Christians are not immune, from Covid or the anxieties it provokes. As the pandemic’s second wave worsens, fears are emerging among believers, provoking questions. So, my pastoral conversations have sharpened up: a kind of pastoral apologetics.
Showing posts with label Second Coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Second Coming. Show all posts
Saturday, 31 October 2020
Pastoral Conversations
Christians are not immune, from Covid or the anxieties it provokes. As the pandemic’s second wave worsens, fears are emerging among believers, provoking questions. So, my pastoral conversations have sharpened up: a kind of pastoral apologetics.
Sunday, 1 March 2020
The Imminence of God
Transcendence and immanence are two words often
juxtaposed, to express paradoxical qualities of Divinity: his otherness,
distance, and holiness - versus his closeness, love and indwelling. These
doctrinal stances are reflected in different styles of spirituality and
corporate worship – the majesty and awe of liturgy or grand hymnody, contrasted
with the intimacy and fervour of charismatic gifts or revivalist ecstasy.
Another word, happily rhyming with Immanence, is ‘Imminence’: the Imminence of God. Fundamentalist doctrine often emphasises the ‘imminent’ second coming of Christ – however long it is in the waiting (2 Pe. 3.3-9), it is always ‘imminent’, just around the corner. And indeed, we must always be ready (the ‘Left Behind’ books notwithstanding). As the Rabbis said, every moment is equidistant from the Messiah: he could come any time. Many evangelistic sermons have played on the same plea, to be ready when he comes, like the ‘thief in the night’ (Matt. 24.43).
Another word, happily rhyming with Immanence, is ‘Imminence’: the Imminence of God. Fundamentalist doctrine often emphasises the ‘imminent’ second coming of Christ – however long it is in the waiting (2 Pe. 3.3-9), it is always ‘imminent’, just around the corner. And indeed, we must always be ready (the ‘Left Behind’ books notwithstanding). As the Rabbis said, every moment is equidistant from the Messiah: he could come any time. Many evangelistic sermons have played on the same plea, to be ready when he comes, like the ‘thief in the night’ (Matt. 24.43).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I read some social media posts recently, about how there seems to be a lot of pastors in the US, who are leaving vocational ministry. I don... -
Coventry Cathedral put up a welcome sign some time ago, which attracted more attention than most church noticeboards. They emphasised th... -
I am writing this in hospital. I was having some seizures, down my left arm; when after one particularly painful incident, I went to A&E...