A Cultural Utopia or the Kingdom of God?
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33 (ESV)
I usually don’t delve into political thought or argument. As a local pastor, I am caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, serving in a growingly diverse church with members of different backgrounds and ethnicities, varied levels of spiritual maturity, and differing political persuasions and convictions. There has been much written (and spoken about in conferences and podcasts) over the past year regarding politics, racial tension, and the role of the church. My goal is not to rehash those conversations in this article.
So, what is the tension, then? Do I not have personal views on the cultural issues of the day? Of course I do (and so do you). The tension comes in leading a church with differing, and often passionate, opinions toward something bigger than the issues of the day. While the present cultural issues do matter, and could have long-lasting effects, whether positively or negatively, on our country, the world, and the church, there is a deeper issue at stake. In the midst of “cancel culture”, are churches helping to form people of Christlike character who live and speak truth into the wider culture? I believe this comes down to an issue of Kingdom.
Pastor Tony Evans, in his book The Kingdom Agenda, says,
Too many believers today are trying to find fulfillment and significance through human means. They are trying to discover their destinies through man’s methods. However, man’s methods have never accomplished God’s goals. Jesus revealed that when He answered Pilate straightforwardly. In essence, He said, “My methods reflect My source.” (Jn. 18:36). As believers, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. Similarly, a boat is made to be in the water but not of the water. If the boat begins to be of the water and starts taking on water inside, it will soon go down. To be in the world and yet not of the world means that the world, or worldliness—the system that seeks to leave God out—does not define the decisions, relationships, or priorities of your life. Your kingdom controls your methodology.1
Here’s the problem. There seems to be a desire in believers, on both the right and the left, for the pursuit of some type of utopian society based on a preferred human political or philosophical system. Those on the left want an over-hall of the current system, while those on the right want more personal accountability and responsibility. Regardless, if we will just accommodate the preferred methodology, the country and humanity will right itself and we can live in a paradise of our own making.
In some ways, you can’t blame us for thinking this way. As Tim Keller says, we are the living product of the European Enlightenment. Keller states, “In short, there was a strong belief that overall every generation of human beings would experience a better world than the previous generation. This is one of the legacies of the European Enlightenment, whose many figures predicted that human reason, ingenuity, and science, once freed from superstitions of the past, would inevitably bring in a better future.”2 That said, things don’t seem to be getting any better.
So, if a political or philosophical utopia is not the answer, then what is? In four words: The Kingdom of God. I do not remember hearing much about the Kingdom of God growing up in church. I heard a lot about sin, salvation, Jesus’ life and ministry, the cross, the resurrection, and the need to evangelize others, but I have no memory of these things being tied to the larger topic of the Kingdom.
So, what is the Kingdom of God? In its simplest form, it is “the reign or rule of God over all of life”. The idea of the Kingdom of God was the central topic in Jesus’ teaching. In his sermons, parables, and equipping of his disciples, the Kingdom took center stage. In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaims, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” In other words, Jesus was saying that because He was present, God’s Kingdom was present. And that makes Him the King. As such, a response is required when Majesty enters the room. Those who encounter Him as King of God’s Kingdom should repent, believe, and follow (Mark 1:17).3 When they do, they will begin to live in a different reality, with a different worldview, one that is not based on human ingenuity or advancement, but on the internal transformation that comes from being a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Therefore, from a discipleship perspective, we must ask a seminal question. Are we leading those we are discipling toward a life marked by the Kingdom or by some other paradigm? Are we challenging people to live with the marked purpose of a Christ-centered life or in a way that simply adds Jesus to the mix of their opinions and preferences?
When I was in college, I had the privilege to sit under the teaching of Louie Giglio for three years. Now the pastor at Passion City Church in the Atlanta area, Louie was very important in my formation as a young believer. I was able to experience the first rumblings of what would later become known as the global Passion movement. I will never forget one of the messages Louie gave that helped me to get a first glimpse of the Kingdom. In it, he explained the difference between Jesus being a part of your life and Jesus being your everything.
He drew two circles on the overhead projector slide. (Yes, it was that long ago!). The first circle represented our lives as college students. In it he wrote things like school, work, family, dating, church, and Jesus. The second circle he labeled as Jesus. Again, he wrote all of those areas listed in the other (and more) that made up the elements of our lives. The difference was in the label.
In other words, who or what defines your life: you or Jesus? If it is you, then Jesus simply becomes a subplot in your story. If it is Jesus, then He, and His Kingdom, have become the driving narrative of your life. When that happens, then all other passions, including the cultural issues of our day, become subservient to King Jesus and His purposes in the world.
Again, it is not that the issues of our day are unimportant. In many ways, they are crucial contexts for the gospel to be proclaimed and the Great Commission to be carried out. But once we realize that they are but contexts, then we can challenge people to a greater Kingdom vision for their lives and for our world.
Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 of the appropriate attitude Christ-followers are to have in this world. It is three-fold. First, we are to find our peace in Him, not in human movements or institutions (John 14:27; Ephesians 2:14). Second, we will suffer in this life. This is contrary to the human utopian vision, but true nonetheless (Philippians 3:8-11; James 1:2-3). Third, we are to “take heart”, or “have unflinching courage”, for Jesus has achieved victory over the schemes of mankind. We can do so, and find hope for the future, because He is the King!
Oh, and by the way. There is a biblical, utopian vision. It is called “the new Heaven and new Earth”.4 Check it out in Revelation 21:1-7. Pretty exciting stuff!
1 Tony Evans, The Kingdom Agenda: Life Under God (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013), 31.
2 Timothy Keller, Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter (New York: Viking, 2021), xv.
3 For more on the correlation between the Kingdom of God and the gospel, see Bill Hull and Ben Sobels, The Discipleship Gospel: What Jesus Preached We Must Follow (Nashville: HIM Publications, 2018).
4 A great resource for understanding the new Heaven and the new Earth is N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: HarperOne, 2008).
