Wrestling with Retribution

For my research I have somehow ended up focussing on 2 Thessalonians. My actual title is going to be something like 'A Critical Examination of the Significance of the Roman Imperial Order as a Background to II Thessalonians'. Basically I am going to look at the three main issues in the letter, steadfastness under persecution, eschatological teaching about the "man of lawlessness", and the issue of idleness, and examine them all with the imperial cult and imperial patronage as a background. I have done a general literature survey on the imperial cult, and am now researching the history of Thessalonica with this in mind.

Anyway, in the process of reading the letter, and working through the commentaries, I am realising that 2 Thessalonians in one of the most unpleasant and difficult books of the New Testament, if not the bible, and I am struggling with it, and to be honest it is getting me down. Why so? Well, for a Pauline letter (if indeed it is by Paul, which is a major question) it has few of the key Pauline themes, there is no mention of the cross, or resurrection, there is very little grace, no discussion of the Spirit and salvation seems to be expressed entirely in future terms of escaping the wrath which is about to fall. What there is a good dose of, on the other hand, is retribution.

Paul (or whoever) writes 'For it is indeed just if God to repay with affliction those who afflict you.' (1.6) Here it seems clear that Paul is writing to comfort and encourage the Thessalonians with the thought that those who are persecuting them will get what's coming to them, their just deserts as it were. So far, so good. However, he goes on to say that this will happen 'when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.' (1:7b-9)

Here, many commentators move from seeing Paul giving a description of those persecutors (they don't know God and have not obeyed the gospel) to seeing a universal condemnation of the vast swathes of humanity that are outside the church. Furthermore, most commentators are at pains to explain that the 'punishment of eternal destruction' cannot mean annhilation, but is referring to a conscious punishment and devastation which is everlasting in duration. This is a move which, as you can imagine, I am not comfortable with.

Bear in mind that the Thessalonian church was probably tiny at this stage. Estimates range between 25 and 75 members. The population of Thessalonica was probably around 100, 000. Is Paul really saying that God has chosen this tiny elect, less than 0.1%, for salvation, whilst the 99.9% (most of whom will clearly have never heard the gospel) are to suffer the vengeful wrath of God for all eternity? Was Paul really this myopic?

One perspective that may help is the correlation between apocalyptic and persecution/social alienation. Paul's teaching here is certainly apocalyptic in style, with its dualisms of heaven and earth, present and future, the elect and the lost. When this worldview is combined with a situation of social alienation and persecution, the context and the theology reinforce one another. The closest parallel in the New Testament is probably the book of Revelation. This was also probably written in a situation of persecution (interestingly, almost certainly connected to the imperial cult) and is full of colourful and lurid language of vengeance. So I need to unpack how the language is being used in 2 Thessalonians. Is it hyperbole? Is it literal? How should we interpret this extreme language of vengeance and eternal destruction?

Rather than being the basis of a doctrine of eternal conscious torment for 99.9% of humanity, I think it is far more likely that Paul is wanting to stress to the Thessalonians, in the strongest possible terms, that there will be a great reversal - those who are suffering persecution now will be granted relief, and those who are doing the persecuting will get what's coming to them.

There is another thought that I struggle with though. I can understand how, on one level, it is comforting for those who are being persecuted, to contemplate the future punishment of their tormentors. But, I would like to think (and here I am probably being naive and showing that I've never experienced persecution) that I could try and cultivate the attitude of Christ, who said 'Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you'. He after all, when he was undergoing the ultimate persecution, prayed for his torturers and murderers 'Father forgive them, they know not what they do.' On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be too much of this attitude exemplified in 2 Thessalonians. In the first letter, however, Paul does instruct them to 'abound in love for each other and for all' and to 'see that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all'

So there you are, my current struggles. If you're the praying type, then please pray for me as I try to study, understand, and be faithful to the scriptures. It's not always easy.

Update

Well, as is my habit, I've had a bit of a hiatus from blogging. Just one of the things that's had to go on the back burner since Emily came along. Thought I'd better get back into it though, so here we are. My main news is that I've found out that I've been successful in my application to stay on at college for another 2 years in order to upgrade my MPhil to PhD. This is a huge privilege and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. I do have that nagging feeling that one day I'm going to be found out, and they will discover what a doofus I really am!

