Recent travel has made it difficult to get to a number of things – like posting on this blog. I have one more trip to make this week, then I should be settled in for the better part of the Summer.
Posting on the blog is not the only thing that has been put on the shelf recently. I have not had opportunity to read as much as I like, either. But I have been reading some. It’s rare that I go anywhere without a book or two. It’s just that while I usually juggle three or four books, these past few weeks I’ve been limited to one: The Tangible Kingdom.
This book by Hugh Halter & Matt Smay is focused on cultivating an incarnational community, or on turning the local church into a vital and visible presence in our local community. The premise is that the Body of Christ is called to be a visible and authentic expression of the Kingdom of God as it presently exists.
I think it is important to remember the Kingdom of God is both a present reality AND future hope. At least that’s what Jesus taught. Sadly, though, I think we are prone to focus solely on its future coming. To the extent we focus only on the future manifestation of God’s Kingdom we miss out on a lot. And we fail to give the world around us a glimpse of what will one day be universal – only far better; more perfect than we presently express even on our best days.
I long for such an expression of the Kingdom, so I am excited whenever I can catch a glimpse through those who are practicing such community in their churches.
I’m not quite finished yet, but I’ll probably give a summary and review in a few weeks. In the mean time you might want to check out the related web site: TangibleKingdom.com.
GRACE & PEACE 
Dennis,
first of all, I know that frustration of having a chock-full reading list and for various reasons, being unable or rather too busy to make a dent in it. That’s why I find entering the doors of Barnes and Noble stressful, not to mention Amazon- the great binge buy waiting to happen.
The Tangible Kingdom looks to be a very interesting read. I know I’ve told you this before, but find it impossible not to reiterate the irony in that the central message taught by Jesus- that his kingdom was near and the people should repent (change their destructive directions); trust (his way of doing life is better and more full); and seek (seek first the kingdom in order to allow restorative transformation)- that this message is basically ignored, or at least diminished, by much of the church today. If the kingdom is even referred to at all- this central message taught by Jesus!- then it is only in reference to some other-worldly, disembodied, reward that we are supposed to want, because we all “know” what the alternative is…
You are right- Jesus refers to the kingdom as subtly advancing now, in our presence, as well as coming to complete fulfillment at a future time (the apocalyptic nature of it). It seems as though today, the post-Easter Jesus is worshiped, while the pre-Easter Jesus is often ignored. Atonement is preached everywhere; in comparison, the life of Jesus and his message are more often ignored, and even when mentioned, are colored by presupposed atonement theories rather than simply being read for what they are within the context of their day. My suspicion is that not only has tradition made this so, but also that it’s infinitely easier to say a prayer and talk about grace, justification, and the new creation that is supposedly (they hope) to come one day than it is to roll up our sleeves and live the revolutionary life of radical love, peace, and acceptance that Jesus taught: because this spins everything- strong nationalism, expected social roles, popular consumerism, redemptive violence myths, just war theory, and the very core of human nature- out of kilter. And apparently, despite Jesus’ call to take up one’s own cross and to suffer with him and for him, to many individuals, this sacrifice of tradition and comfort is not an acceptable one to make for the person from whose namesake their religion derives. As though the call of one of the most radical revolutionists of all time, a man who was beaten, humiliated, and murdered, is actually supposed to be an easy, simple, and very convenient way for us to escape the here and now.
We noticed on your blog that you wrote about The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay several months ago. Thanks for taking the time to do that.
One of the questions Matt and Hugh often received following the launch of that book was “Loved the book, but how do I get my community to do that?” The newly launched The Tangible Kingdom Primer is our effort to help small groups and churches do just that. It is an 8-week guide to creating missional and incarnational communities.
If you would like to receive a free copy of the Primer, please contact us at: books{AT} crmleaders.org. Please provide your name, the street mailing address you would like it delivered to (no P.O. Box please) and your email address. In the subject line, put Tangible Kingdom Primer Blog Copy.