Pastors With Big Mouths

If you've read these blogs for a while you know that I don't like to get into any discussions about politics and politicians, but . . . it seems inescapable in the current presidential campaign. Anyway, along comes Rick Herrick in a current editorial saying that he's sick of pastors with big mouths. That is to say, he is weary of hate spewing from the pulpits in the name of Jesus and in deference to a God of love. He cringes at the arrogance of claims that somehow speak for God. 

Okay. That somewhat speaks to us who have or still do occupy pulpits, but he got the hairs standing up on the back of my neck when he went on to say that "Jesus also got it wrong. He is quoted more than a dozen times in the four Gospels as saying that the Kingdom of God would come in the first century, within the generation of his followers. . . The Apostle Paul made the same mistake. . . We need to point out to our pastors that the classical prophets, Paul and even Jesus had problems accurately expressing the will and intention of God." 

Before I tackle that nonsense, let me share with you who Rick Herrick is--based upon his My Space website. He's a 62 year old retired Tulane University professor and magazine editor from Oak Bluffs, MA. and Leadville, CO. . He currently devotes himself to writing and is working on his third novel. His first two novels, An Uncommon Woman and A Week in October. were published by a small North Carolina press. 

In 2006 he wrote The Case Against Evangelical Christianity. The editorial was apparently based upon what he writes in his book (which I have not read). According to the Amazon description Dr. Herrick seeks to disprove the Evangelical claim that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, reconcile Darwinian evolution with Christianity and redefine the Christian faith in terms of deeds of love rather than beliefs. In that he joins a crowd of current skeptics. 

I think what got Dr. Herrick especially stirred up  was the brouhaha about Barack Obama's pastor Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, asking God to damn America and Pastor John Haggee's support of presidential candidate John McCain.

However, all that's more of a mouthful than I have room to chew on at this time. I will focus upon but one statement of his editorial, namely that Jesus had it all confused when he spoke about the Kingdom of God coming in the first century. Herrick refers to Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15 and Luke 9:27. 

As always, the question is about definitions, here especially about the Kingdom of God. We can't discuss what Jesus or Paul said until we know what they meant by the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. The answer to that is fairly easy to get at. It was at the center of Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-40). 

Pilate had a private conversation with the Lord Jesus. He asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

When Jesus asked him if that was his own idea, one can almost see Pilate sneering as he replied, "Am I a Jew?" Obviously, the Jews had handed Jesus over, charging him with treason. 

So Jesus clarified for Pilate, for Dr. Herrick, for Pastors Wright and Hagee and for us all. He said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 

Yes, he was a king. "In fact," he went on, "for this reason I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 

Pilate's conclusion from this interview was that Jesus was simply another harmless religious teacher, talking otherworldly vagueness. He wanted to release him. He was not about to lead a revolt to overthrow the Roman government, as the Jewish Sanhedrin claimed. 

What is this not-of-this-world kingdom that Dr. Herrick is so confused about? Did it indeed come during the lifetime of Jesus' disciples? To be sure, Jesus and the Apostles established no earthly kingdom of perfect peace, harmony and love. Jealousy, hate, murder, adultery, theft and all the other evils of this world continued. What changed with Jesus' coming, his death upon the cross and his return from the dead? 

Read about Jesus' extensive teachings on the kingdom in Matthew 9-25.  This is not and was never intended to be the kingdom established by force, threat of law, military might or any other political power. The power of Jesus' kingdom is the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of those who have died with Jesus and risen again to a new life. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to in his writings. A prime example is his letter to the Romans. Read what he says about counting oneself as being dead to sin, but "alive to God in Christ Jesus" in Romans 6. 

And then, remember that Paul was himself very clear about the difference between any earthly kingdom (Rome in his day) and Jesus' Kingdom. He spells that out in Romans 13.

It is not a new problem, this business of confusing the kingdoms. It has a long history. Church leaders in our day still want to dictate from the pulpit how the political leaders ought to do their business. In that sense I too agree with Dr. Herrick. These preachers need to be very careful--very careful indeed--that in their pronouncements they are speaking for God, the God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and who still works through the written revelation we know as Holy Scripture. It is this same Scripture that leads us to Christ and in Him to the kingdom of God.