Resurrection Redux
I have been critical on this blog of some evangelical teaching that the gospel is 'going to heaven when you die' for a few reasons. First, because that's not the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus is Lord--though more good news gets worked out from there, of course. Second, because it emphasizes separation between heaven and earth which is exactly what Rev. 21-22 is against. The life to come is about heaven (the abode of God) and earth mingling. Well today my suspicions were confirmed: many evangelicals don't believe in the resurrection. 41% to be exact. How appropriate that this Sunday is Resurrection Sunday! We can begin correcting the problem this week!
While my belief is obvious now, how important do you think belief in the resurrection is to Christian teaching?
While my belief is obvious now, how important do you think belief in the resurrection is to Christian teaching?
posted by Aaron Perry at
1:07 PM
9 Comments:
I'm just going to close my eyes and hold on till I get to celebrate with the other 59% in paradise.
just kidding.
I agree, what a great opportunity we have, each sunday (and especially this sunday) to declare the good news.
Extremely important AP.
So here's my rub. A lady from work has been watching the National Geographic shows about the gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Mary yadda yadda. She said, "I've been a Christian for forty some odd years and never heard of this stuff...it's pretty interesting." "Joe, you should tape it, you might need to write a disertation on it or something...it's a great resource." She is confident she is going to heaven because she prayed the prayer way back. She is not currently involved in a local church. She doesn't necessaryily buy into it all but she is perplexed and has really has no clue what to make of it.
My sister has been staying up and watching the same shows. She is a CHristian and has been really strong in the last year or so. She is going through a time of questioning I think, and those shows don't help.
These shows interest people and mislead people...how do we get a different perspective to the people in a popular level. For instance, N.T. Wright offers what I find to be a compelling view which reveals the arguments of these shows for what they are. However, the lady at work never picked up one of Wright's books, nor will my sister probably. Is there any way to get info from the scholarly circles to the masses in consumable bites? Post modernity is certainly here but modern questions still remain.
if you're wondering about gnostic gospels, i recommend the short geography lesson in where these manuscripts are found. also, for Gospel of Judas, CHristians have been aware of it for a long time (since 2nd century and Irenaeus) and have consistently rejected it. also, there is scant evidence that it was ever in greek. the copy we have found--it is a very interesting discovery, btw--is in coptic, which shows dependence on greek words, but is also dependent on latin. ben witherington has some good but overly long posts on it at his blog benwitherington.blogspot.com
keep talking and working...remind people of the against-all-odds nature of believing in a crucified Messiah, yet the disciples do it. remind them of the anti-Jewish nature of a spiritually resurrected Messiah--and esp. how this would be extremely unlikely to compel disciples to proclaim him king.
Christ's Resurrection demonstrated the Father's acceptance of his sacrifice for our sin. Therefore, if Christ didn't leave the tomb, that means there is no forgiveness of sins because the payment for our sins was not accepted. So I'd say Christ's resurrection is 100% important.
In reference to our resurrection. If we don't resurrect, if we just decay in the ground, then was Christ's crucifixion and resurrection be necessary at all?
Without Christ's resurrection what is the point of Christian teaching? I find it baffling that 41 percent of people identified as evangelical Christians say they don't believe in the resurrection. I hope those figures are wrong.
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!
John
hey john,
i may have misread the article, but i thought it was about personal resurrection. as in, people believed in Jesus' resurrection, but not their own; the afterlife is of the soul, but not the body. if what you say is the better read, we're in worse shape!
Ohhhhhh....I didn't read the article, I just misread your post. So people don't believe that people have a bodily ressurection.
I still don't agree with it, but it's not AS terrible as my read...thanks for clearing it up.
But if Christ is raised and we are in Christ, why wouldn't we also be raised, ressurected? I think we will.
Have a happy Easter AP?
John
That shouldn't be a ? on Have a Happy Easter....:o)
Oh My!! I think Paul made it pretty clear: "...if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Cor. 15:14).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home