02 June 2011

Bad Theology

A snippet from a conversation at youth group a few weeks ago:

Middle schooler: "We have to remember that God isn't just love. I've been reading Revelation and it talks about how Jesus is going to, like, kill us."

Her mom: "Oh, no, honey. Jesus isn't going to kill us. He's going to kill everyone else."

I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or cry.

How have misreadings of Revelation (mis)informed our theology? With this as a forefront view regarding Revelation in modern Christian culture (but not in scholarly circles and Church history, mind you), how can we undo the damage?

There's so much work to do...

2 comments:

Kris said...

Act as an agent of God's will bringing His Kingdom to Earth, thus making revelation (and all prophesy) cease and we can do some Jesus praising! Short of that it will probably take generations to get rid of these fallacies.

Although, I'm proud of the middle-schooler saying "Revelation" instead of "Revelations". That's encouraging!

Joshua S. said...

Ok... but what else are we supposed to think after reading Revelation 19? It's kind of hard to read about him "striking down the nations" and "treading the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God" and not come away with that impression. Do you agree with Martin Luther, that Revelation shouldn't be part of the canon?