CHRISTIANITY
Islam
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Judaism
What might the future have in store for the religion and
its followers?
by Kendra Hotz
Christian
theology teaches that the Kingdom of God has begun and is in our
midst even now, but also that it has not yet fully come. Christians,
in other words, believe that they live between the “already”
and the “not yet.” Christians live in the meantime and
look forward to a future that brings God’s final triumph over
evil. What Christians believe the future holds in store sets the
agenda for how they are to act here and now.
Christians
believe that in the Kingdom of God, the earth is renewed and restored
to its pristine state, human beings are resurrected and live—
body and soul—in peace and love, and all aspects of creation,
including the plants and animals, live in harmony and beauty. Since
Christians are to live now in joyful anticipation of God’s
coming reign, they are to work for reconciliation and justice, bodily
and spiritual health, and ecologically responsible policies that
reflect that future. Because the Christian faith also teaches that
in the Kingdom of God all people will affirm and joyfully submit
to the lordship of Jesus Christ, Christians work to proclaim the
good news of the gospel to all people.
Aside
from these theological descriptions of what Christians believe the
future holds, we can identify some descriptive possibilities. For
instance, the Christian faith will most likely continue to grow
in areas geographically and culturally different from Europe and
North America. Both conflict
and renewal will likely grow as Christians from Asia, Africa, Oceania,
and Latin America become more prominent and Christians in Europe
and North America become increasingly aware of the global context
of the Christian faith.
As
Christians seek a unified faith in the midst of diverse cultural
forms, they will need to engage in sustained conversations and interactions
with one another. These sustained engagements will likely have an
impact on both belief and practice. Christian theologians will need
to find ways to accommodate diverse expressions of Christian belief,
especially as that diversity emerges from historical and cultural
differences. Likewise, worship and ministry practices may evolve
as different global contexts begin to influence one another. These
developments in belief and practice will inevitably bring some conflict,
but they also contain the seeds of significant renewal for the church.
Developments
in global Christianity may well fuel a continued quest for unity,
such as is found in the ecumenical movement. Attention to differences
in culture and language and diversity in belief and practice may
prompt Christians to seek what unites them and to affirm with renewed
vigor the catholicity of the church. Already ecumenical conversations
between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches have proven
productive. Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church have
also worked to develop theological documents that affirm their mutual
faithfulness while also respecting continuing differences. Other
Protestant denominations are seeking to establish or restore full
communion among themselves.
Often
this ecumenical spirit has been coupled with interest in liturgical
renewal and reform. Christians often find that they are able to
agree on ways to worship together even when they differ on the finer
points of doctrine. In the future we may see the development of
an increasing number of inter-denominationally shared liturgies.
The basic structure of the ordo may provide a framework
that brings unity to the diverse ways in which different Christian
traditions develop the prayers, sermons, sacraments, and acts of
reconciliation included in worship.
Finally,
the future may bring renewed interest in Christian critique and
reform of culture. Throughout much of the twentieth century, Christians,
especially in Europe and North America, held a dominant and privileged
place in society. But the latter parts of that century and the early
twenty-first century have brought increasing attention to deep social
pluralism. Christians, moreover, have had
to acknowledge that their dominant place, especially in American
society, very often did not mean that the Christian values of justice,
concern for the poor and outcast, and respect for all persons became
the dominant values of their society. The fusion
of faith and culture did more to blunt the prophetic edge of the
Christian faith than it did to critique and transform the culture.
As
American Christians in particular become increasingly aware of the
pluralism of their society, some may seek to reassert their dominance
and to reunite faith and nationalism. But others may take the opportunity
to recover the prophetic voice of the faith so that they are able
with increased integrity to call into question abuses of power and
privilege, to seek justice and reconciliation, and to propose reforms
that cohere with Christian commitments to uphold the poor and the
outcast, the weak and the powerless.
Copyright
©2006 Kendra Hotz
Kendra
G. Hotz serves as Adjunct Professor of Theology at Memphis
Theological Seminary. She formerly taught at Calvin College. Hotz
is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and coauthor
(with Matthew T. Mathews) of Shaping
the Christian Life: Worship and the Religious Affections
(2006) and coauthor of Transforming
Care: A Christian Vision of Nursing Practice (2005).
Excerpts
from What Do Our Neighbors Believe?: Questions and Answers on
Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Howard Greenstein, Kendra
Hotz, and John Kaltner are used by permission from Westminster John
Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky. The book will be available for
purchase in December 2006.
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