It is great for us as a family to be able to stay where we are in Bristol for the time being. We have a lovely little house and it's a fantastic place for the kids to be at this stage. I'm getting the chance to do something which a few years ago was only a vague dream, and I hope that I'll be able to make the most of it. It has dawned on my though, now that I have my funding, that I have a huge amount of work to do, which is quite scary. I am conscious of the fact that the church has invested a huge amount in me and failure is not an option. Studying full time at this level is an incredible honour which I hope I won't take for granted. Having said that, it does come with its own struggles which I intend to blog about next.

Emily Rachel

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderfull
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love


I said I'd break my internet fast to bring news of our new arrival, so here she is. Emily Rachel was born on 26th March, which was the day after her due date. Su woke up with a start at 1.00 as her waters broke. We called our friend Mary, who came round to look after William. The contractions started at 6 minute intervals. We called the birthing suite at Southmead, who told us to call back when they were every 4 or 5 minutes. As soon as we put the phone down, they were every 3 minutes, so off we went. We arrived at the birthing suite at about 2.55am. At 3.26am Emily arrived! A less that 2.5 hours labour!
Emily weighed 9lbs9oz! Being such a healthy size, she caused a third degree tear on the way out, which I won't go into, but let's just say it's not very nice. Su had to have a spinal block and go into theatre for a repair job. This meant she had to stay in hospital for an extra night, which is a shame, but she's doing really well now. We brought Emily home this evening and William loves her to bits. I am so proud of my amazing wife Su and my wonderful daughter Emily. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Lent Internet Fast

So I've been thinking about what to give up for Lent. Whilst I'm well up for the whole idea of taking things on for Lent rather than the whole sackcloth and ashes thing, I do still think there is a real place for fasting, and Lent is a good time to do it. Fasting is supposed to be giving something up as a spiritual discipline for God. It is saying to God, I need you and want you more than this thing. It is not meant to be easy, because this would be no discipline at all. I think for me, the most difficult thing to give up at the moment is the internet; more difficult than chocolate, or alcohol, or TV, or coffee (ok, maybe not coffee). So for the next 40 days, not including the Sundays (I'll have to think about Sundays) I will not be using the internet, except for strictly academic research purposes. So that means no blogging, no facebook, no Twitter, no BBC iplayer, no BBC news, no Youtube, no nothing. This is going to be rock hard for me, 'cos I love the internet. I practically live on it. When we have been away to Su's dad's or somewhere, when the broadband has been down, it has been a nightmare for me. I even take my laptop to bed with me. Which is probably why it's time to have a break. What am I going to do for my quick fix of news, for that random blog entry, for that stupid video? What will I do with my time? I may even have to start talking to my wife again :)

There will be one exception to this internet fast. When our second child arrives, at some point during the next 4 weeks or so, I will of course let the world know, and get some piccies up. But this, hopefully, will be the only break in the fast (like I say, apart from academic articles relevant to my research). Wish me luck. Signing off.

Identity

ASBO Jesus' latest

My understanding of the Gospel

I was looking through my application for my Church of England Bishop's Advisory Panel Selection Conference (snappy I know) today and I came across this. The question was 'Summarise the most important elements of your own Christian faith. Why are they important to you? What is at the heart of the good news you want to share with other people?' My answer could be accused of being somewhat 'Wrightian' but it is still a fair summary of what I believe:

Amongst the most important elements of my Christian faith are: a sense of being loved by God, of being forgiven, of a peace with God which leads to peace with other people, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, a hope and a future, a belief of being called by God to participate with Him in his putting the world to rights, renewing and redeeming all of creation. These elements are important to me because they have changed my life, they help me make sense of the world, and I believe they are based on truth.
My current understanding of the gospel is as follows:
God the creator has given us all good things to enjoy and look after. However, we have taken these things, and rather than enjoying them with thanksgiving, we have turned them into idols, worshiping the creation, rather than the creator. We become like what we worship, so that, rather than becoming image-of-God-bearing fully alive, whole human beings, we have marred God’s image and become broken, dehumanised slaves to sin, subject to death. All of humanity and indeed all creation has been affected by this rejection of their creator. The good news is that in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, God was reconciling the world to himself, winning a decisive victory over the powers of darkness, sin and death. This gospel is the message of God’s inbreaking kingdom (rule), which has begun through what Christ has done, continues through the work of the Spirit, and will one day be complete. Its announcement in word and deed, challenges all other would-be rulers, and demands a response of the obedience of faith, or rejection. The good news is not an invitation to have a new religious experience, or to follow a new moral code, but the message that Jesus, the crucified messiah of Israel, is the risen Lord of all who now reigns. The resurrection of Jesus, was the 1st day of God’s new creation, and the promise of God’s future renewal of all creation. In the mean time, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the people of God work and pray and announce the message in anticipation of that day when evil is destroyed and God’s reign of justice and peace is complete.
This is a big picture overview of the multi-faceted gospel. The results for the individual who accepts this message are the love, forgiveness, peace, purpose, hope and future I mentioned above. How I share this news with other people will depend on their context.

