THE COMING KINGDOM
by Larry DeBruyn
Evolution or Revolution?
In recent years, Christendom’s thinkers have offered a smorgasbord of ideas and theories about Jesus, thus begging the question–will the real Jesus please stand up? If one pays attention to the Jesus revisionists, we are left with the impression that nobody really understood Him, not even the Apostle Paul. To some, Jesus is a white Caucasian, and to others He’s a black African. To some, He was a revolutionary, and to others a pacifist. To some, He’s a prophet, while to others He’s a Gnostic. From teacher to magician, Jesus, it seems, can become almost anyone to everyone–a man for all seasons. So, it is supposed, if we earnestly “quest” after Him, we might discover the authentic Jesus. However, Jesus “makeovers” usually require that disparate parts of the biblical record be affirmed on the one hand, and denied on the other. But amidst all this “Jesus questing,” the believer can take solace in knowing that controversy over Jesus’ identity is not new (See Matthew 16:13-20).
As he embraces “the nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels” (the Jesus of “love and grace”), one Christian leader now debunks what he labels the “jihadist Jesus” of the “Second Coming” (the Jesus of “violence and domination”). According to Brian McLaren, “the Second Coming Jesus”–once held by an evangelical consensus to be one of the five fundamentals of the Christian faith–needs rethinking….
New Age spiritualists are comfortable with the idea that a cosmic Christ-spirit, in a laissez-faire way, dwells in, around, and through all things, but are discomforted by any thought that the personal Christ might turn out to be a hands-on “Jesus,” who when He comes, will not only judge men for how they treated His creation, but also for how they treated God and His children. Click here to read this entire article.
Related information on the Second Coming of Christ (and what others are saying):
A Few Quotes From Mark Driscoll’s Vintage Jesus – Something to Think About
Brian McLaren – Rethinking the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Will the Evangelical Church Help Usher in the “Age of Enlightenment” and the Coming False One?
