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Christianity Today, September, 2008 |

On the Grand Canyon Bus

The Christian life is about the journey as well as the destination.

Philip Yancey | posted 9/25/2008 10:07AM

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Some people of faith tend to be either/or. A suicide bomber, for example, willingly forfeits this life for the hope of rewards in the next. That utterly contradicts the Christian message, for Jesus taught us to pray that God's will be done "on earth as it is in heaven." When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, he described it as taking shape now, on this planet.

The world does not need either/or people of whatever persuasion—neither the believer who sees life as something merely to endure, nor the George Orwell who realizes all too late that he sawed off the limb he was resting on.

Rather, we need both/and Christians, people devoted to God's creatures and God's children as well as to God, and as committed to this life as to the afterlife, to this city as to the heavenly city. Otherwise, the rhetoric from Democrats in Colorado, as well as from Republicans in Minnesota, will be just that: empty rhetoric. For, as Habermas says, a democracy of free people must look elsewhere for the qualities its citizens need.

Related Elsewhere:

Yancey's previous columns are available on our site.

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September 2008, Vol. 52, No. 9

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Clinton

Posted: September 28, 2008 6:47 PM

Mr. Yancey, we definitely need both/and Christians. I heartily agree with you. The problem arises when we think earthly solutions are sufficient and eliminate our dependence on God. Most certainly, as Christians we believe "our kingdom is not of this world" and daily we pray for His Kingdom to come, yet if we think we can solve the world's problems through human strength alone, we as Christians are to be pitied. We must work for the good of all mankind, but in the end it is only the proclamation of the Gospel that redeems us and redeems the earth as St. Paul says. It therefore troubles me that some Christians claim to advocate caring for the earth, etc while propagating abortion and gay marriage. Likewise, we cannot claim to love God and ignore the poor, hungry and homeless. A Christianity that is bereft of the crucified Christ is not Christianity at all. And why do some keep blaming Mr. Bush for all the world's ills. He's certainly been wrong many times but aren't we all to blame too?

Valerie Reed

Posted: September 27, 2008 8:54 AM


I love Philip Yancey for his open heart and open mind. I believe we need to keep these during this election and not follow the ways of the past eight years as gullible, blinded pessimists. We can set this world back on a better track for our children, our parents, our animals in danger and our neighbors in need. We can live the dream and not be ashamed in 2008.

Gregory Chase

Posted: September 26, 2008 3:50 PM

I believe there needs to be a balance here. This world is important but the Kingdom is in this world and the next. The Kingdom that exits here is will only reach its fulness in the future. I really didn't like the bus analogy because we are not sightseers on the journey, we are pilgrims going for the Celetial City. God requires us not to be spectators but participants in the building of His Kingdom.

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