I have been pondering the Lordship of Christ. I am beginning to think that it might be time to reconsider the whole Kings and Kingdoms paradigm that existed when Jesus walked the earth. This idea has persisted all throughout history. The first real crack in that foundation was the American Revolution. It has been called the "5000 year leap." It codified the completely novel idea that People are inherently, intrinsically free!
The birth of freedom as a concept in government has changed our culture in ways that the philosophers during the Age of Reason could only imagine. I think we need to apply a similar lens to the Church.
Much of scripture is about freedom. I have often joked that God is a Libertarian. Freedom of will is prominent in biblical teachings. Accordingly, I believe we can alter some of the ideas about God that have us bowing down to him as a king.
Look, I know what the bible says about this. Regardless of your commitment to the authority of scripture, I wish you would just consider what I am proposing. I believe we can accomplish much toward preserving the authenticity and impact of scripture if we just take the concept of Kings and Kingdoms to be less a commandment and more a reflection of the culture. We can, instead, emphasize our oneness with Christ. This is also in scripture. When we find passages in the bible that seem to contradict each other, I believe we should lean toward the interpretation that most looks like universal love. I think that whatever draws us closer to God, is far more authentic than adherence to a set of arbitrary rules that are complicit with the notion of serving a king. Jesus considers us friends and brothers. You don't bow down and swear allegiance to either your friends or brothers.
This is not an attempt to dismiss the idea of being in awe of God. It doesn't mean we should not be grateful for all the blessings we have received. Especially life. That is the greatest blessing of all. I just have to believe that God wants to spend eternity in communion with us as friends and brothers rather than ruling us as an Overlord.
This idea also fits with my Universal concept of salvation. A friend and brother will not punish you by having you burn for eternity. In fact punishment will be the farthest thing from his mind. :)
