Second Advent and Passivity - The Question and Conclusion

This brings us to the primary question. Why is passivity not possible? The answer is that the current work of the Spirit is to mature us and this maturity happens as we seek to live in God?s intention. For our purposes this is a call to active support of equality. Christ has not finished God?s current intention on humanity. God does not simply institute God?s intention in humanity without any work on our part. God is doing a work inside of humanity. That work is moving humanity to a maturation which will be the acceptance of God?s current intention.

Another reason why humanity cannot step back and do nothing is that if we do nothing then Christ will never have the Second-Advent for the maturation of God?s people is a component of God?s original intent. Therefore, this symbol of the heavenly sanctuary provides a way to understand the work of humanity in history that does not lead to despair for God is working to bring history to God?s intentions. Neither does it cause humanity to believe that there is no work for humanity to do.

Let me finally say that the Second Advent itself provides a check against despair. While we will not see the full institution of the Kingdom of God before the Second Advent, we will not give up to despair because we will fully overcome in that the culmination of this heavenly temple work is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ which means that our work does in some sense move history towards the climax. In addition, we cannot despair because as we work we see glimpses of the divine movement of history towards culmination. We see pictures here and there that remind us that the Kingdom of God has come even if it is not fully realized. These pictures are seen in the Sabbath symbol as well as the Heavenly Temple symbol.

I have shown that the Adventist symbols of Heavenly Temple ministry and Sabbath illuminate the Second Advent symbol in such a way that would work against any kind of passivity. These symbols help us to understand the role of human and divine agencies in the process of realizing the Kingdom of God. It also provides a glimpse of the appearance of the end by appealing to God?s intention (Sabbath). These symbols also provide a way to wrap up all of human history into the culmination of the kingdom of God.

Second Advent and Passivity - Heavenly Temple and Passivity

The Heavenly Temple ministry symbol provides a vehicle for understanding God?s current intention for the world. The heavenly temple ministry symbol reminds us that the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are actively involved in human pursuits. In fact, both the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ have humanity as the emphasis of their ongoing work. They are working for humanities good within history. This understanding can also be derived from African American ?popular? theology that makes affirmation of God?s sovereignty and power over events seeking to bring them to a good end.See Soul Theology. by Henry Mitchell and Nicolas Cooper-Lewter These affirmations remind us that God is working today for our good. While other Christians use the symbol of Spirit to speak of God?s work in the world on humanities behalf, I believe that my own tradition speaks of this work being towards a resolution. This symbol is used to speak of not just the Spirit?s work, but also the deepening of the Spirit?s work as time moves forward to realization of God?s ultimate intention.

Many Adventists who teach this symbol have often only used it as an apologetic device that is meant to show that Seventh-day Adventism is a valid movement. Sometimes Adventists also fall into a trap of only using the symbol to calculate the timetable of the closing events of earth?s history. Such uses of the Heavenly Temple symbol cannot provide help in fighting passivity. The heavenly temple ministry emphasizes an increasing maturation process in the world. The Holy Spirit is working in the world largely through human agencies for the maturation of the world. This maturation includes not just individuals but also communities.Adventist theology usually follows evangelicals by emphasizing individuals and ignoring communities. I believe that this kind of thinking is not being true to where that symbol can take us. Reflection on the symbol reminds us that Christ is not working only for individuals but also for communities. The whole emphasis on individuals to the exclusion of communities can be very problematic. Another important component of the Adventist view is that humanity is being perfected by this work. This tells me that what I do changes me and makes me a better citizen of the kingdom. A final important concept is that the work must be completed for the second coming to happen.

Thus, humanity has a work to do. This work is required for the Second Advent. God does not wish to obliterate human agency. God wishes Humanity to choose the side that humanity wishes to be on. This choice is not a passive choice, but an active one. We choose by doing. We learn by doing. This is something that the Sabbath symbol teachesas well, we become more and more like God?s intention by participating in God?s intention. As we work to get our institutions and everything human to be in concert with divine will we become changed to be more like the divine. Humanity must follow where the Holy Spirit is leading. Humanity is not sitting idly waiting for the Second Advent. If the Holy Spirit is working in humanity to bring humanity to God?s current intention right now, then we are to cooperate with that working then. Thus we will not sit back while the demonic overcomes the divine in this world.

Second Advent and Passivity

History?s basic aim is towards the ultimate intention of God. We have a glimpse of the appearance of God?s ultimate intention by looking at Creation and can thus believe that it includes much of God?s original intention. So we can be assured that it includes equality and justice. But more than this we also see a reversal of the effects of evil. The Biblical record often shows a reversal of what is expected.For example the first is last in Matthew 20:16. The high are brought low and the low are brought high. Ultimately we are looking at the removal of all the results of sin. Like God?s original intention we cannot totally define God?s ultimate intention besides stating that it includes this reversal of sin and its effects. The Second Advent is the event that ushers in this era of God?s ultimate intention. The Second Advent is the finishing up or the doing for humanity what cannot be done through humanity in that God does not wish to overthrow human choice.

