Sword of Peace

Chapter 7 starts out by sharing that our belief in heaven is etherial. We take ‘Jesus ascended into heaven’ to mean that he became spirit and was physically lifted upwards towards the sky. Wright claims that we are unable to understand the realm of heaven. We are unable to read between the lines and come up with an idea of what the relationship between heaven and earth is supposed to look like. He gives C.S. Lewis credit for paining a picture of how two worlds can be intertwined in the Narnia story.

After taking many philosophy and theoretical physics courses in college, the subject of multiple realities and parallel universes became a subject of interest to me. Getting a grasp on the theory of relativity gave me a new appreciation and sense of the flow of time. I took a class called the philosophy of time travel which introduced me to parallel universes, multiple dimensions and the philosophical implications of stretching time. I am now able to conceptualize a worldview that can have intertwined realities. I can see how heaven and earth can be in separate realms and can still interact with each other. 

But we do not need to dive into complex philosophy and theology to understand how God is relating with us today in the present. It is almost unexplainable. We can sense his presence, we can show people who God is through our love and deed, but with this being said, I wanted to add that we can never prove any experience of God. This is why we cannot show people who God is by using rational arguments, logic, reason, metaphysics, theology, science, etc. 

I’m not hung up on the idea of the physicality behind how God plans to transform us into eternal beings (if, that is, we are eternal beings). I like where Write is going with so far, but I don’t necessarily think it’s important to agree with him, or put weight on how God works out the resurrection. I do agree with him that certain views on resurrection can lead to how we live our lives in the here and now, but I think the problem may be deeper than just our specific views on the topic.

The Myth of Progress

I have been thinking about progress lately. It seems to be a subject that coincidentally has been a hot topic at the forefront of my consciousness.  N.T. Wright deals with it in chapter 5 of Surprised by Hope, Jacques Ellul deals with the issue of progress in his book What I believe, which I am currently reading. Rod gave a talk last week on the importance of Sabbath and how we believe we need to constantly progress in society, I have also been thinking about progress a great deal as I have been teaching my biology students about genetic engineering, stem cell research, and cloning.

Thinking about how far technology has progressed since I was a child is mind boggling. Dial-up internet and the original Super Mario Brothers are now unheard of to today’s generation of children. Where is this leading us? I believe we are becoming slaves to the technological system. The other day, Howard and I were discussing if spending time on the internet ever truly feels satisfying. Does it give the same satisfaction as reading a book, or taking a walk, or riding a bike? I believe it doesn’t, yet we waste away our lives spending hours and hours on the internet. We are slaves to technology.

This reliance on technology has left us disconnected to the natural world. And with a world that is constantly changing and evolving, it becomes easier and easier to be left behind. How are we to connect with God in the business of our daily lives? We can no longer take a breather and ponder what life is about.

Now I only spoke of technological progress. In America, we are constantly bombarded with the idea that progress is the answer to our problems. Progress in medicine, progress in politics, progress in the efficiency of machines, progressive thought. Does this make our lives easier or help us connect with our Creator? I believe it only makes it more difficult.

I believe in simplicity. I believe in regression. I believe the less we have, the easier it is for us to rely on God. I believe that computers disconnect us from our natural environment. I believe genetic engineering will introduce unknown consequences in the natural world. I guess I have a utopian view that Eden was the true representation of God’s plan for us. I believe that progress has replaced God with the human desire to control it’s environment.

Chapter 4 is quite interesting. After showing how it was necessary for first century Christians to believe in resurrection. Wright goes on to argue against past and present historical explanations for why Jesus did not rise from the dead. Write argues that the differences in the four gospels on the issue of resurrection actually give the story credibility. We would have to worry if the accounts were similar. Write goes on to say that there was no benefit in the disciples proclaiming that Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples didn’t even expect a resurrection. They didn’t see a ghost, or a spirit, they had words for such occurrences at the time. The disciples claimed that Jesus was physically resurrected!

The second half of the chapter about different worldviews. The scientist could argue that physical resurrection is not possible. Write argues that it is possible to be a scientist and believe in resurrection. Scientists can believe in the unexplainable such as love and human emotion. They are capable of believing in the metaphysical, the spirit, etc. Does believing in a physical resurrection change our worldview?

In the last few pages, Write claims that the belief in resurrection is ultimately rooted in love. He briefly discusses how the belief in new creation can lead us to making sure that we take care of this creation. He claims that the totalitarianist power has helped degrade the state of our planet with a worldview that does not leave room for new creation. Write leaves us with the quote

And this is the point where believing in the resurrection of Jesus suddenly ceases to be a matter of inquiring about an odd event in the first century and becomes a matter of rediscovering hope in the twenty-first century.

I must confess, believing in a physical resurrection is extremely difficult for me. Reading this book is challenging. So far it has probably affected my faith negatively. I think this is a good thing. It’s good for our faith to be challenged. Can we really have true faith if it is never challenged. Resurrection is something I’ve never really given a whole lot of thought until now. To me, the portrait painted of Jesus in the gospels was enough for me to know that God sent him.

Is it necessary to believe in physical resurrection? What do you think?