Really? Left Behind?

Thanks to a really in-depth post and link at Electrolite. He points to Slacktivist's numerous post on the publishing empire that is the Left Behind series. (Go to the Electolite link and follow the links there.)

Christians, in the words of the Nicene Creed, “look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We believe, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, in “the resurrection of the body.”
L&J are not interested in resurrection. Resurrection is something that happens to dead people, and [LeHaye & Jenkins] don’t want to die. Death scares them. And that, more than anything else, explains what rapture-mania is all about.

Christianity is about death and resurrection, not about the denial of death. Not about “Jesus coming back to get us before we die.”

This escapist fantasy of a gospel isn’t just bad theology. It’s cruel. Consider the poor souls clinging to this hope who get the big bad news from their doctor. Consider those who have lost a husband, wife, mother, father, daughter or son. Consider all those who have died and all those they have left behind.

I agree with both Electrolite and Slacktivist. I have the hunch that every generation has its apocalyptic thinking. The Scofield Bible-inspired dispensationalism of the Left Behind world-view is one that has managed to be an unfortunately continuing thread in fundamentalist Christianity. Somewhere in every generation is a need to see the world as us-vs-them and the only way that "we" will overcome "them" is through a combination of both intelligent understanding of the signs of the times and a divine intervention.

The Y2K scare was a technological apocalypse that conservative Christians also bought into. Those in the know would be ready for the shutdown that was to occur on 1/1/2000. The others, the less informed, would be out in the cold.

I personally don't entirely understand the overwhelming desire to figure out the ways, means, and methods of the Second Coming. I personally don't understand how people who claim to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture could ignore Jesus words that no one knows when it is going to happen and try to figure out when it is going to happen. I personally don't understand a lot about this whole phenomenon. It reminds me of the publishing phenom that was The Late, Great Planet Earth. It made millions in the 70s for a man who said the world would end in 1988. I guess he kept his millions and revised the book.

I have read four of the books and have given up. I have gotten tired of their black and white script and the lack of understanding of the depths of the grace of God. I truly enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and apocalyptic-type fiction. That's what this is, but it isn't even good at that.

Someone will always buy into these things. Just put the word Christian and it makes no difference whether it is any good.

On Syncretism

Thanks to Alan Brill at The Right Christians for the following quote from The Times of Tibet on the Dalai Lama's world travels. It speaks to his concerns about syncretism:

I am Buddhist. Therefore, Buddhism is the only truth for me, the only religion. To my Christian friend, Christianity is the only truth, the only religion. To my Muslim friend, Mohammedanism is the only truth, the only religion. In the meantime, I respect and admire my Christian friend and my Muslim friend. If by unifying you mean mixing, that is impossible, useless.

These are truly wise words. Too often we are unwilling to admit that we have differences or make statements like the Dalai Lama makes about "only truth and religion." We have come to understand tolerance and acceptance as some kind of bland mish-mash of platitudes about life and God. True dialogue happens when we know what we believe and are willing to stand for it while being open to hearing what others believe and have a strong sense of companionship.

Syncretism is often what we see in these non-denominational, cross-religion worship services. They have their place in the development of dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. But they are not worship as any one of us would call it. Thanks to the Dalai Lama for this wisdom.

The Marlins Lead

The Yankees were tough, they came back, but not far enough. Marlins lead 3 games to 2. To Yankee Stadium for Saturday.