It is true that such a teaching could lead to passivity or ignoring of evil in this world. I believe that such a position is unfounded for Christians who accept the Sabbath as principle to live by in that the Sabbath calls for an active participation in God?s intention. As we have noted, the Sabbath calls for participation in God?s intention, but this problem of passivity will be more fully answered as we move to a look at the current work of the Spirit in humanity as shown in the symbol of the heavenly temple. In this work, God is doing all that God can do in humanity. If humanity does not do its work then they will put off the culmination of God?s intention.

Shallow Worship Materials

On Pastor Ryan Bell's blog he has a discussion of the difficulty of preaching on the subject of worship. That discussion made me think about certain worship services that I have attended. I began to think specifically about the transition from theological songs to a lot of the "praise" songs that are sung in many churches today.

I can remember when a church I attended once moved from using Gospel songs for praise to the common praise songs. I can remember the transition from "Power in the Blood" or even "Through it All" to songs were the total lyrical content is in the title. ?Lord you are Holy, Yes You Are Holy, You are so holy to me. Lord you are Holy, Yes you are holy, Holy you are and holy you?ll be.? Then the word ?Holy? is changed to ?Righteous? and the whole song is sung again. Then sung successively through 3 other words and finally closes with ?All-That.? People are not told about the Christian meta-narrative. We are not formed in the knowledge of what God has done for us or for others...

Marva Dawn said ?shallow...worship materials?will not reveal the truth about God. Instead, these shallow materials will shape shallow theology and form us superficially.? Much better songs would help to place us in the ?meta-narrative.? I hasten to add that I am not talking about worship style. Before that move to praise songs some of the songs that were sung were contemporary Gospel songs about God's work on our behalf and for others. Some spoke of some theological underpinings of the Christian faith. But somehow we joined the larger movement in the Christian world towards trivial songs with very little theological or even pastoral content.

Can the Christian church that is used to singing about the trinity, the power of God on our behalf, the grace of the Cross be changed by singing songs that just Praise God but never talk about why or who the God is we praise? Will the lyrical content change make us more shallow as Dawn has suggested? Does the fact that many churches of many denominational groups are singing these shallow songs mean that we have some difficult days ahead as a Christian church?

What do you Think?

Second Advent and Passivity - Sabbath and Eschatology

As noted above, when humanity remembers the Sabbath one is commemorating the creation event. This is a component, but it is more than commemorative, it is also participatory. Every week we participate in the Sabbath. We are seeking to live in God?s intention. First, it seeks to commemorate God?s original intention. To commemorate and participate in God?s original intention, we must first understand what God?s intention was at creation. Reflection on my own ecclesial and ethnic traditions informs me that first of all God?s original intention was to make all of humanity in God?s image. God?s original intention was for humanity to live equally. A reflection on how the Sabbath evolved through the Biblical record confirms this for all individuals in Israel including slave, free, rich, and poor took part in the responsibilities as well as the benefits of the Sabbath. Even the animals were to ?rest? (Exodus 20:10). For the purposes of this paper, I will use equality as a component of God?s original intention. Thus, to commemorate and participate in Sabbath we should be commemorating and participating in God?s original intention which includes equality. Seventh-day Adventists sometimes have emphasized the refraining from work aspect of the 7th day without emphasizing this participation in God?s intention aspect. We participate in equality in the world as we stand up for the vision of the Sabbath in the world.

The Sabbath allows us to live in God?s original intention although partially today. Today we can see the in breaking of the Kingdom. Today by reflection on this symbol we can gain a clearer perception of what God?s intention is and thus what the fullness of God?s kingdom will look like. The Sabbath itself does not allow one to fall into a trap of quietism where one does nothing. The Sabbath pushes us to see the world as God would see it. This first step clarifies our view of the world in light of others.

Because of the participatory aspects of the Sabbath, one cannot ever fall into a trap of just looking on or observing. If one is truly remembering God?s creative acts, or as I have put it remembering God?s intention, one will participate in it which means an active disengagement with all that is not in line with God?s intention.

Second Advent and Passivity - Three Symbols

Sabbath

In this section of the paper, I will briefly describe the three symbols that I will use. The first symbol is the Sabbath. This is a symbol that reminds humanity to look back at creation. Thus, the Sabbath is a symbol of the commemoration of divine creation. Because God called what God created ?very good? (Gen 1:31), I will call original creation God?s original intention for humanity. Creation is a work solely of God. Humanity did not participate in it, but humanity participates in its celebration. Contemplating and understanding God?s world as originally given will cause one to contemplate God?s desires of wholeness, equality, perfection, and justice.

Second Advent of Jesus Christ

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ is another symbol that is important to my own theological reflections. Here there is a breaking in of divine into the human realm. I wish to describe this as the institution of God?s ultimate intention in the world. God?s original intention at creation has gone through some change as a result of human failings, but God still has a plan. Humanity had no part in creation that we symbolize in the Sabbath. Humanity also will not have any part in the Second Advent per-se? beside just watching and celebrating. This might give one the impression that there is nothing for humanity to do. However, the Heavenly Temple ministry of Jesus Christ is a symbol where we can see humanities role in the realization of the ultimate intention of God in history. The Heavenly Temple ministry of Jesus Christ is also a historical bridge between the creation symbolized in the Sabbath and the Second Advent. This is God?s current intention for the world.

