Posted by Joshua Woo
Three weeks ago, on 9th December, Gospel@Areopagus held our first meeting. The theme of our discussion was 'Kingdom of God' (KOG).
We have three presenters on three different topics on this theme:
Benjamin Lee on 'Church Leadership and the Kingdom of God'.
Jason Ting on ' Pentecostalism's Perspective on the Kingdom of God'.
Zhe Hao on 'Twentieth Century Theological Perspectives on the Kingdom of God'.
It was a wonderful session where we get to learn about the many issues concerning this important theme of the Christian faith: KOG. Each are given 20 minutes max to share their findings and then followed by a discussion session.
Benjamin summarized the necessity of church leadership to emphasize on this theme in the life of the church. Following Ben Witherington III's Imminent Domain: The Story of the Kingdom of God and Its Celebration, Benjamin mentioned that the idea of KOG is the herald of the dominion of God, bringing God's rule in whatever that we are doing. The KOG is an active and passive domain of God.
God's renewal of the world is by recreating humans in the divine image, not through social or political (violent) changes. So it is one-by-one changes. Evangelism should be seen as transforming people into dominion-bearer, dominated by God's rule.
Church's leaders are expected to submit to God's rule and demand the community that they are responsible for to do the same. When more lives are changed into dominion-bearers, the values of the society would change accordingly.
Benjamin profoundly stated that the Church is the counter-balance of secular power-struggle because the KOG is the final power structure. The values of the church can be seen as a comparison between the people of God and those who are not. It is through our deeds of righteousness like evangelism and social works that God's dominion is advanced.
Although the KOG has such a significant place in the world, nonetheless we must not see the Church as reigning in the world. The Church is not into the business of furthering the Church's dominion in the society. Church leaders need to constantly emphasize the Church's mission as expanding God's dominion rather than the Church's.
In this sense, the unity among local churches must be public and visible. Through unity that the Church able to be more effective in the work of KOG.
Benjamin ended his presentation by sharing with us why he picked this topic. He told us that the local congregation he belongs to has never preaches on KOG. If KOG is such a central theme in Jesus' own ministry, then the local churches cannot neglect it.
During discussion time, there was an interesting question raised by other participants: If the local secular government has been doing a good job in term of social and community services, what roles are there for the local churches to play?
None of us have any answer. However the articulation of this question forces upon us the awareness to rethink and to think hard what is the relevance and place of the Church in the local society? This is our first step.
Mui Kiang raised an acute issue prevalent among households with maids. She is convinced that the KOG has implications to the treatment of domestic helpers by Christian families. Day-off and rest-time should be given to the maids as part of Christians' daily measure to exercise the reality of the dominion of God. She remarked that perhaps due to the sensitive implications of KOG that local pulpits do not dare to preach about it.
On the other hand, Edmund mentioned that the job of the church leaders is to preach and teach faithfully and not to discern the sincerity of the members. His remark is a response to Benjamin's earlier point about the vagueness of the congregation's sincerity in living up God's dominion in the world.
After the discussion ended, Jason presented his Pentecostal perspective on the KOG. He started off by talking about the five points that mark the full extend of the gospel: (1) Justification, (2) Sanctification, (3) Healing, (4) Pre-millenium return of Christ, and (5) Baptized by the holy spirit.
The Pentecostal community sees the phenomenon of 'Spirit Baptism' being part of the Christian life serves as the Pentecostalism's contribution to the understanding of the KOG where Christ is the king while the Holy Spirit is the active presence.
It is the Spirit of the eschaton that causes the fusion between space and time and so framed human responsibility as part of the in-breaking of the KOG into the present. Therefore the KOG should also reflects the possibility of divine healing on the sick as well as other physical benefits such as alleviation of poverty and increase in affluence.
Nonetheless, Jason was critical that the prosperity gospel that is preached among local churches is a distorted teaching because it is a form of over-realized eschatology.
Usually these types of teaching creates the ugly culture of elitism within the Church. The rich and healthy ones are deemed as being more faithful, hence they are like the first class Christians. Their wealth and health are seen as God's favor in response to their faith. Those who are sick and poor are doubted for their faith and so considered as second class Christians. The value of their faith is not as authentic or real as compared to the first class Christians.
