The Restoration of All Things

Last updated on: July 14, 2011 at 3:24 pm by C. Don Jones

The Restoration of All Things 2011-07-14T15:24:57-06:00 C. Don Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fundamentalist Christians demonstrate a fascination with “the end times.” This observation is helped in that the claims made about when the “rapture” or the end of the world takes place are broadcast in the TV, tabloid and internet media. The picture a non-fundamentalist receives is that of a people who want destruction and evil to abound so that God’s judgement of unbelievers and reward of believers may arrive. And so fundamentalism is characterized by anti-intellectualism (only the Bible tells the true origins of man), anti-civilization (destruction, mayhem, and anarchy), and anti-life (this world is evil). Why? Because this is the picture some fundamentalist leaders give.

Christianity suffers from this caricature of our beliefs. Who wants to be a part of such a movement unless he or she is some kind of flake, nut, or terrorist in training? The situation is even made worse when the people who hold such beliefs and want to enforce them on everyone else (dominionist doctrine) have the chutzpah to claim when they are opposed that “christians” are being persecuted. These are the reasons 90% of the US population believes in God while only 20% regularly attend church.

This writer is fed up with these stats and arguments. Like Madeline L’Engle, I believe “the fundamentals” should be redefined as the virtues of God – faith, hope, and love. Compassion, empathy, altruism, grace and other fruit of the Spirit are the values by which the church should live. I often argue that the Ten Commandments – a very well thought out list of how a community can live together before God – is merely the beginning of christian living. The beatitudes are goals that embody the values of Jesus. These eight (some say nine) statements in Matthew 5-7 and the parallel statements in Luke 6 must become the new fundamentals if the faith continues to grow.

Acts 3 gives us a truer statement of vision of “the end times” for the Jesus’ believers and followers. We repent and turn so that a true restoration of all things may come about in this world. Heaven and Earth meet and each is renewed by the interconnection of the two. Christians should not seek the death of our world so a glorious new one may come. We should be working as hard as we can for the renewal of this one. This renewal was why Jesus died. It is the work that God the Spirit is doing now. Let’s join in it where ever we can.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 29, 2011

Faith/fullness

Next Post

August 15, 2011 The Christ Crisis

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Addiction Advent Afghanistan Anxiety Ascension Sunday Baptism Barack Obama Biblical Interpretation Bigotry Book Banning BSA Buddhism Choice Christmas Church Discipline Community Conscience Conspiracy theories COVID-19 Culture Wars death cults deconstruction Devotional Divine Judgment Donald Trump Earth Day Election Day empathy Environmentalism Evangelism Exploitation of the Poor Faith False Claims fascism Fear Forgiveness Genocide government Grace Gun Violence Halloween Hate Health Hillbilly Elegy Hindu Holy Communion Holy Week Homelessness Hope Identity Integrity Islam Joe Biden John Hagee Kamala Harris Labor Lent Liberation Theology Lies Love Love as action Neurological disorders Non-Christian Religions Online Worship Original Goodness Pandemic Peace Pentecost Philosophy Preaching Progressive Christianity Racism Redemptive Violence Myth Resentment Saint's Days Satire Sobriety social media Spiritual Self Care Spirituality Technology The Kingdom of God The United Methodist Church Theology Transfigurations Sunday Transgender persons Truth Uncategorized Violence Wesleyan Working Class

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 October 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 February 2018 January 2018 August 2017 May 2017 November 2016 July 2016 June 2016 November 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 February 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Zechariah David Isaiah Micah