A TALE OF TWO STORIES.

Some history

I grew up with Bible stories. My mother read them from our Children Bible, written by Anne de Vries, a master story teller. They influenced me. I recall a day at the seaside, some four years old. I was thirsty and wanted to drink the seawater, and when it proved unpotable, I went to my father asking him to throw a piece of wood in the salty water, as Moses did once for the desert-dwelling Israelites, faced with a similar experience.

 

At mealtime the Bible was read – no exception. Twice to church each Sunday. Christian School. The works. Yes, a degree of brain-washing. Well, so what. Brainwashing is more prevalent than ever.

 

Which is the better story? 

 

Modern life, with round-the-clock advertising has become a much more ingrained matter, its story told 24/7 everywhere. It is the biggest brainwashing scam ever, the ultimate March of Folly! Look, where has this present-day story has gotten us: The Guardian last week had this hair-raising headline: 

World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target.

Our Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds.

That’s today’s real-life story, inescapable. Give me the Bible anytime. True, it has some gruesome tales, but it is hugely human, unlike conditions today: devilish in all details.

Enter John 3: 16.

Back to the Bible, and – again – Stefan Paas, and his book PEACE ON EARTH. He too tells a story, a fascinating story, a story how we, Christians and no Christians alike, must start thinking about the future, the immediate future, I should add, an inescapable future, I should also add. 

He discusses one of my favorable Bible text, John 3: 16, the words well worth repeating, because they touch on the core of our life: 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Dr. Paas gives two explanations, two stories, and I translate:

1. The first one could be called, the ‘lifeboat’ approach. Here the world is seen as a sinking ship, however God has provided for a lifeboat, Christ’s reconciliation on the cross. Salvation means that as many as possible are rescued from the sinking vessel by the proclamation to accept Christ’ offer. Those who will deny Christ’ free gift, will perish when the boat disappears under the waves, together with the entire world. This does not mean that no attention is given to combat poverty, or provide good education, or fill hungry stomachs, but such activities are merely seen as supportive. These ‘horizontal’ activities really are not part of the essential mission of Christendom, but are conditional: they remove obstructions for the proclamation (an empty stomach has no ears), either that, or they create a favorable atmosphere for the church.
2. However, nowhere does the Bible say that God’s creation will disappear. On the contrary, ever since the beginning, the churches have confessed that “God will never abandon the work of his hands” (Psalm 138:8). It makes more sense to read these texts in the context of the coming promise that permeates the entire New Testament, not that this world is a lost cause, but that it will be repaired and renewed. (2 Corinthians 5: 17). With Jesus’ birth, life and resurrection, God decidedly has allied himself with his creation, and has made a start with its renewal. Reading John 3: 16 in that way is not a matter of being rescued from this world, but, actually, means being partakers in the salvation of this world. This, almost as a matter of fact, entails not only a much broader definition of ‘salvation’ and ‘mission’, but also throws a different light on the concept of ‘lostness’. ‘Being engaged with lostness’, in the manner of which the apostle Paul speaks, means engagement with a lifestyle of domination, of being power-hungry, of competition, the sort of life in which there is no room for God’s Kingdom. To keep the metaphor of a ship, those are lost who don’t care for their fellow crew members, who stymy the repair crews, who contemplate mutiny, and sabotage mechanical means, and undermine morale. 

To sum up: to be lost means living a life that is not future-oriented.

That summary illustrates an entire new story line, away from Capitalistic thinking, away from the story we ‘Minute to Minute’ are engaged in, living a life that leads to death. Our future is portrayed in the Bible loud and clear: Revelation 21: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”.

The tale of two stories. I recapitulate: God’s people are among those who now live the life oriented to the New Creation to come. Soon I might add.