Michael Krahn : A Mind Awake

The Good

I commend Bell for encouraging an eschatological shift from a “when we get over yonder” to a “let’s bring heaven here” theology. He would do well, however, to remember that the previous generation was not wrong in longing for heaven, but rather in making this longing the dominant theological sentiment. Let’s not allow the pendulum to swing completely and lose our longing to be with Jesus in eternity.

Bell’s focus on the renewal God desires for us beyond his forgiveness of us as individuals is sharp and needed. “To make the cross of Jesus just about human salvation,” he says on page 161 “is to miss that God is interested in saving everything.” He’s correct in pointing out that this aspect of salvation is absent in many theological systems. God wants to renew us as individuals to be sure, but through us he wants to renew our relationships and our culture as well.

But it is also important to remember that the fullness of this renewal will happen only when Christ returns. What is so often spoken of as “bringing heaven down” must not be confused as an ability on our part to establish that which Christ alone will establish upon his return.

The nomenclature of evangelicalism is in dire need of refreshment, but just as the word “Christian” is saddled with much detrimental baggage, so are many other words and phrases that are nonetheless still accurate and useful. There is a tendency to set up a reality to fight against that doesn’t actually exist in a lot of places. The worst parts of evangelicalism are taken and a composite is made that looks really bad. For example, maybe somewhere it’s useful to NEVER use the word religion and to say “Christ-follower” instead of “Christian” - but its not that useful in the context I’ve been placed in and creating a giant false dichotomy between the two is more of a distraction than a help.

All that to say: what goes in Grand Rapids may not be what is needed everywhere.

I also like the Nooma videos that I’ve seen. There wasn’t anything about them that set me off. The production is excellent, the content is compelling, and the effect is positive overall.

The Issues

As G. K. Chesterton said “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” There seems to be a desire in much of the emerging church movement to favour personal experience at the expense of belief in anything labeled “orthodox”. This is not a search of a new orthodoxy; it is a way of wrapping orthodoxy around experience. When faith and belief are made subservient to experience, there is little hope for objective truth.

An open mind is a good thing, and admiring mystery is beneficial, but imbuing with mystery that which is no longer mysterious is simply a gateway to untethered mysticism. A preference for what is unclear can make mysterious that which need not be.

So why plant the idea that the gospels might be peppered with pagan mythology and that this was done by the writers of the gospels to gain some sort of cultural traction? According to Ben Witherington this line of reasoning is not even relevant:

The cult of Mithras does not seem to have existed properly speaking before the late first century A.D. It is of no relevance to discussion NT books, and in particular the Jesus tradition;

The cults of Mithras and Attis and Dionysius were not religious cults which centered on real historical persons, unlike Christianity. As such they did not talk about actual virgin births any more than they talked about bodily resurrections of a person like Jesus. It is simply not true as well that Julius Caesar or other Emperors were said to be born of virgins. Remarkable births or births signaled by comets are one thing, virgin births another.

Introducing these ideas seems to discredit the gospels and as a back door introduces the concept of molding truth to fit culture rather than shaping culture with truth.

There is much focus here and in the emerging movement in general on eliminative action. “If only we would do this, AIDS/poverty/loneliness would be wiped out.” These are noble goals to be sure. Christ said both that we should feed the hungry, but that the poor would always be with us. Our actions, then, aren’t designed to eliminate, but to alleviate. Of course Christ’s statement should never be used as an excuse for inaction but neither should it be ignored completely.

In keeping with the Biblical metaphor of being salt, we are to be salt that we might prevent or slow the decay of this world. Salt does not rehabilitate, it slows decomposition. This should not be seen as a resignation to failure, but as a looking forward with anticipation to that which Christ will accomplish.

I agree with Bell that honest doubt and intellectual investigation are important to forming a robust faith. Bill Coleman is the Pastor of the church I attend and when I ran the quote by him he replied that

“Examining or rethinking a matter does not make it fall apart, in fact, it should do the opposite. It should confirm it one way or the other.”

This sums up what I find problematic about Bell’s book: He seems eager to examine and rethink but not to come to any conclusions.

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This is Part 2 of 5 in the series Smashing Brickworld. Go to Part 3.

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