This Does Not Compute

Here is a conflict that I do not know how to resolve. One vein of spiritual thought focuses upon the wondrous miracle of Creation by cultivating an existential sense of awe and reverence. Another focus, however, is upon the apocalyptic destruction of everything in order to make way for a new (and improved?) creation. What greatly puzzles me is how these two opposites manage to coexist in homogenized theologies that end up arguing against themselves. Yes, God’s Creation is a thing of beauty to be cherished and revered at all times. But, God’s Creation has become so corrupt and perverse that the only cure is to wipe it all out and start over again. Since this becomes a piece of theological cake that you can’t have and still eat, one is left with having to choose between them. My study of Jesus has not revealed that he had much—if anything—to say about the eschaton, the end of time. Again, the apocalypticism of Scripture has emerged from other sources of interpretation, but I cannot find that Jesus was ever one of them. Jesus’ gospel is not one of future events but is rather about the imminence of God’s presence in our lives. This is a fundamental difference of opinion, and its affect upon worldview is profound because it is quite apparent that those whose faith is placed in a future replacement are not going to be interested in working on solutions for the present. Which worldview do we want in control of the red button in the Oval Office?