Tom Wright on the Resurrection, Heaven and Hell

Some great little clips here of Bishop Tom responding to questions on Resurrection, Heaven and Hell.

It is his comments on hell that I am interested in here. I have long struggled with the concept of hell, at least in it's traditional form. I fail to see how so many Christians throughout history, have so easily accepted this idea, at the same time as believing that God is love. The gospel, so often, has been presented as a 'bait and switch'. God loves you unconditionally and wants a relationship with you, and for you to have fullness of life (oh, and by the way, if you decide to reject his love, he will punish you forever in hell.).

Anyway, I think Tom's thoughts are helpful, although I lean more myself towards annihilationism.

He rejects the traditional notion of heaven and hell as two separate 'places' of post-mortem destination. This, he argues, is more of a medieval picture than a biblical one.

On the other hand, he rejects universalism, although he admits there is part of him that wishes it were the case. But he also does not go along with annihilationism. He maintains that those who have determinedly rejected God and his offer of salvation, will become dehumanised to the extent that they will cease to be human. This is not really a place, as in the new creation, God will be all in all, but it is rather a state. (this, he suggests in one anecdote, is more akin to the eastern orthodox view).

He admits that this is a dreadful fate which he doesn't like to contemplate or speculate too much on, but that the choices we make do have real consequences. He doesn't like talking about it, because he is aware of many people, who by appearances seem to have chosen this option. It is, he admits, a terrifying possibility.

He places the emphasis firmly on the choice of the individuals who end up in this state, not in some divine decree or even in punishment. In this sense he follows C.S. Lewis who said that the door of hell is locked on the inside. Those who end up in this state have chosen it for themselves. (I don't know, if pushed, if he would have some way of marrying this with a sense of God's sovereignty in salvation, but the emphasis is definitely squarely on the person's choice here). The idea that God, from all eternity, has determined those who, with no other possible option, will end up in hell is (in my admittedly limited and fallen opinion) a diabolical doctrine. The corollary of this emphasis on the choice of the individual (in my logical conclusion) is that everyone will get a meaningful opportunity to make this decision.

Whilst it may be possible to argue with Wright, or critique him on various points, I think his overall emphasis is helpful.
-He takes the possiblility of final loss seriously.
-He doesn't speculate on the details or on exactly who ends up in this state, other than those who persist in rejecting God and 'colluding in their own dehumanisation'
-It is not the main emphasis of his gospel.

Second Week of College

The first 'normal' week at college after the superb 'plenary' week. I don't feel like I achieved an awful lot workwise. I did however finish off Seyoon Kim's Christ and Caesar which is a fairly substantial critique of the 'fresh perspective on Paul'. Should I just give up my research now? Well, not quite, but I can certainly see ways in which my work is going to have to be nuanced. I submitted an abstract for the Bristol University theology post-grad conference. That should give me an incentive to get some work done if nothing else does.
This week I started learning Hebrew again, taught by AJ Culp, another post-grad here at Trinity. Amazing how much I had forgotten, but it is coming back to me now and it is lots of fun. If I could be paid to learn Hebrew and Greek and research stuff that I'm interested in I'd be a happy man...wait a minute - that is what I'm being paid to do. So that's why I'm applying to stay on another two years. Sent off a few letters for funding this week, but need to do lots more.
I also got the Trinity Media blog up and running which I'm pretty chuffed with.

Finished off the week with a session @ Shirehampton Working Men's Club (now there's an irony) with the lads, then hanging out with the Barnes and the Swales on Saturday, topped off with a Chinese takeaway at our place.

A bit concerned that our house in Coventry is going to cost us a fair bit to get the electrics and stuff sorted out ready for the new tennants, but hey, at least we've got some new tennants.

All in all, a good week.

Always Be Prepared For A Worship Experience

I enjoyed this, one of ASBO Jesus latest offerings.