Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
This World Is Not My Home (I’m Just A-passin’ Through)

This World Is Not My Home (I’m Just A-passin’ Through)

Last updated on: July 18, 2023 at 4:25 pm by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

This World Is Not My Home (I’m Just A-passin’ Through) 2023-07-18T16:25:12-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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.

The title of this blog essay is the first line of an old evangelical gospel song. “This world is not my home; I’m just a-passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue….” I grew up singing that in church. Or maybe I heard it sung in church as a “special number.” (That’s what we called it when a person or ensemble sang a song to the congregation.)

When I arrived at Bethel College and Seminary (now Bethel University) in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I taught theology for fifteen years, some of my colleagues used that song as an example of bad theology. The poor song had no defenders. I probably joined in with that some, but I know that in the back of my mind, anyway, I remembered the context in which we sang and heard that song sung.

The religious form of life I grew up in was described by one scholar in the title of his book about American Pentecostalism: “Vision of the Disinherited.” We were the “disinherited” of the world or at least of America. Nobody in my church and nobody in my extended family had graduated from college. Some had attended post-secondary school technical school of some kind and some had graduated from a Bible institute. Especially my childhood church was poor. It was in the poorest neighborhood in the city of about 200 thousand people. Many of the people had chronic illnesses and very little access to doctors or clinics or hospitals. I, myself, was not given antibiotics when I had strep throat and developed rheumatic fever (a common side effect of strep infection in children). I would not surprised if nobody in our church had insurance of any kind. For two years when I was a child I lived in a house near the state capitol building that had no running water indoors.

Pentecostalism and much of American evangelicalism “grew up” in that economic and social milieu. Maybe ours was worse than most, but most of the evangelical Christians, especially Pentecostals, in the 1950s and before were relatively poor and uneducated compared with the rest of society. The people I grew up with, in church, were the salt of the earth, but “this world” was definitely NOT their “home.” Their lives were hard. They looked forward to heaven. They sang about having a “mansion just over the hilltop.” But when the subject came up, they expressed a bit of pride in their lowly status because Jesus said people like they were would inherit the kingdom of God.

At Bethel I bristled a bit, but bit my lip, when my colleagues dumped on “This world is not my home.” They were taking the song entirely out of context. And they were forgetting that the Bible does say that we should not consider “this world” (the social systems of the world) our home but consider ourselves citizens of a new city to come.

When I was growing up in evangelical Christianity in America, most evangelicals sang about heaven and preached (or heard preaching) about heaven. My, my how things have changed. I don’t think I’ve sung a song about heaven or heard a sermon about heaven in many years. We have become “comfortable in Zion.” (That’s an old fashioned way of saying complacent about spiritual things, comfortable with this world and the “things of earth.”

Another song sung to us in church and heard on Christian radio was “The things of earth will dim and lose their value, when we recall, they’re only borrowed for a while.” Another one: “Farther along we’ll know all about it.” (I actually had the privilege of singing that one in a duet with Bill Gaither!)

I have to say this is one of the biggest changes I have observed and experienced in American evangelical Christianity. Focus on heaven has almost completely disappeared. Perhaps the good side of that is that more of us care about this world, but surely there could be a better balance.

Frankly, the older I get, the closer to death that I get, the less I care about this world and the more I want to hear about and meditate on my “heavenly home…bright and fair.”

*Note: If you comment, keep it relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 16, 2023

“Why?” Chapter 20: “The Spirit Has Time”

Next Post

July 21, 2023 It’s Fun to Be Vindicated! A Feminist Calls for Help for Men

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"“Secular” means non-religious. No religion is embraced by American society anymore. Christianity remains the leading ..."

Roger Olson

Billy Graham’s Successor?

"I will look him up. Never heard of him."

Roger Olson

Billy Graham’s Successor?

"Where and when and how did I “support” a leader or church…? I said I ..."

Roger Olson

I’m Proud of Adam Hamilton (and ..."

"4-5% of the population is atheist or literally 'secular' not the entire country.Thats a really ..."

davidt

Billy Graham’s Successor?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 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 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Paul tell Titus that the grace of God teaches us to do?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Say no to ungodliness and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives Spread the gospel Love one another Obey the authorities