The Golden Age Yet to Come:
Last night I watch "Remember the Titans" with my gang (Tori, Zach, and Luke). What a powerful story! The boys and I always enjoy an inspiring sports story that ultimately points to team, or better yet one of my favorite words- COMMUNITY!
While watching this movie and the stirring epic of the war between the races in America, I kept thinking of statements made by Older Christians. Statements like, "Oh, the 50's, those were the good ole days. People just knew how to live right then. They respected the word".
How awful that we would ever think to look back in glorious nostalgia of an era where an African American is told to leave an all white church. How in the "hell" can traditional "professing" Christians question the necessary changes to what the church is called to be when the past is a past of exclusion?
The typical dispensational eschaton of the Modern church evokes fear upon America's youth that things are getting worse and worse. Of course that's an easy exegesis if you just use a few select verses such as "in the last days things will get very difficult...." 2 Tim 3:1, however the picture in this passage is not one of despair, but rather HOPE!
No, things are getting worse. Things are actually getting better! To whatever degree sin is loved, The Kingdom is Pushing through in the world. Christ Glory cannot be hidden and His people will prevail. And not through wars and hatred and fear........holy crap not through fear (a popular tactic by Angry Christians of the political right). Fear is (Not talking about FEAR OF THE LORD for those jackasses who wish to quote that verse over and over. I am sure HIS FEAR looks way less like Terror, whether extreme Islam or "conservative" Christianity beating down doors warning people of a "hell to come" while ignoring the hell that is) not the Way of Jesus. His way is a way of peace to those who will receive it. His peace that appears a dividing sword to some, is not in the disposition or appearance of his demeanor, but in their rejection of it b/c of they hell that ensnares them.
I love movies that remind me of the "demons' of the American Past. I am thankful my kids don't live in those days. I am thankful they can judge a man by the merits of his character rather than the color of his skin.
Tori, Zach, Luke, Hosanna, and Bells= better days are ahead! The Golden age of the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven is rapidly removing the hateful, divisive kingdoms of this world. Keep the faith- love all peoples, and live to be An Afflux of Authentic life~!
posted by Sam at 7:22 AM
4 Comments:
very encouraging words to read. to know that my children will continue to bring light into this world. i long lived trapped in a fear of what their future as christ followers would look like-largely because of bad doctrine and teachings. they are blessed to be in this time,and i am excited to see how they will be used as they embrace christ for their own.
It's refreshing to hear that there could be hope for better days ahead of us... growing up in the traditional church, I was often weighed down by the message that the world was doomed to an irreversible downward spiral... and our only hope was to escape from here.. and in doing so leaving the majority of the world to be damned.
I find hope in that this world can and is being changed by the power of the message of Christ lived out through his church...
I'm excited and grateful to be a part of a community that still believes in that hope.
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I wish the River had a war cry, no not like going into a war chant, but maybe something like your fav team FSU with the annoying chop thing. If we did I would be chanting it now, wait wait, I got it, SBC SBC SBC 4 life baby!!!
Really though, I second everything written here. Mainly because I couldn't write all those fancy words you use. Seriously though, it's insane to think back to all the times my grandfather has referred to the 50's as the best times ever in America. I can't even count how many movies have been made about that decade being one of the most racist decades of American history, infact it was so bad it caused abunch of African Americans to stand up in the next decade to help put a dent in it. Let's move forward and make our generation the best ever, because that's what it's all about, being #1. Ok sorry for all the sports tie ins.
Here's to Community, Family, Love, and Football, and to all our non white brothers who are defintely better athletes in every sport.
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