"Imagining that the point of Christianity was to enable people to go to heaven, most Western Christians supposed that the mechanism by which this happened was the one they found in the writings of Paul . . . and that the four gospels were simply there to give backup information about Jesus, his teaching, his moral example, and his atoning death. This long tradition screened out the possibility that when Jesus spoke of God’s kingdom, he was talking not about a heaven for which he was preparing his followers but about something that was happening in and on this earth.." N.T. Wright
My religious tradition certainly fits this description. We joked that you could tell a good COC'er when their Bible showed signs of overuse at Acts 2. I've even heard it argued that Jesus's teachings didn't apply to us since they were given under the Mosaic Covenant! LORD, help us, or strike us down! N.T. Wright is becoming one of my favorite Christian writers. I'm currently reading his book "Paul in Fresh Perspective." Mike Cope quotes him further here.
Peace to all, He is risen!
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2 comments:
This has been a big theme from Seidman for the past year or two now also. He often reminds us that God didn't just create us to go to heaven, but to enjoy a fruitful and intimate relationship with Him before the grave.
He is risen indeed!
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