Jason also highlighted the lack of the talk about the role and place of the Holy Spirit in the usual discourse about the KOG. There is a lack of seeing the phenomenon of tongues as kairos event that discloses God's presence in the world. The gift of tongues is a sign that needs to be confirmed by the life of the believers. Therefore tongue by itself is not meant to be used as 'evidence' to demonstrates anything. Tongues should not be used as a measurement to see if someone as more spiritual or less.
Jason's presentation generated an enthusiastic discussion. Wei Yi shared about his concern over one of his church leaders who emphasizes the place of tongues in corporate worship. He said that the pastor seems to want the congregation to pray and speak in tongues during services. In similar vein, others tried to clarify with Jason whether should glossolalia be allowed during corporate worship. The group discussed over 1 Corinthians 14 to see what apostle Paul said about it.
Personally I would like to also see Jason extending his Pentecostal reflection on the KOG to include political theology, like what well-known Pentecostal theologian Amos Yang has done in In the Days of Caesar: Pentecostalism and Political Theology.
After the discussion ended, Zhe Hao took his turn to present the slightly more technical discussion on KOG by twentieth century theologians and biblical scholars. He very briefly introduced various understandings of KOG, the language of eschatology, and apocalyticism.
He mentioned that the so-called little apocalypse in Mark 13 is the contentious ground of which scholars have different opinions on. And it is this passage that led people confused over what actually did Jesus mean by the reality of the KOG: was Jesus mistaken about the timing of the arrival of the KOG in verse 30? If not, what was Jesus trying to say about the KOG?
Again, another issue which we do not have the answer. Zhe Hao mentioned that G. E. Ladd has done a good job at sorting out the multi-layered issues surrounding this topic in The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism. There is a basis from the evidence to think that the KOG is an 'already but not yet' reality at the present.
After the discussion ended, the first official G@A meeting ended with the announcement of the second session. We will still be keeping the theme for the next few sessions as it is such an important task for local churches to reoriented ourselves along the idea of the Kingdom of God. As for myself, I had the most wonderful time learning so much in the two short hours from all who have presented, those who have contributed to the discussion, and encouraged by the presence of everyone.
We have three presenters on three different topics on this theme:
Benjamin Lee on 'Church Leadership and the Kingdom of God'.
Jason Ting on ' Pentecostalism's Perspective on the Kingdom of God'.
Zhe Hao on 'Twentieth Century Theological Perspectives on the Kingdom of God'.
It was a wonderful session where we get to learn about the many issues concerning this important theme of the Christian faith: KOG. Each are given 20 minutes max to share their findings and then followed by a discussion session.
Benjamin summarized the necessity of church leadership to emphasize on this theme in the life of the church. Following Ben Witherington III's Imminent Domain: The Story of the Kingdom of God and Its Celebration, Benjamin mentioned that the idea of KOG is the herald of the dominion of God, bringing God's rule in whatever that we are doing. The KOG is an active and passive domain of God.
God's renewal of the world is by recreating humans in the divine image, not through social or political (violent) changes. So it is one-by-one changes. Evangelism should be seen as transforming people into dominion-bearer, dominated by God's rule.
Church's leaders are expected to submit to God's rule and demand the community that they are responsible for to do the same. When more lives are changed into dominion-bearers, the values of the society would change accordingly.
Benjamin profoundly stated that the Church is the counter-balance of secular power-struggle because the KOG is the final power structure. The values of the church can be seen as a comparison between the people of God and those who are not. It is through our deeds of righteousness like evangelism and social works that God's dominion is advanced.
Although the KOG has such a significant place in the world, nonetheless we must not see the Church as reigning in the world. The Church is not into the business of furthering the Church's dominion in the society. Church leaders need to constantly emphasize the Church's mission as expanding God's dominion rather than the Church's.
In this sense, the unity among local churches must be public and visible. Through unity that the Church able to be more effective in the work of KOG.
Benjamin ended his presentation by sharing with us why he picked this topic. He told us that the local congregation he belongs to has never preaches on KOG. If KOG is such a central theme in Jesus' own ministry, then the local churches cannot neglect it.