The Heavenly Temple Ministry

The Heavenly Temple ministry is a time when Jesus is guiding history towards God?s intention.One can see glimpses of this ministry by looking at how Hebrews speaks of Christ as High Priest in the heavenlies (Hebrews 7-9) and the picture of Christ as priest in Revelation (see Revelation 1:9-17). While Jesus Christ is performing this work in heaven that he became qualified for because of his humanity (see Hebrews 2), the Holy Spirit is performing a role on the earth as comforter (John 14:6). So the Holy Spirit performs a work on earth while Jesus Christ is performing a work in heaven. Seventh-day Adventists believe that this work is the same work observed from different angles. Jesus Christ in heaven is performing a work for us while the Holy Spirit on earth is performing a work in us. Both work together to bring history to the climax that will end at the Second Advent of Jesus the Christ. For my purposes, I will not differentiate between the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In this paper I will only speak of the Holy Spirit?s work in humanity on the earth rather than talk about Jesus Christ?s work in heaven.

Must Belief in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ Promote Passivity?

In the next few posts I will serialize a paper I wrote to address this question. In this post I will give the introduction of the paper:

The Second Advent and Passivity: A Position Paper on Eschatology

As one reads the literature produced by many who accept a literal Second Advent of Jesus Christ, one sees what I believe to be a problematic emphasis on passivly waiting and seeing God unfold what God said would happen in the Bible. In many cases there is nothing for humanity to do and the Christian simply watches with "inside information" on what will happen in the end. This kind of eschatology can promote a passivity that merely supports the status quo in the world. I believe that there will be a literal, visible Second Advent where Jesus Christ will break into human history to fully set up the Kingdom of God on this earth. However, this belief does not necessarily promote passivity or mere acceptance of the status quo. I will show that this kind of emphasis on passively waiting actually postpones the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

The Seventh-day Adventist church teaches that right now both human and divine agencies are in a work that is a pre-requisite to the Second Advent. In other words there is something that humanity, with the help of God, must do before the Second Advent can take place. In this paper, I will describe this work as bringing God?s intention for humanity. At creation, we see God?s original intention for humanity. At the Second Advent, we see God?s ultimate intention for humanity. Today in the ongoing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit, we see God seeking to implement God?s current intention for humanity.

We cannot fully describe any of God?s intentions for we don?t have a full record of creation neither do we have a full record of how the Kingdom of God will look after the Second Advent, but we can catch a glimpse. We can catch a glimpse of these intentions by appealing to ethnic tradition as exemplified in the yearnings of the slaves in their spirituals. We can catch a glimpse by theological reflection on the demands of justice and mercy. We can catch a glimpse by looking at God?s intentions in the Bible and in the doctrines and teachings of my own and other ecclesial traditions. In this paper, I will organize my reflection with three primary symbols from my ecclesial tradition that speak to God?s intention and humanities work in bringing God?s intention. My guiding purpose is to show how reflection on God?s intention can help to sidestep the possibility of passivity in light of the Second Advent.

C. D. Brooks Resources

Someone wanted me to send them links to all of the C. D. Brooks resources that I know of. Well here they are:

The first is a link to the sermon "Want my Church Back!" This one is hosted at adventist affirm. In it Pastor Brooks speaks to his desire to have the church return to a core identity.

If you actually want to hear the sermon on a MP3 you can go to HopeMedia. They have two MP3s of pastor Brooks. In addition to "I want my Church Back," they also have a sermon "A sense of Urgency."

You also might wish to see Pastor Brooks' sermons at the General Youth Congress of 2005. I have a post to about it here. At the General Youth Congress site you can actually watch two of C.D. Brooks' sermons.

I also have a link to a CD Brooks sermon entitled "Trash Talking."

Finally I would invite you to read my post on Pastor Brooks' preaching style in my Preaching with Power series.

Revive us, O Lord. Pastor Charles Brooks presents 3 sermons at the Riverside Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nashville, TN. You can see all three of them at this link.

Thanks to Cheryl Palmer for sending in these links to C. D. Brooks Sermons.

• Who in the World are You? - Preached at North Philadelphia SDA Church. Found on Pastor Keith Goodman's website.


• A Sermon at ChurchPond.com


• The Faithful Witness - This site has a number of sermons from Pastor Brooks. They are mostly links to other sites.

1. Friendly Fire - It is the fourth sermon from the top.


2. South Eastern Conference Campmeeting - Sermon from 2005


3. Sermon at the Evangelism Council


4. The Royal Line - Look at April 21, 2007.

Don't forget the website CDBrooks.com.

Thanks for sending in these locations. You can find 2 of Pastor C. D. Brooks videosat this link: http://www.theloudcry.net/C.D.%20Brooks.html.

If you know of any more resources available please let me know...