Are You Living in the Bad News or Good News Version of the Christian Message?
I want to put my cards on the table at the outset; the Christian tradition I come out of firmly holds to the “bad news Christian message” that I’ll unpack in detail below. Though I no longer hold to this view or its implications on the character of God or the purpose of the Christian life, coming from a background that emphasizes this view, I’m intimately familiar with it.
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The bad news version of the Christian message is very motivating and persuasive in convincing people to generously volunteer countless hours of their time and willingly choose to leave careers, comforts, and community to raise money to convert people groups deemed “unreached” in foreign countries. Honestly, this view also drives the annual giving of $378 billion to faith-based enterprises.
As mentioned above, tied to each view are the questions “What does this view teach me about God?” and “What is the purpose of the Christian life?” I’ll discuss what each view teaches about God, but I want to share upfront what I believe the purpose of the Christian life to be.
I agree with New Testament Scholar Marcus Borg;
“The Christian life is about a relationship with God that transforms us into more compassionate beings. The God of love and justice is the God of relationship and transformation.” (The Heart of Christianity, p. 76)
The Bad News View of the Christian Message
Let’s get the bad news out of the way. The bad news view is that there will be a final judgment either at the end of our lives or at the end of history. If you don’t believe in Jesus and hold to specific ‘core’ doctrines, you have an eternity burning in hell waiting for you. At the heart of this view is Christianity based on threat (believe this or else!), anxiety, and self-preservation.
God of Supernatural Theism
Many, if not most, Americans first encounter Christianity through exposure to the ‘bad news’ view of the Christian message. God, in this view, is a personlike being. This view is called Supernatural theism and believes God created the universe, and upon completion, God and the universe now exist separate and independent of each other.
As an independent being, God lives somewhere in the cosmos and occasionally chooses to intervene in human history, which is known as miracles. The problem is if God chooses to intervene in some situations or for some people, it also means there are circumstances where God decides not to intervene. In this view, God has a severe favoritism issue or is even evil.
Hijacking of God’s Grace
Furthermore, the bad news version is highly hypocritical. Though adherents to this view frequently bring up ‘salvation by grace,’ ‘God’s unconditional love,’ and ‘the free gift of salvation,’ the truth is there are conditions to God’s grace. A condition is any situation where an ultimatum is made.
“God gave his son to die on the cross for you to forgive your sin…if you put your faith in Jesus.”
It’s such a small word, ‘if,’ but it significantly impacts God’s grace. Wherever an if clause is attached to grace, it becomes conditional, which means it ceases to be grace. Don’t believe me? Let’s visit our friend the dictionary.
According to the New American Oxford Dictionary, grace is;
“the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.”
When grace becomes about belief, we’ve added a condition to God’s grace. However, unconditional grace is not about belief or the afterlife but a relationship with God in the here and now. Ultimately, the bad news view is terrible because it’s driven by fear of an afterlife being eternally tortured. It turns God into a spirit being “out there” who plays favorites and is incredibly moody when interceding on behalf of humanity. Finally, the unconditional grace of God is replaced with the ultimatum to believe the right things or face God’s wrath.
The Good News View of the Christian Message
Whew! I’m SO glad we got through the bad news. The good news view is an invitation to a new life right now, not in some distant afterlife. Yes, you read that right. The good news is about a new life that transforms us personally today. Not only does God invite us to be changed today, but God also seeks our partnership to transform life in this world.
Let’s be clear: the good news of the bad news version is that some will be saved from eternal fire sometime in the future. Once fire insurance is secured, there’s not much motivation to experience a relationship with God this side of eternity.
God of Panentheism
However, God is fully present in the good news version, even as I clickity-clack this article on my keyboard. I’m sure God is present now because God desires a relationship in this life to transform me and everyone else now, not in some distant afterlife. This implication has a massive impact on the God-world relationship.
What I’m describing about God’s presence is known as panentheism. So I don’t butcher unpacking this view; I turn things over again to Marcus Borg;
“Though the word panentheism is only about two hundred years old, the notion is very ancient. Rather than imagining God as a personlike being ‘out there,’ this concept imagines God as the encompassing Spirit in whom everything that is, is. The universe is not separate from God, but in God.” (The Heart of Christianity, p. 77)
For example, God is in the chair I’m currently sitting in, but God is not the chair. God is present in everything while simultaneously being greater than everything. This idea is what Paul is referring to in Acts 17:28 (NRSVue),
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’
We are in God because God is in everything while also being greater than everything. Seeing God as ‘right here’ makes God both fully present and transcendent.
Experiencing the Full Presence of God Today
The good news view helps us see God not as a distant being that sometimes intervenes in human affairs. Instead, panentheism allows us to focus on divine intention and interaction that helps us further experience God and be transformed into more Christlikeness.
The good news about the good news version of the Christian message is the confidence and assurance that God is fully present in the here and now. God is always ready and waiting to enter a deeper relationship with us without strings attached. God isn’t out there, occasionally appearing with no rhyme or reason. There are no beliefs or dogmatic conditions to enter a relationship with God. Most of all, God desires to transform us and the world now, not simply save some from being tortured forever.
At the heart of the vision of the good news of the Christian message is transformed people and a transformed world filled with the glory of God today.
I AM JAMES GÓMEZ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