During discussion time, there was an interesting question raised by other participants: If the local secular government has been doing a good job in term of social and community services, what roles are there for the local churches to play?
None of us have any answer. However the articulation of this question forces upon us the awareness to rethink and to think hard what is the relevance and place of the Church in the local society? This is our first step.
Mui Kiang raised an acute issue prevalent among households with maids. She is convinced that the KOG has implications to the treatment of domestic helpers by Christian families. Day-off and rest-time should be given to the maids as part of Christians' daily measure to exercise the reality of the dominion of God. She remarked that perhaps due to the sensitive implications of KOG that local pulpits do not dare to preach about it.
On the other hand, Edmund mentioned that the job of the church leaders is to preach and teach faithfully and not to discern the sincerity of the members. His remark is a response to Benjamin's earlier point about the vagueness of the congregation's sincerity in living up God's dominion in the world.
After the discussion ended, Jason presented his Pentecostal perspective on the KOG. He started off by talking about the five points that mark the full extend of the gospel: (1) Justification, (2) Sanctification, (3) Healing, (4) Pre-millenium return of Christ, and (5) Baptized by the holy spirit.
The Pentecostal community sees the phenomenon of 'Spirit Baptism' being part of the Christian life serves as the Pentecostalism's contribution to the understanding of the KOG where Christ is the king while the Holy Spirit is the active presence.
It is the Spirit of the eschaton that causes the fusion between space and time and so framed human responsibility as part of the in-breaking of the KOG into the present. Therefore the KOG should also reflects the possibility of divine healing on the sick as well as other physical benefits such as alleviation of poverty and increase in affluence.
Nonetheless, Jason was critical that the prosperity gospel that is preached among local churches is a distorted teaching because it is a form of over-realized eschatology.
Usually these types of teaching creates the ugly culture of elitism within the Church. The rich and healthy ones are deemed as being more faithful, hence they are like the first class Christians. Their wealth and health are seen as God's favor in response to their faith. Those who are sick and poor are doubted for their faith and so considered as second class Christians. The value of their faith is not as authentic or real as compared to the first class Christians.
Jason also highlighted the lack of the talk about the role and place of the Holy Spirit in the usual discourse about the KOG. There is a lack of seeing the phenomenon of tongues as kairos event that discloses God's presence in the world. The gift of tongues is a sign that needs to be confirmed by the life of the believers. Therefore tongue by itself is not meant to be used as 'evidence' to demonstrates anything. Tongues should not be used as a measurement to see if someone as more spiritual or less.
Jason's presentation generated an enthusiastic discussion. Wei Yi shared about his concern over one of his church leaders who emphasizes the place of tongues in corporate worship. He said that the pastor seems to want the congregation to pray and speak in tongues during services. In similar vein, others tried to clarify with Jason whether should glossolalia be allowed during corporate worship. The group discussed over 1 Corinthians 14 to see what apostle Paul said about it.
Personally I would like to also see Jason extending his Pentecostal reflection on the KOG to include political theology, like what well-known Pentecostal theologian Amos Yang has done in In the Days of Caesar: Pentecostalism and Political Theology.
After the discussion ended, Zhe Hao took his turn to present the slightly more technical discussion on KOG by twentieth century theologians and biblical scholars. He very briefly introduced various understandings of KOG, the language of eschatology, and apocalyticism.
He mentioned that the so-called little apocalypse in Mark 13 is the contentious ground of which scholars have different opinions on. And it is this passage that led people confused over what actually did Jesus mean by the reality of the KOG: was Jesus mistaken about the timing of the arrival of the KOG in verse 30? If not, what was Jesus trying to say about the KOG?
Again, another issue which we do not have the answer. Zhe Hao mentioned that G. E. Ladd has done a good job at sorting out the multi-layered issues surrounding this topic in The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism. There is a basis from the evidence to think that the KOG is an 'already but not yet' reality at the present.
After the discussion ended, the first official G@A meeting ended with the announcement of the second session. We will still be keeping the theme for the next few sessions as it is such an important task for local churches to reoriented ourselves along the idea of the Kingdom of God. As for myself, I had the most wonderful time learning so much in the two short hours from all who have presented, those who have contributed to the discussion, and encouraged by the presence of everyone.
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