (Well, you might bc don’t you like to study that sort of thing??)
And yeah, don’t we also pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done ON EARTH, as it is in heaven” like we’re not escaping this place for somewhere else – this is our home, this is where the kingdom comes. Let us live out the love of our faith here and now and trust that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ….
I’m just babbling at this point – but also, I’m really glad that I did not grow up in a tradition that stressed the apocolypse/ rapture. In fact, I never once thought of the rapture until I was in college and joined a campus ministry that introduced me to the “Left Behind” series. If I had learned earlier in life that I might (would probably) be “left behind” I never would have been able to sleep as a child! Whew! That’s some scary stuff for a kid – and adults – and just plain fearmongering (IMO).
I’m afraid this reply sounds punchy. Sorry if it does – I am a bit punchy right now bc I’m on not enough sleep and have been working on school stuff all afternoon so my eyes are literally crossing at this point.