Image from the move, 2012.
"And here we go"...
The Joker: The Dark Knight.
"You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times"
Jesus - Matthew 16:3.
A very interesting piece of material came across my path this week. Entitled Collapse, it's a documentary from a clearly Marxist perspective on the current state of affairs.
Watching the first 5-10 minutes really tells you all you need to know - the kind of moment depicted above in the movie 2012 could well be close at hand, not in regards to the environment (although there are plenty who would contend for that as our major problem), but amongst the instruments of governance of human society.
Russell Chandler in the concluding section of his 1993 book, Doomsday (a fascinating overview of all the times people thought the world's end had pretty well arrived), talks about how before the final curtain, Jesus tells us there will be a period of extensive 'sifting' - a theme clearly picked up by John in Revelation 18, when he observes the principally economic (see verses 3 & 11) fall that will precede Christ's second coming.
After an initial phase (the first 3 minute introduction), in measure pushing buttons about the fear and consequences of the current pandemic, the narrative of the documentary commences to probe what is happening more extensively in our society - the oncoming collapse of capitalism.
I'm about to enter my sixth decade, so I've certainly seen my share of troubles and anyone who knows me will know that I have some "possibles" in respect to the signs of our times, but what got me is how this documentary is underlining about what is coming, and coming on fast.
It's when the narrative begins to spell out what has already happened that you realise that the apocalypse, in some respects, has already occurred - we are now living in the aftermath; the tidal wave is just over the horizon.
Some people saw this coming. The brilliant movie, The Big Short, tells the true story of how a small group of American investors saw the coming collapse of the corrupt sub prime loans system and made a fortune investing against the banks. Sadly, however, the rot did not end there, and we are about to experience the full measure of the consequences of what has become a global financial nightmare.
This is what genuinely troubles me about the pandemic. Everyday, for months now we have woken up to headlines and broadcasts about this 'horror', which has certainly caused a spate of terrible deaths, but this focus has meant, particularly recently, that actual news about the astonishing crash of the dollar, the demise of global trade and the paralysis of our world resulting from this has almost become a footnote even though the extraordinary consequences are going to be with us for decades, if not generations, to come.
You have to ask yourself, what is going on, and why does so much of our current circumstances parallel what we saw in the world nearly a century ago, which lead to the horrors of global war?
The option so often at present seems to be just worry about staying healthy by following the 'guidance' given by those in authority. The problem is, in respect to the quake that's coming, 'stay(ing) alert' about catching a virus is akin to using Protect and Survive to face a nuclear detonation!
This all brings me to what I want to address in respects to the theological ramifications of what's unfolding - where do we go from here if this is so?
It's pretty clear in the current context that the citizens of 'free' nations, including church-goers, are having to adhere to the stipulations that, in the light of the last four months, are being issued by their respective governments, but are we reaching a point where this will change?
The tail end of the lockdowns has been a venue for numerous acts of protest and riot to renounce authority in some form, but there are genuine concerns arising as to where Christians should stand in future in regards to mandates issued that directly impact upon assembly, worship and the health of the church.
The Mockingbird website published a superb piece this week that really probes the nature of where we are and going on much of this - the whole piece is well worth reading, but to just touch on one aspect of what's said:
"Justification and ultimate redemption are not about fixing whatever’s broken. The justification of the Church requires that it first go beyond the bounds of self-salvation. If the Church is the body of Christ, it must not flourish—it must, like all of us, die It must be pitched up at the place of the skull where it boasts nothing but “Christ and him crucified".
And it's how we bring about that kind of 'flourishing' that really needs to concern us right now, which brings me, neatly, to the other item, I came across this week, that speaks volumes to us as Christians. There's one moment in what's declared here that I quibble with (the new understanding of Paul and Justification) as I think it's flawed, but aside from that, this needs to be shouted from the rooftops!
Beyond the social distancing and the masks, the forbidding of the cup and the hymn, lies the real 'light' we are called to fellowship in as wretched sinners saved entirely by grace - let's not loose sight of that as the walls begin to close around us, for only Christ saves, and we're going to need that rescue big time in the days that are just ahead.
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