The Third Kingdom and the 1960s
If you're Anabaptist, you've probably heard about the "Two Kingdom" concept. It's a way to make sense of knowing that we're part of both an earthly and a heavenly kingdom. It also helps us think through what our responsibilities are in each of those kingdoms, and what our "separated unto God" identity in the heavenly kingdom means for our participation in matters that involve earthly nations and governments.
This morning in the shower I thought of a third kingdom that Christians really need to consider: Israel. That's hardly news to some of you, especially depending on your view of eschatology. Having never gotten particularly wrapped up with thinking about how end-time events might unfold, I'm content to watch what goes on in Israel with the same concern I try to cultivate for everyone in that "neighborhood" who is part of the turmoil that has often threatened them. Right now, with lethal objects flying fast and furious between Gaza and Israel's major cities--Jerusalem and Tel Aviv--I grieve for all of them. No one is safe, and surely many innocent people fear for their own lives and that of their loved ones.
Reading Elias Chacour's story in Blood Brothers makes it impossible for me to see this conflict as being only a Muslim/Jewish conflict, although it's a fact that most of those in Gaza are likely Muslims and those in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are mostly Jewish. Among both of those populations, however, are some Christians. Almost certainly, in every one of those populations are many who are willing to live peaceably with those who are different from themselves. On a one-to-one or neighbor-to-neighbor basis, this may still be possible for some, but they can hardly help being swept along in the turmoil created by aggressive actions taken by their leaders. What should American Christians think and how should the American government act in this situation? I really don't know. I'm praying that those who must decide will do so with Godly wisdom.
In relation to Israel as the third kingdom, a few ideas that seem important to me are these:
The modern nation of Israel is not necessarily equivalent to the Biblical nation of Israel.
The Biblical nation of Israel was how God chose to reveal Himself to all the world of that time.
The Christian church is how God chooses to reveal Himself in our time.
In Old Testament times, Israel was a family, a nation, and a religious group, with God as the leader for all of those groups.
The United States has never had and will never have the same status in God's eyes as Biblical Israel did--as the sole conveyors of God's truth to the world.
The nation of Israel, since rejecting Jesus, no longer has the same status with God as they once had--as the sole conveyors of God's truth to the world.
Neither the ideas of American and Israeli Exceptionalism are defensible from a Christian perspective.
American and Israeli solidarity are no more and no less God's will than solidarity between any two sovereign nations.
Under each of the above points, caveats and softening statements would be possible of course. I'll let you fill them in yourself rather than try to cover all the bases.
************************
Lydia Yoder is in the hospital. She is 96 and was taken there to try to get ahead of an infection she had contracted. The infection has been arrested, but she is weak and uninterested in eating.
Edith Stutzman, who has been at Mennonite Friendship Communities for several years, may have suffered a stroke within the past few days and has not been eating since then. Her brother Perry from our church was the father of Julia, who died last week.
************************
Loyal and Arlene have a newborn son named Alex Logan Miller. He was born at Lyons Hospital early yesterday.
************************
Lorne K., in his devotional this morning, focused on a phrase from last Sunday's SS lesson: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He emphasized the "lead me" part, and, with several stories, tied it to events from the 1960s and to the pervasive search for meaning present in many young people of that era. As he put it, people like himself who were teenagers in the 60s are now in their 60s. While he acknowledged that teenagers have challenges no matter when they grow up, the 60s were especially full of turmoil.
I was, of course, also a teenager in the 60s, and I have never tried to describe in writing how it was to be a teenager then. Last year, when one of my composition class students did a research paper on the hippie movement, I realized that this era is much more full of mystery for my students than it is for me. Although the student who wrote that research paper did a good job, I'd like to add my personal perspective.
These observations and memories will not be comprehensive, but I'll record a bit of how it was, from my perspective.
The following elements were part of the mix:
The Viet Nam War. Many anti-war protests took place.
Civil Rights for Blacks. Martin Luther King led peaceable marches and Malcolm X advocated violent protest. Both of them were assassinated, as was Medger Evers, another peaceable black rights advocate.
Dissatisfaction with the status quo. The materialism and complacency of many Americans disgusted young people who saw their lives as devoid of meaning. Many of them became hippies--people who dropped out of society and its normal expectations.
Experimentation with drugs. Timothy Leary, a UCLA Berkley and Harvard professor, advocated the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Many hippies became drug addicts.
Rock and Roll music. The Beatles became popular during this time, and they popularized this music.
Women's Liberation Movement. Strident feminism came to the fore, but part of the movement emphasized workplace reform such as equal pay for equal work and freedom from sexual discrimination or harassment.
Eastern Mysticism. Many hippies traveled to India and other places in Asia in search of religious experience. Americans often traveled by way of Amsterdam and Afghanistan, with stops along the "trail" in places where free sex or hallucinogenic drugs were readily available.
Riots. Many of the protests became destructive and violent. Fires, looting, and shootings occurred in cities and on college campuses. At Kent State University in Ohio, police shot several student protesters. This created great turmoil among students.
Sexual promiscuity. It was often referred to as "free love" but could just as accurately have been called bondage to immorality. Woodstock, a Rock and Roll festival in a New England (or was it New York?) town by that name became known for the accompanying debauchery in drugs and sex especially.
