Nietzsche, Progressives, Irony, and the Kingdom of God

5/12/2009

Micah, Christopher, Jeff, and I have been having an excellent conversation surrounding Nietzsche, Progressives, Irony, and the Kingdom of God. I loved Micah's articulation of this idea which you should read over on his blog: End of History and Kingdom Come (parts 1-4).

Chris & Jeff had their own questions/comments, while mine were regarding Terry Eagleton's book which outlines that the New Atheists, Humanists, and Progressives are certain of humanity's ability to rise above oppression, poverty, and violence through legislation or cooperation. I've been involved in a spiritual community that's been heavily focused on social justice- they call it "Bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth" and I thought that our own doctrine was eerily similar to this humanist approach to social justice.

Now, don't get me wrong- I strongly believe that we should continue these efforts. My community (and my heart as an extension) is set on making the world a better place and I think that's a good thing- an important thing. Jesus almost always met immediate physical, emotional, or relational needs before moving onto spiritual needs. But we also need to come to terms with the fact that there's a problem in the world that's not going to simply go away with a lot of hard work and cooperation- there's a soul problem. A sin problem.

Poverty is caused by sin. Violence is caused by sin.

We, as Christ-followers need to help the victims of poverty and violence, sure, but we also need to address the root issue- that the hearts of men are set against God and against each other. Until hearts change, the poor will always be among us and war will always be a reality. And as much as it pains us to admit it, heart change is something beyond the scope of human accomplishment. We can't really do in our own strength. There's no amount of Human Progress that will clear the way for men to let go of hate and fear.

Only God provides the sort of kindness that leads to repentance.

God alone can usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Yet, He’s allowed us to be a part of the process. And when we participate, we get to know God better and we get to be with God. That’s why it’s so important for us to engage in social justice and heart change. As Jeff mentioned: “I’m supposed to work to bring about God’s kingdom not because God needs me but because I need God.”

Tbowick link

5/12/2009 06:25:21 am

Well put, Nate.

Nathan link

5/12/2009 06:37:28 am

Thanks Tony, I miss you!

Angel Murray link

5/14/2009 07:10:13 am

As Jeff mentioned: “I’m supposed to work to bring about God’s kingdom not because God needs me but because I need God.”

I pondered this for a just a second, and haven't thought this through. My first reaction was:

Since God established free-will hasn't he set up a scenario in which he *does* need us to be the catalyst for change in this kingdom? Of course, He is the catalyst for our actions... He was also the one who set up the free-will scenario. So maybe it's the chicken and the egg so to speak?

I just wanted to write that out and see if anyone had any thoughts.

Angel

Nathan link

5/14/2009 10:36:25 am

Good question Angel.

I'd say that God accomplishes His purposes with or without us.
If we choose to be a part of it, it's extra blessing for us.

There's probably a number of different philosophical and biblical narratives I could point you toward, but one that comes to mind is the doxology that Paul sings/writes in his letter to the Romans: "Who has given to God that He should repay? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things."

Jeff link

5/17/2009 08:50:23 am

I think that is a really good question, too. And Nathan pretty much nailed what I was thinking about when I wrote that statement. It's true that God gave us freewill. But I don't think that it follows that God limited himself to working through humans when he did this.
If every human on the planet chose to utilize his free will in a way that opposed God's will, I think God's will would still be done. When Jesus prays "Thy will be done on Earth as it is on heaven" I don't believe he's saying that we should work for God's will because this is the only way God's will gets accomplished. I believed he's saying that we should pray this because it sanctifies us to pray this way. (Jesus later models it in the Garden, when he accepts the cup that had been given to him.)
Paradoxically, perhaps the only thing that God can't accomplish through His might is our santification, our growing up, our submission. To whatever extent The Kingdom is a place where we've fully submitted to God, then he can't accomplish this through might. But in terms of outside circumstances, it seems like God generally prefers to provide through us than intervene in ways that are more overtly miraculous.

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Nietzsche, Progressives, Irony, and the Kingdom of God

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