Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by thy name, Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This was the subject of our older men’s Sunday School Class a few months ago. I wondered what God’s will on earth might look like? Pop suggested that the last verse in the O.T. might be a prophesy of God’s kingdom here on earth. The last verse, the punch line for the O.T.; no one knew what it was so we had to look. There it was, a prophetic statement, that Fathers would look with favor on their sons and the sons will look with favor on their fathers. God’s kingdom would be a kingdom which would bridge the generations.

I was raised a child of late 60’s and early 70’s. The slogan of the times was “never trust anyone over 30!” But I soon became 30 and I realized generational tensions existed far before my time. Taking wedding photos took me to many churches, everyone with their own history and I wondered how they came to be. In my parent’s generation an Independent Bible Church movement sprung up. In my mind it was a theological response to the political environment of the 20th century. There seems to be a lot of varied viewpoints of how this Jewish state came to be. It does seems that throughout Europe there was a generalize hatred of Jewish people in England as well as in the mainland. One report I found interesting; during WW1 the allies wanted the support of Jewish people. Rumor had that the Germans were going to offer Jews a Jewish state if they supported them so the English did it first. The Ottoman empire controled the Middle East but because the they sided with Germany during WW1 they lost all this territory to England. So England lived up to her promise and open the Middle East for a controled migration. It turns out they could not control it, desparate people do what desparate people do. They came in large numbers to escape the hatred of Europe. While there was some talk among some Christian theologians in the 1800's about a Jewish return to the holy lands, this migration caught the attention of influential theologians who developed a prophetic interpretation of scripture which endorsed this people movement as the will of God. The Jews will retake their homeland, the church will be raptured, the anti-Christ will rule for 7 years, the battle of Armageddon will take place, Jesus will return and reign on the throne of David for 1000 years, then the great judgment will take place and everyone will be in placed in their final state. This theology was called dispensationalism.

Mennonites were not sure what to do with this theology. Traditionally they believed that all the prophecies which Jesus called for prior to his second coming had already been fulfilled already in the first and second century. Jesus could come any time. He would come, there would be the judgement and the rest is eternity. But they were impressed with these Jewish migrations. It sounded Biblical but saying Jesus teachings of loving one’s enemies was not for today but rather for the millennium when Jesus would reign was more the Mennonites leadership was willing to accept. But the Nation was King in the 40’s. God needed our country to fight Nazism in the 40’s, Communism in 50’s. Strong leaders formed Bible studies, began churches and even have their radio station . The flag was posted in their sanctuaries and the honor rolls for serviceman are hung in the vestibules. Then wars defending Israel in 48, 56, 67, and 73 were amazing to everyone. Did God have a hand in those battles. It was a hard time for Mennonite leaders. Could a pastor stand in the pulpit and say those battles were simply the result of American F-16 going up against Camels and hand grenades and God loves the Palestinian every bit as much as the Israelis? Interestingly, the orthodox Jews say this very thing, that zionism is European colonialism. The state of Israel is not what God ever intended but this view is not the view we hear very often. (see posted video) The view promoted by our TV preachers is dispensational theology which provided a way we could interpret these wars as something blessed by God. It created a youth movement of “relevant Christian faith” which embraced the role that our country plays in the world. Mennonite young people left their traditional churches in droves. But today the young people who started these churches are now old and only a remnant of their children still worship with them. Their children would be my age and very few would even know what the Scofield Bible is which articulated the dispensational theology.


30 years later in my generation I remember when Khrushchev put missiles armed with atomic bombs 90 miles off the coast of Florida on Cuba. We feared for what might happen. Communism was a dreaded enemy which threatened to bury us. Vietnam was the country where communism needed to be stopped. But the war drug on and on. Every day we read reports of another 100 Vietnamese dead and another 15 Americans dead. All young men agonized over their draft numbers. Young people were influenced by general skepticism of authority or outright rebellion whether it be government, schools, churches or parents. While the youth movement of the 40’s and 50’s was a movement emphasizing scriptural doctrines, my generation was attracted to mystical experience. We prayed for miracles, gifts of tongues, and prophecies. We were excited that Jesus was cool and people who followed Jesus were Jesus people or Jesus Freaks. I went to a festival in Morgantown called Jesus 73 where 500 people were baptized. It was called the Renewal movement or the Charismatic Church. Interestingly, the people of the youth movement of the 40’s and 50’s were highly critical of this charismatic movement because miracles were not to belong to this dispensation. But strong leaders grew up, first as Bible studies meeting in barns, some of which developed into churches and today they too have their radio station. Again young people left their traditional churches in droves attracted by this experiential spirituality many of whom are my friends. It was a relevant Christian experience which related to where they were in life and it fed their souls. It seemed to me to be a serious commitment to following Jesus. I was dumbfounded when in the 80’s Ronald Reagan’s Portrait was displayed in the pastor's study, the flag posted in the Sanctuaries, and honor rolls for young people in the military appeared in the vestibules of several of the churches which grew out of this movement. How could the horrors of our nations involvement in Vietnam so soon be forgotten. Today, the leaders of these movements are in their 60’s and my friends who followed this movement are in their 50’s. Just as the dispensational churches are not nearly so dispensational anymore, these churches which began as charismatic churches really aren’t so charismatic any more. There is something about getting older which changes how one prays and what one expects in prayer. I watch with interest where their children are. Again it appears that only a remnant remains to worship alongside their parents. While the Charismatic tradition seems to be the opposite of Independent Bible Church movement theologically, supporting a nationalistic political agenda seemed identical.

It seems the tradition has been established that what one grows up with is ordinary and routine. I work as photographer. In my business I have taken so many photos against my fireplace background. It may be interesting to someone who sees it for the first time but so many people come to my studio saying that they have seen it in so many different pictures that they want something different. So every movement is self defeating as it attempts to be exciting to attract a following after it been around awhile. It becomes ordinary and uninteresting.

I went on a hay ride with old friends a year ago. One person I admired in the senior class when I was a freshmen happened to be on this hay ride. He described his present church enthusiastically as an “alive” church emphasizing that it was not a dead church. It was difficult to respond to him because I knew that he would see my church as a dead church. I also learned his children are not with him in church. Could it be that even the laser light show enhanced worship which is so exciting for him has become ordinary for his children? Could it be that his children have learned very well his prime value of pursuing whatever is personally fulfilling and exciting at the moment? So the children keep moving on as he has.

Is there a strength in any church outside of a commitment to community? Is there any testimony of the kingdom of God which speaks stronger then grandchildren who see their grandparents in Church? Is there any testimony of Kingdom of God which speaks more loudly of God then leaders and followers who together walk in fellowship? Is there a testimony of the kingdom of God which speaks with more authenticity then a fellowship which forgives their enemies? God’s kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven….Can it be the private enterprise of an attractive leader?