Jesus predicted earthquakes and stars falling to earth. But was he talking about what would happen if a world-ending comet or asteroid took aim at us? Do Christians need to be purchasing copies of Armageddon to have a plan to keep their Christian eschatology on track?
Just how bad can things get and Christian eschatology remain “on track?” What versions of eschatology can accommodate the facts of catastrophism as we know them today? How do the scenarios of Cloverfield and Armageddon work into Christian theology?
Do those Christians who believe in global warming need to say we could wipe out human life with a man-created catastrophe? If that’s true, why wouldn’t we say it? Because Jesus won’t let it happen and upstage his return?
I tend to think that eschatology is often the weakest area of applied Christian theology; the area where there is the least reflection and rigorous examinations of what we assert. If the giant lobsters come ashore to have us for dinner, where does all of it fit into the totality of Christian belief?
Until we work all this out, I’ll be watching more monster movies, and keeping an eye on the lobster tank at Krogers.
Monday, January 28, 2008
"Cloverfield" and the End of Days
The venerable iMonk has penned some thoughts on the most recent monster movie and the end of the world as we know it (and I don't think he feels fine).
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You know, Matt, this whole Armageddon thing had me freaked out in the past. I was reading a lot of Hal Lindsay in the '70s, and was exposed to plenty of end-times theology. What turned me off was the raptuous glee some Christians had when describing the horrors of life under the Antichrist. It's as if they were saying, "Bring it on! We want people to suffer." I know, I know. Those sadistic people think they won't be around to suffer, but still ... I couldn't stomach the notion.
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Hal Lindsey... I feel you, man. I went to a Christian school all the way through, so I had my share of end-time lectures. My experience was that most people had dichotomous feelings about it: the joy of being in heaven with Christ coupled with the deep concern over the fate of people who do not accept Him.
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