Much of my recent reflection and discussion has centered around the social and political ramifications of Jesus' inauguration and teachings on the Kingdom of God. In my heart and mind, I've struggled to reconcile those who view the idea that Jesus was instituting a new social and political reality with the conviction that if that was true, it would look nothing like what we would consider a social or political institution today. What, then would it look like? And what did Jesus really when He said the Kingdom of Heaven was now at hand? What are the concrete implications of that statement?

A few thoughts before I move on:

1) I feel more strongly and more dogmatic than most non-essential tenets of faith on this one point: Jesus was not concerned with His Kingdom spreading by using the political institutions of the day to its advantage. He did not envision nor desire Christians to use the rule of law to enforce their morals on the rest of the world.

2) Within Jesus' 12 disciples (and surely those on the fringe), we know that at least two were zealots, possibly more. Yoder, citing another reference, writes:

The political import of the formation of a group of disciples is heightened if we take seriously Oscar Cullmann’s suggestion that perhaps as many as half of the twelve were recruited from among the ranks of the Zealots.

Therefore, we know there was political pressure on Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and reclaim His rightful place on the Davidic throne.

3) With that, we know that there were major Messianic expectations of Jesus, if He were really the One. He would overthrow the Romans, set up His government, the Jews would once again be in charge, things would return to how they were supposed to be.

Having said all of this, my main confusion remains the struggle of putting into words the modern-day implications of Jesus' Kingdom teaching, and the fact that I believe His instituted God's Kingdom reign through His life, death, and resurrection on earth. I also have to agree with the following scholars who gave me the following ideas:

John Howard Yoder: If Jesus was not a politial figure and threat to the existing powers, why the inherent need to kill him?

NT Wright: His teaching from the Lord's Prayer that God's Kingdom would come "on earth, as it is in heaven." He writes, 'God's kingdom' in the preaching of Jesus refers not to posmortem destiny, not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God's sovereign rule coming "on earth as it is in heaven."

Hauerwas and Williman: Their entire work in Resident Aliens has had a profound impact on my thinking, the following quote may serve to summarize: Christianity is an invitation to be part of an alien people who make a difference because they see something that cannot otherwise be seen without Christ...The challenge is not the intellectual one bu the political one - the creation of a new poeple who have aligned themselves with teh seismic shift that has occurred in the world since Christ.

Right back to polical...what does that mean? I feel like I know more of what it does not mean that what it does mean. I've come to a few conclusions that I want to share, and though I feel I'm on the right path becoming comfortable with these answers, I do realize that they are incomplete and more reflection and discussion needs to take place.

My first conclusion comes from Wright, who makes a side comment in Surprised by Hope on p. 129 in writing about Jesus taking His rightful place as Lord of the world, "This was particularly significant in that Paul and the others were keen to say that Jesus was the true Lord and Caesar was a sham." Jesus is Lord, and Caesar is not, how monumental to the people of the day, and how important for us to remember today. Neither George Bush nor Barack Obama nor the Democrats or Republicans are Lord. Neither the economic principles espoused by Keynes or Hayek, neither the rulers from the G-20 nor the major global religious leaders are lord, Jesus is Lord, and they are not. That needs to be first and foremost in our thinking and set the foundation for our Kingdom theology.

Second, now that we understand that Jesus is Lord and no one or nothing else, what are the modern implications of His Kingdom come? What does this look like? Again, it is difficult to put in words without sounding cliche, but the answer lies in the fact that the Kingdom is not spreading through the modern political machine, but rather by those who understand that Jesus is Lord and act on the nudging of the Holy Spirit to seek to make things right in the world. Followers of Christ act on the desires of their heart and the power of the Spirit by rescuing sex slaves and reintroducing them to society where they live as redeemed new creations in Christ, where the old has been washed away and the new creation is evident. They continue by feeding the poor, nurturing the sick, visiting prisoners, caring for widows and orphans, not because it is the moral thing to do, not because that is what humaity calls us to, but because they understand that is what it means for things to be done on earth as it is in heaven, they understand Jesus' call to a Kingdom lifestyle, and, as Wright notes, "His resurrection, and the promise of God's new world that comes with it, creates a program for change and offers to empower it. Those who believe the gospel have no choice but to follow."

Finally, in our conclusions, we don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater, we find no reason, in light of what the Lord is laying on our hearts, to move from our apocalyptic view of the Bible. When it comes to a systematic view of God's Word, we stand firm on a few principles that shape our theology, including, but not limited to, the following:

1) Dominance of a mood of strain and tension, with pessimism concerning the present
2) Expectation of the ultimate triumph of God, seen as imminent, future, and wholly supernatural
3) Deemphasis on human wisdom and strength in the declining world situation-this age is passing away. The age to come will arrive by divine intervention and according to the divine plan. Nothing can stop it.

The world as we know it is passing away, the creation is longing for redemption, we long for the Lord to return and set up His rightful throne once and for all. But in the meantime, we press on, understanding that the Kingdom is expanding through the redeemed following the Kingdom way we have outlined above.

90% of what Jim Wallis wrote on this week's ediciton of SojoMail was partisan garbage, but he ended with a powerful story of true Kingdom work:

My favorite story from the week was that of a poor young women who had been sexually trafficked in a major East Coast city. And when civic crusaders closed the brothel where she lived, she became homeless. But she got hooked up with one of our partner groups in that city, and they brought her to the Mobilization. And here, at this gathering, she heard about a Jesus she had never heard about before—one that wanted to save people like her. So on their delegation’s way to the Capitol, this young woman gave her life to Jesus Christ at the corner of “10th and D,” as I was told. And that’s the vision I have—of believers doing the work of the kingdom of God in the world, for justice and peace, and people coming to faith because of their witness. Thanks be to God!