My previous post on the theme of “alernative concepts” to the “Kingdom of God” warrants a few more considerations. It occurred to me this morning as I re-read the post that there is a MAJOR qualifier in “The Kingfom” that Jesus proclaimed. That is: “of God”. That seems to be sufficiently indicative of how DIFFERENT this KINGDOM is as it stands in direct contrast to “the kingdoms of this world”.

It is painfully obvious that what some would consider “of God” is anything but. There is plenty of theological rationale going around for thouroughly Godless/Jesus-free ideas and perspectives. It is certainly implied in this “Kingdom of God” that we are posed with the quesiton of how a Kingdom that is ‘of God” differs from the kingdoms with which we normally asssociate with the idea.

I still have a postive affection and sense for “The Kingdom of God” nonetheless. The distortions are not to be ignored, however. This is part of the holding in contrast. The process of noticing and challenging the sociological and economic assumptions at work in the various “KIngdoms” put forth as what such a thing embodied looks like is an important theological exercise, and one that has political impact , by virtue of the challenge posed by an alternative.

The embodiment of this is to be centered in the church- the body of Christ is that re-oredering and the living out of those “social” structures that constitute “Kingdom.” And here we are back to the argument about how this alternative polis is to relate to the “world”.

I may have to go get the McLaren book to delve into the way he treats this, and give me some well articulated ideas to analyze and explore. I have a feeling that I will have quite a different set of reflections on such matters than I would have just a year ago, after having immersed myself in Hauerwas, Bonhoefer, Radical Orthodoxy, etc.