Daniel Dessinger

Month: May 2016

  • Jacques Ellul Challenges My Eschatology

    As a child growing up around Methodists, Baptists, and Charismatics, I soaked up a hodgepodge of End Times theories. The most common End of the World issue was “The Rapture”, and whether it would come before the great tribulation, during the great tribulation, or after.

    If you’re not familiar with these age-old religious terms, let’s get that out of the way. The Great Tribulation is the nickname for a predicted period of intense global calamity and suffering yet to come. Just imagine global pandemics, wars, destructive earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear devastation, and you’ll get the idea. This period of global catastrophe is expected to end with the total destruction of the earth as we know it.

    The Rapture is what people call a moment in the Future when Jesus will return from Heaven to gather true believers from Earth and bring them out of pain and suffering to join him in an epic banquet feast. John,author of Revelation, described a vision in which a NEW Heaven and NEW Earth are created which will never be destroyed.

    Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

    And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

    Revelation 21

     

    Why the New Earth Concept Is Dangerous

    People of faith seem to feel very little responsibility to steward Earth. Despite the fact that God created this habitat for man and woman to thrive and to oversee. Why aren’t Christians the most sustainable, regenerative, and ecologically active people on the face of this planet? Because why spend time on something that’s gonna just burn.

    That’s right. Believers tend to see Earth as temporary, so they treat it like it’s disposable. They litter. They waste. They consume. They ignore.  And then they have the audacity to go out into the world and try to make littering wasting consuming disciples.

    The World I WANT To See

    People who accept and believe that Adam and Eve were the first humans, and that the garden was created specifically for them to live in and steward should lead the charge to innovate in regenerative agriculture. That means healing the earth, restoring the soil, replenishing nutrients, and fostering a more beneficial ecosystem than they experienced the day they were born.

    It makes total sense to me that, if we could honestly reread Revelation and find a predictive path that excludes global destruction, we would discover a mandate to foster the paradise we wish to inhabit for all Eternity.

    There are so many reasons why this interpretation would work. Just take stewardship alone. Why hand a brand new Earth to a bunch of worthless unfaithful stewards? Why would they suddenly take good care of Earth 2? Wouldn’t it rather make better sense to reward good and faithful service with an incorruptible version or enhanced version of the garden they have labored faithfully to establish.

    That’s the End Times vision I WANT to see.

    But am I pie-in-the-sky dreaming? Jacques Ellul seems to think so. In his book, Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation, Ellul makes a convincing case for the standard Earth-will-be-utterly-destroyed worldview.

    He addresses my wishful thinking in this passage:

    This description of human rejoicing in a universe of nature is not, as we shall see, a small theological error. This is fundamental. We can discern three essential elements: the New of God, the City, the Warning.

    The first evidence is that the new creation, which is absolutely new, comes only through judgment and destruction: first, a radical crisis is necessary, annihilation that falls upon all: nature, humanity, history, and the powers. This death is inevitable in order that something truly new appear; this judgment is indispensable for the separation of the wheat and the tares. There is then no continuity. The city of God is not at the end of human progress, at the end of history by a sort of accumulation of the works of man; at this end there is found only Babylon. Our works then are not a linear and cumulative preparation for the celestial Jerusalem.

    In the Apocalypse there is no idea of a fulfillment by historical progress. The old things that are effaced (the first heaven, the first earth, have disappeared) are characterized here only by Death, Suffering, Separation. All the rest that was the grandeur of man has never been exempt. All that which was happiness, good, beauty is transitory and passing. All was under the sign of suffering and separation: which was the sign not of pessimism, but of discernment of the most profound reality.

    This statement flies directly in the face of the Bethel Church eschatology espoused briefly by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson. They’ve shared over the years that they see a very different End Times than the standard churn-and-burn eschatology. They have chosen to live as though believers have been given the mandate to usher in the Kingdom here on earth, and that what we do may establish the New Heaven and New Earth with the old’s complete destruction or disposal.

