Kingdom theology
 | The examples and perspective in this articlemay notinclude all significant viewpoints.(September 2011) |
Kingdom theologyis a system ofChristian thoughtthat elaborates oninaugurated eschatology,which is a way of understanding the various teachings on thekingdom of Godfound throughout theNew Testament.Its emphasis is that the purpose of both individual Christians and the church as a whole is to manifest the kingdom of God on the earth, incorporating personal evangelism, social action, and foreign missions.
Theology
[edit]Kingdom theology distinguishes between the current world ruled bySatan,the one we live in, and the world ruled by God, his kingdom.[1]Kingdom theology holds the importance of the kingdom of God as a core value and teaches that the kingdom currently exists in the world, but not yet in its fullness. The theology maintains that the kingdom of God will come in fullness withChrist'ssecond coming.[2]In the future fulfilment,eviland Satan will be destroyed and God's complete rule on Earth established.[3]Theologian and director of theVineyard Bible InstituteDerek Morphew argued that the kingdom of God encompassed bothsigns and wondersand social justice.[4]Although kingdom theology presents history as a struggle between God and Satan, there is aneschatologicalexpectation that God will triumph over Satan, which is why suffering for the sake of the kingdom is accepted.[5]
In moreCharismaticcircles, kingdom theology attempts to be able to explain both spiritual victory and continuedspiritual warfare,and why some people are seen to be healed by theHoly Spiritand some are not. These kingdom theologians have argued that, because of this, a tension will exist between the apparent successes and failures of prayer. Theologian Don Williams argued that to pray means to ask the future kingdom to break into the present world, rather than being to call down perfection from heaven.[3]Kingdom theology proposes values based on the spiritual world, often different from what Harold Bender andRobert Friedmanterm the "secularvalues "of Jesus, such as when Jesus urges his listeners," Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust "(Mt. 5:44-45) in theSermon on the Mount.[6]
Eschatology
[edit]George Eldon Laddbelieved that the Bible taught of two ages: 'This Age' and 'The Age to Come'. In 'This Age', there will be hostility to Christianity but in the 'Age to Come' those who have followed Jesus will be free from oppression and given eternal life. He believed that 'The Age to Come' would be inaugurated by the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead.[7]Ladd argued that there is an overlap between the two ages; he suggested that, although the 'Age to Come' is in the future, it can still be "tasted" now, and its power can penetrate 'This Age'.[8]The Vineyard movement's statement of faith relating to the last book of the bible, Revelation, states that God's kingdom came through Jesus and continues to come through the Holy Spirit. It suggests that, when Jesus comes again, Satan will be defeated, the dead will be raised, the final judgement will happen, and God's kingdom will be fully established.[9]
History and influence
[edit]This theological concept of "already" and "not yet" was proposed by Princeton theologianGerhardus Vosearly in the 20th century, who believed that we live in the present age, the 'now', and await the 'age to come'.[10][11]Kingdom theology was more fully examined in the 1950s byGeorge Eldon Ladd,then a professor of biblical theology atFuller Theological Seminary.[12]He argued that there are two true meanings to the kingdom of God: Firstly, he proposed that the kingdom of God is God's authority and right to rule.[13]Secondly, he argued that it also refers to the realm in which God exercises his authority, which is described in scripture both as a kingdom that is presently entered into and as one which will be entered in the future.[14]He concluded that the kingdom of God is both present and future.[15]
Doctrine of the kingdom of God caused controversy withProtestantism,regarding whether Christians should work to achieve the coming of the kingdom, or whether it is a divine gift from God. Theevangelical movementregarded the extension of the kingdom of God as achieved throughevangelismandmissionary work.The philosophersImmanuel Kant,Friedrich SchleiermacherandAlbrecht Ritschlbelieved that the kingdom of God referred to a world of ideal human relations and envisaged a perfect Christian society. This interpretation influenced thesecularisationof the doctrine and the development ofliberal theologyin the 1930s, and theSocial Gospelmovement in the US.[16]
John Wimber,the founder of theVineyard movement,taught a particular application of kingdom theology, emphasizing signs and wonders as the coming of the kingdom of God,[4]as well asGordon Fee.[citation needed]The theology has been influential among the moreCharismaticelements ofevangelical Christianity,for whom it provides a theological framework for believing in the present-day activity of the Holy Spirit. It is officially embraced by theVineyard Churches,and underpins many of its teachings.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Friedmann & Bender 2010, p. 100
- ^Waggoner, Bert."The Theology & Practice Of The Kingdom Of God".Vineyard USA.RetrievedFebruary 21,2017.
- ^abWilliams, Don."The Kingdom Coming, Come Or Both?".Vineyard USA.RetrievedFebruary 21,2017.
- ^abcMorphew, Derek."The Kingdom: Healing The Dualism Of Personal And Social Ethics".Vineyard USA.RetrievedFebruary 21,2017.
- ^Friedmann & Bender 2010, p. 102
- ^Friedmann & Bender 2010, p. 101
- ^Ladd 1959, pp. 26-7
- ^Ladd 1959, p. 41
- ^Vineyard USA
- ^Ladd 1993, pp. 66–67
- ^Enns 2011, p. 180
- ^Bielo 2011 p. 140
- ^Ladd 1959, pp. 19–20
- ^Ladd 1959, p. 22
- ^Ladd 1959, pp. 23–5
- ^Richardson & Bowden 1983, p. 317
Sources and further reading
[edit]- Joseph Alexander (2018)Christocracy: Christ Kingdom Governance on Earth by True Followers
- Bielo, James (2011).Emerging Evangelicals: Faith, Modernity, and the Desire for Authenticity.NYU Press.ISBN978-0-8147-8955-1.
- Bowden, John; Richardson, Alan (1983).The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology.Westminster John Knox Press.ISBN978-0-6642-2748-7.
- John Bright (1980),The Kingdom of God
- Enns, Peter (2011).Ecclesiastes.Wm. B. Eerdmans.ISBN978-0-8028-6649-3.
- Friedmann, Robert (2010). Bender, Harold (ed.).Hutterite Studies.H. B. Book Centre.ISBN978-0-9865381-0-0.
- Georg Kühlewind,Le Royaume de Dieu
- Ladd, George Eldon (1959).The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God.Wm. B. Eerdmans.ISBN978-0-8028-1280-3.
- Ladd, George Eldon (1993).A Theology of the New Testament.Wm. B. Eerdmans.ISBN978-0-8028-0680-2.
- Morphew, Derek (2007).Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom.Vineyard International Publishing.ISBN978-0-6202-3469-6.
- Beno Profetyk (2017)Christocrate, la logique de l'anarchisme chrétien
- Beno Profetyk (2020)Credo du Christocrate – Christocrat's creed(French-English ed.)
- Patrick Schreiner (2018),The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross
- Leo Tolstoy(1886–94)The Kingdom of God Is Within You
- "Statement of Faith".About.Vineyard USA.