"I tell American people sometimes that they are some of the hardest people in the world to preach the things of God to, and you know why? The reason is very simple. We are a people trying to understand kingdom principles with a democratic mindset. The kingdom of God's not a democracy folks, and if you try to relate to God with a democratic mindset, you will be on a completely wrong playing field, and you will not get in touch."In a sense, Bevere is correct. Old models of the divine-human relationship based on kingship, hierarchy, and domination contrast sharply with modern values such as democracy, equality, and self-determination. Those who embrace these values may well chafe at a divine-human relationship paradigm from a rigidly hierarchical era. Progressive theologians have been exploring new paradigms for human relationships with God, but fundamentalists cling to the image of God as king, lord, owner, master. Is it any wonder why such an ideological chasm separates fundamentalists from those who embrace modernity?
As a side note, I present this revealing comment from the 2:52 mark without comment.
"The greatest in the kingdom are those that are like little children. Little children don't question. Little children don't sit there and go, 'Well let's see if that's really the case. I gotta think about this.' You know, one of the greatest nations that we're preaching in right now is the nation of Australia ... When we go down there, it is the most amazing meetings, and the reason is they just sit there and say, 'Tell us. Whatever you tell us, we'll do it.' And you see, that what a child does. A child doesn't sit there and critique you and criticize you and try to find fault with what you say."(See www[dot]god[dot]tv/node/4508)
The two basic messages apparently are "Democracy bad, theocracy good" and "follow blindly like ignorant children".
ReplyDeleteBuffy -- Two familiar messages to those who observe fundamentalists, sadly.
ReplyDeleteYep. My church liked to say how democracy was terrible because it was not a theocracy. If enough wives submitted in everything to their husbands, and enough husbands submitted to their church leaders, then we'd have God's koolaid, I mean kingdom, arrive on earth. So familiar.
ReplyDeletePrairie Nymph -- It's scary to think that there are whole religious communities out there that believe this.
ReplyDelete