    That’s a future I WANT to see, but I’m in pursuit of understanding what I should believe. As I’ve mentioned, I see the current mode of interpretation leading to a despicable irresponsibility. This result does not line up with what I know of the Father. He fashioned us carefully to be faithful stewards of this habitat he placed us within. Whether we need a new interpretation of Revelation or simply a more mature response to its current interpretation, I do not know.

    I know that I see far more symbolism than realism in Revelation than I used to, so I’ve made it my mission to pursue a deeper understanding.

  • Be The Change You Want To See

    You have two choices. They’re the same two choices your neighbor has. And the same two your wife or husband has. Your boss, your teacher, your brother and sister – all have the same two choices to choose from each day.

    A) Will I follow the easy path life presents me?

    B) Will I chart a new path because I am compelled to be the best I can be?

    If you answered B, then taking each day as it comes is not an option. It’s an intentional life choice, filled with uncertainty and unpredictability. But it’s also fraught with new experiences and delightful adventures.

    Think differently.

    Pop culture won’t get you where you want to go. It’s the common thread of our existence today, and yet it’s harmful effects drain the lifeblood from aspiring artists and world changers everywhere.

    It’s time to think differently about relevance. Too many people seek to be relevant through commonality. I know the same music and movies as you. I follow the same celebrity gossip that you do. We have common ground because we consume the same things and idolize the same people. That mentality generates more of the same. If you want sameness, this is your path.

    But if you seek a life of purpose and meaning, pop culture is NOT your ally. Seek out the voices in the shadows. Seek out recommendations from the experts in your areas of interest. The Gene Logsdons and Graham Cooke’s of the world can’t be found on TMZ or Facebook News

    Shop differently.

    Do you buy new things instead of repairing old? Do you throw things away that bore you and replace them on a whim? Do you spend more and more money on holiday gifts to prove your affection for friends and family? That’s the path of consumer culture. Buy to feel better. Shopping as entertainment.

    It’s time to shop differently. Consider the products you normally buy. Where are they made? Under what conditions? How does the creation of these products affect the natural habitat of birds, fish, and mammals we need to maintain ecological balance? Could you build what you need instead? Perhaps a neighbor would be willing to trade so that products aren’t wasted or prematurely disposed.

    We create the world we want to live in every time we spend a dollar. Whether on plastic baubles or meaningful experiences.

    Work differently.

    What type of career path will you choose? Will you seek a job where the salary is guaranteed but the opportunity is limited? Will you sacrifice creativity for stability? Or will you blaze a trail and create the job around the meaningful work you already want to do?

    When you go to work, will you punch the clock and bide your time, or will you make the most of every minute? Success occurs when opportunity aligns with preparation. Preparation takes place for years prior to opportunity. This is your time. Your opportunity. Use it wisely.

    Church differently.

    Do you show up once a week to listen to someone speak and then return to your “real” and completely different life? Or do you seek to BE church and hone your God-given gifts and abilities by sharing them with people every day? Service, encouragement, teaching, prophecy, administration, shepherding… opportunities are everywhere.

    Eat differently.

    Is food a convenient pleasure? Or is it an intentional sacrament. Without getting legalistic, there is much meaning and richness to be found in the simple act of eating a meal. How you choose to think about food impacts the quality and convenience of each meal. And your direct involvement affects your connection to the world from which your food came. Are you drawing a closer connection to the soil? Or do you partake in a vacuum?

    Play differently.

    Does recreational time require expensive purchases or simple pleasures? Are you sedentary or active? Do you engage with others or isolate and consume? Recreation recreates your soul. How you partake defines your path and who you will become.

    Be the change.

    Intentionality. Each day you choose who you will be five, ten, twenty years from now. The smallest choices steer the largest ships. Where are you headed? Look to your choices. They tell the tale.

  • Raising Children to Think Like Entrepreneurs

    This is one of my favorite all-time family pics. I call this “Beach Hustle.”

    My daughter Katie wasn’t reading yet, so don’t geek out too much. But I love this photograph because it puts two worlds together that I couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. My daughter has a wholly different understanding of normal than I had at her age.

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