Wow Dominick, this was superb! A most incisive examination of what living in a Machine age means for Christians, but most importantly, a hopeful directive. Truly my favorite piece that I have read in months. Will be sure to share it with my readers and hope that it spreads far and wide.
That is a message you need to write again and again and then preach it and write it again and preach it again. The anchor of ancient, Biblical, time tested orthopraxy securing our souls during unimaginable, rapid theological and cultural shifts in the church and western culture. Great work
In usual Baruffi fashion, "The Church at the End of the World," is a thinker's expose of that which is rapidly becoming a very real issue in the Church. The Western Church, for decades, has set itself up for this type of fall as it has flirted with the kingdoms of this world and has engaged in a tightrope walk on the edge of the cliffs of postmillennialism. Now as the "world" rears its ugly head in some of its most emphatic and recognizable ways that I have seen in my lifetime, the idiom "the chickens come home to roost" is tragically obvious as the Church, instead of being the clear opposite of the world, is exposed more and more as the mirror of it. Especially the non-denominational evangelical Church is now at a precipice. Will it be the Church that promotes the kingdom of God in its Matthew 6:33 sense (the "onlyness" and completely "separateness" dynamic of the kingdom of God vs the kingdoms of this world) and returns to being the chosen herald of Jesus' assertion and implied associated commands that come with "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36)? OR will it fall into the abyss of the hyper-Arminian/hyper-Charismatic "positive confession mentality" that fuels the postmillennial lie that the Church, by its own power and will, can mix the kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world in such a way as to view them on the same level, or even more dangerous, to view the kingdoms of this world as becoming the kingdom of God? Perhaps, more than ever, the Church must experience a "revival"; a revival of holiness (literally, separateness) in it purist form. The kingdom of God is TOTALLY separate from the kingdoms of this world. Yes, the kingdom adherent, as with the kingdom itself, is in this world and "invades" this world and, so, is consistently involved in this world, but it is TOTALLY not of this world. It is not just different. It is TOTALLY opposite! Indeed, we cannot be the same or even have the appearance of being the same, because, more than anything else.....WE ARE NOT THE SAME! The call to "the Church at the end of the world" is, as I see it, a call to holiness; a call to stop trying to look like the world as if that is the solution to moving toward the return of Christ. Such postmillennial lies are so extremely detrimental to the mission of the Church, perhaps more than anything else, because it corrupts the gospel witness of the Church which, at the end of the day (or "the end of the world" as my colleague Dominick Baruffi so eloquently expounds on), is that which will bring about the end of the day/world for "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt 24:14). Hey, Church! Corral your postmillennial aspirations as you try to take over the world, and instead, let loose your "Maranatha" vision as you put forth that separate, unique, distinct, and stubbornly "only" oriented voice that cries out in all of the worldly wildernesses with a shout from the housetops that is truly powerful and kingdom invading....that is, the shout of the gospel that transcends worldly structures and does not embrace them, but in fact, alienates them. This is the "sword" that Jesus brings, as it were, against us (Matt 10:34). The "sword" that we would bring against "them," Jesus says, to put away (Matt 26:52). The fight is a battle between opposite kingdoms. It is not a mixing of, or assimilation with, kingdoms that then somehow become the same. Hey Church....get away from the proverbial postmillennial cliff before you fall into the pit! Be in charge of the gospel of the kingdom and let go of your misguided desire to be in charge of the kingdoms of this world.
Great work brother, really enjoyed this. The themes of embodiment, Word and prayer continue to press on me. I loved reading your process here. Imagine that, going to church together, praying and God's Word dwelling in us richly, who would have thought?
Canceled all my substacks, but this one appears in my inbox… as the issue of moving back to the town where my sons are living ( and attending bible study regularly) no Christian fellowship in the neighborhood where I am, but I have that steady paycheck
Think he’s pointing me back to the mountain and maybe my life’s work of starting to build that fellowship you write about
Wow Dominick, this was superb! A most incisive examination of what living in a Machine age means for Christians, but most importantly, a hopeful directive. Truly my favorite piece that I have read in months. Will be sure to share it with my readers and hope that it spreads far and wide.
