Progressive Christians Uniting

Rita Brock: Armageddon or Paradise?

This past Sunday, the Orange County Chapter of PCU was honored to have Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock, Founding Co-Director of Faith Voices for the Common Good, address a gathering at Irvine United Congregational Church.

While there are plenty of Biblical scholars and church history experts out there, Dr. Brock just may be one of the best! The audience was incredibly impressed by the breath of knowledge Dr. Brock was able to pull from her memory during the rally. The bulk of her hour-long talk was without the use of notes.

Dr. Brock explained to the event attendees the sequence of events over the last 2000 years that has molded and defined (conservative) Christian doctrine and theology.

While the early church, as Dr. Brock explained during the question and answer time, was “life affirming, THIS worldly, and optimistic,” conservative Christians today affirm a theology of violence. Instead of loving God’s creation…PARADISE…they are anxiously awaiting and praying for ultimate violence (destruction of this world through Armageddon…their mis-understanding of the Book of Revelation).

Dr. Brock’s overview of how Christianity moved from an optimistic faith marked by excited followers of Christ who wanted to minister as he did, to one of pessimism marked by people anxious for the Rapture, helped many of us to understand the differences between Progressives and Fundamentalists.

As one drives around Orange County these days, it’s hard not to come across cars sporting “Not of This World Stickers” (or the hip NOTW logo) on the back windows…no doubt purchased at the store in Santa Ana with the same name.

Be be honest, until recently, I really never processed that I’m actually offended by the name of the store. Is our world no longer God’s “Paradise?” Since when? And who decided this?

But it really is a perfect excuse for inaction. If Christians think they’re not of this world, (because the world is no longer God’s “Paradise”) it really gets them off the hook for doing anything that matters in the world. The only action required of those who are waiting to be raptured to God’s REAL kingdom is to make sure that as many pagans as possible are “saved” so they aren’t left behind to endure the violence that will be heaped upon them by a loving God. Hear anything contradictory in that scenario?

What a strange theology and life ethic if you ask me!

As Dr. Brock explained, progressive theology and the life ethic it dictates is quite the antithesis of the fundamentalists’ pessimistic outlook on life. Progressive Christians are the early church. We affirm life, affirm God’s paradise and are optimistic. We believe nations can get along without starting wars. We believe all workers have inherent worth (whether they’re US citizens or not) and therefore should be paid a living wage. We believe that ALL people have dignity and therefore should have access to affordable housing and health care. We believe that ALL humans are made in the image of God and therefore should not be discriminated against on the basis of their race, gender or sexual orientation. We believe that creation is God’s paradise and therefore we must fight for it’s protection.

And we believe it is the responsibility of those who profess faith in Christ to live as he did. We are called to love our world…all of God’s creation. Jesus was a revolutionary. He spoke out against all forms of injustice and as his followers, we must do the same.

Thanks to all of you who attended Sunday’s event. I truly hope you were as inspired as I. Let’s all work together for justice…in this county…this country and this world…God’s “Paradise.”

Posted under: Orange County