If you lived through this era or know something about what transpired, feel free to add to the list or clarify or modify it as needed.
This morning in the shower I thought of a third kingdom that Christians really need to consider: Israel. That's hardly news to some of you, especially depending on your view of eschatology. Having never gotten particularly wrapped up with thinking about how end-time events might unfold, I'm content to watch what goes on in Israel with the same concern I try to cultivate for everyone in that "neighborhood" who is part of the turmoil that has often threatened them. Right now, with lethal objects flying fast and furious between Gaza and Israel's major cities--Jerusalem and Tel Aviv--I grieve for all of them. No one is safe, and surely many innocent people fear for their own lives and that of their loved ones.
Reading Elias Chacour's story in Blood Brothers makes it impossible for me to see this conflict as being only a Muslim/Jewish conflict, although it's a fact that most of those in Gaza are likely Muslims and those in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are mostly Jewish. Among both of those populations, however, are some Christians. Almost certainly, in every one of those populations are many who are willing to live peaceably with those who are different from themselves. On a one-to-one or neighbor-to-neighbor basis, this may still be possible for some, but they can hardly help being swept along in the turmoil created by aggressive actions taken by their leaders. What should American Christians think and how should the American government act in this situation? I really don't know. I'm praying that those who must decide will do so with Godly wisdom.
In relation to Israel as the third kingdom, a few ideas that seem important to me are these:
The modern nation of Israel is not necessarily equivalent to the Biblical nation of Israel.
The Biblical nation of Israel was how God chose to reveal Himself to all the world of that time.
The Christian church is how God chooses to reveal Himself in our time.
In Old Testament times, Israel was a family, a nation, and a religious group, with God as the leader for all of those groups.
The United States has never had and will never have the same status in God's eyes as Biblical Israel did--as the sole conveyors of God's truth to the world.
The nation of Israel, since rejecting Jesus, no longer has the same status with God as they once had--as the sole conveyors of God's truth to the world.
Neither the ideas of American and Israeli Exceptionalism are defensible from a Christian perspective.
American and Israeli solidarity are no more and no less God's will than solidarity between any two sovereign nations.
Under each of the above points, caveats and softening statements would be possible of course. I'll let you fill them in yourself rather than try to cover all the bases.
************************
Lydia Yoder is in the hospital. She is 96 and was taken there to try to get ahead of an infection she had contracted. The infection has been arrested, but she is weak and uninterested in eating.
Edith Stutzman, who has been at Mennonite Friendship Communities for several years, may have suffered a stroke within the past few days and has not been eating since then. Her brother Perry from our church was the father of Julia, who died last week.
************************
Loyal and Arlene have a newborn son named Alex Logan Miller. He was born at Lyons Hospital early yesterday.
************************
Lorne K., in his devotional this morning, focused on a phrase from last Sunday's SS lesson: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He emphasized the "lead me" part, and, with several stories, tied it to events from the 1960s and to the pervasive search for meaning present in many young people of that era. As he put it, people like himself who were teenagers in the 60s are now in their 60s. While he acknowledged that teenagers have challenges no matter when they grow up, the 60s were especially full of turmoil.
I was, of course, also a teenager in the 60s, and I have never tried to describe in writing how it was to be a teenager then. Last year, when one of my composition class students did a research paper on the hippie movement, I realized that this era is much more full of mystery for my students than it is for me. Although the student who wrote that research paper did a good job, I'd like to add my personal perspective.
These observations and memories will not be comprehensive, but I'll record a bit of how it was, from my perspective.
The following elements were part of the mix:
The Viet Nam War. Many anti-war protests took place.
Civil Rights for Blacks. Martin Luther King led peaceable marches and Malcolm X advocated violent protest. Both of them were assassinated, as was Medger Evers, another peaceable black rights advocate.
Dissatisfaction with the status quo. The materialism and complacency of many Americans disgusted young people who saw their lives as devoid of meaning. Many of them became hippies--people who dropped out of society and its normal expectations.
Experimentation with drugs. Timothy Leary, a UCLA Berkley and Harvard professor, advocated the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Many hippies became drug addicts.
Rock and Roll music. The Beatles became popular during this time, and they popularized this music.
Women's Liberation Movement. Strident feminism came to the fore, but part of the movement emphasized workplace reform such as equal pay for equal work and freedom from sexual discrimination or harassment.
Eastern Mysticism. Many hippies traveled to India and other places in Asia in search of religious experience. Americans often traveled by way of Amsterdam and Afghanistan, with stops along the "trail" in places where free sex or hallucinogenic drugs were readily available.
Riots. Many of the protests became destructive and violent. Fires, looting, and shootings occurred in cities and on college campuses. At Kent State University in Ohio, police shot several student protesters. This created great turmoil among students.
Sexual promiscuity. It was often referred to as "free love" but could just as accurately have been called bondage to immorality. Woodstock, a Rock and Roll festival in a New England (or was it New York?) town by that name became known for the accompanying debauchery in drugs and sex especially.
If you lived through this era or know something about what transpired, feel free to add to the list or clarify or modify it as needed.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
10:30 PM
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