Thank you Ruth! That's exactly right, we have every reason to be hopeful and ought to carry ourselves as such.
That is a message you need to write again and again and then preach it and write it again and preach it again. The anchor of ancient, Biblical, time tested orthopraxy securing our souls during unimaginable, rapid theological and cultural shifts in the church and western culture. Great work
In usual Baruffi fashion, "The Church at the End of the World," is a thinker's expose of that which is rapidly becoming a very real issue in the Church. The Western Church, for decades, has set itself up for this type of fall as it has flirted with the kingdoms of this world and has engaged in a tightrope walk on the edge of the cliffs of postmillennialism. Now as the "world" rears its ugly head in some of its most emphatic and recognizable ways that I have seen in my lifetime, the idiom "the chickens come home to roost" is tragically obvious as the Church, instead of being the clear opposite of the world, is exposed more and more as the mirror of it. Especially the non-denominational evangelical Church is now at a precipice. Will it be the Church that promotes the kingdom of God in its Matthew 6:33 sense (the "onlyness" and completely "separateness" dynamic of the kingdom of God vs the kingdoms of this world) and returns to being the chosen herald of Jesus' assertion and implied associated commands that come with "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36)? OR will it fall into the abyss of the hyper-Arminian/hyper-Charismatic "positive confession mentality" that fuels the postmillennial lie that the Church, by its own power and will, can mix the kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world in such a way as to view them on the same level, or even more dangerous, to view the kingdoms of this world as becoming the kingdom of God? Perhaps, more than ever, the Church must experience a "revival"; a revival of holiness (literally, separateness) in it purist form. The kingdom of God is TOTALLY separate from the kingdoms of this world. Yes, the kingdom adherent, as with the kingdom itself, is in this world and "invades" this world and, so, is consistently involved in this world, but it is TOTALLY not of this world. It is not just different. It is TOTALLY opposite! Indeed, we cannot be the same or even have the appearance of being the same, because, more than anything else.....WE ARE NOT THE SAME! The call to "the Church at the end of the world" is, as I see it, a call to holiness; a call to stop trying to look like the world as if that is the solution to moving toward the return of Christ. Such postmillennial lies are so extremely detrimental to the mission of the Church, perhaps more than anything else, because it corrupts the gospel witness of the Church which, at the end of the day (or "the end of the world" as my colleague Dominick Baruffi so eloquently expounds on), is that which will bring about the end of the day/world for "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt 24:14). Hey, Church! Corral your postmillennial aspirations as you try to take over the world, and instead, let loose your "Maranatha" vision as you put forth that separate, unique, distinct, and stubbornly "only" oriented voice that cries out in all of the worldly wildernesses with a shout from the housetops that is truly powerful and kingdom invading....that is, the shout of the gospel that transcends worldly structures and does not embrace them, but in fact, alienates them. This is the "sword" that Jesus brings, as it were, against us (Matt 10:34). The "sword" that we would bring against "them," Jesus says, to put away (Matt 26:52). The fight is a battle between opposite kingdoms. It is not a mixing of, or assimilation with, kingdoms that then somehow become the same. Hey Church....get away from the proverbial postmillennial cliff before you fall into the pit! Be in charge of the gospel of the kingdom and let go of your misguided desire to be in charge of the kingdoms of this world.
Great work brother, really enjoyed this. The themes of embodiment, Word and prayer continue to press on me. I loved reading your process here. Imagine that, going to church together, praying and God's Word dwelling in us richly, who would have thought?
Canceled all my substacks, but this one appears in my inbox… as the issue of moving back to the town where my sons are living ( and attending bible study regularly) no Christian fellowship in the neighborhood where I am, but I have that steady paycheck
Think he’s pointing me back to the mountain and maybe my life’s work of starting to build that fellowship you write about
At some point we put the yoke on