Some of you may recall long ago when I made a post about a conversation I had with one of my teachers. We came around to the subject of Christ, and he said that he (if I'm recalling the discussion precisely) couldn't accept the idea that Jesus paid for the sins of humanity by being crucified. He said that while Jesus certainly suffered, some other human beings had suffered at least as much as He did, and if Jesus came back from death, then it wasn't really so much of a sacrifice; what would really be a sacrifice would be if He didn't come back. Again, I'm trying to represent his argument fairly, since A) he has informed me that he reads my blog from time to time (heh, heh), and B) he's expressed interest in discussing the matter further at some point in the near future, because we really didn't have the time back then to really get a clear understanding on both sides.

In any case, I was bopping around J.P. Holding's Tektonics website, doing a spot of research on The "Lost" Gospel of Judas (rrrgh, don't get me started), and somehow I ended up on Glenn Reynolds's Christian Think-Tank website. As it happens, he addressed this very objection.

So, in light of the most significant holiday of the year for us, here's what I'd like to encourage you to do:

First, read Glenn's experience with the loss of his daughter back in April 2000.

Bearing that in mind, continue on to his more detailed examination of why the Crucifixion was sufficient sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity.

Third, have a thoughtful, reflective, and most of all, joyful Easter. Our King is triumphant over corruption, and all that exists in this Universe is His. All Creation sings His glory.

I've begun reading a couple of books which have really caused me to be a bit reflective this week, especially regarding that last point. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to get too deeply into these books right now; homework demands most of my attention for a few weeks yet. Still, I'm looking forward to getting further with them. The first is Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I got far enough into the first chapters to really become interested, and to my surprise, I was listening to "Way of the Master Radio" about a day later and heard Kirk Cameron talking about having an interview with Randy Alcorn about the book. Most intriguing to me is the concept that the New Earth - that specified in the Bible as the future and eternal home of those who place their trust in Jesus - will actually be the Earth we know now, but restored: devastated by sinful humanity's ravages and the wrath of God, and then completely rejuvenated as the lush, primeval paradise it was in the beginning.

One of the things that Alcorn points out is that while a great deal of preaching and theological writing is done about the issue of damnation, salvation, and details about God, the topic of Heaven and our future is rarely ever addressed. While past Christian authors have delighted in the thought of Heaven and spoke of it fairly often, the modern Church rarely seems to touch on it, and many seem almost depressed by the idea. Alcorn says that his conclusions in Heaven are all Biblical; much of his contention at the beginning of the book is that people have odd and unbiblical ideas of what "Heaven" is and what our lives following Judgement will be like. For example, he quotes John Eldridge in saying that many people seem to think that it will be "a church service that lasts for eternity," and quite understandably recoil from the idea. Too many people apparently think of Heaven as a floaty place of vague spiritual existence where we'll play harps with the angels on puffy clouds or something. He suggests that this notion owes a lot to the whole Gnostic "matter is evil, spirit is good" way of thinking, and has little to do with what the Bible actually reveals on the subject.

I myself alternated between boredom and terror at the thought of post-life for many years. It was only when I read C.S. Lewis discussing his speculations on eternal life and the promise of Heaven that I started to think of it in a new way, and actually start looking forward to it. After all, if God created the Earth, which is in my opinion vast, majestic, awe-inspiring, and absolutely beautiful and lovely, why in the world would He create a future home for us that would be sterile, ethereal, and so shiny that we'd all get eyestrain? What makes us think that He would create a future home for His bride that would pale in comparison to this world?

The other book is The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He's the founder of a postmodern monastic organization called The Simple Way. While I'm still making my way through Brian McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy for more of an understanding of this whole Postmodern Church idea, I find Claiborne's approach more direct and inspiring. Granted, there are parts where I had to wince and deal with my own prejudices (mainly political), but overall he paints a compelling picture that simultaneously inspires me to great excitement and pierces my heart with feelings of absolute inadequacy (not because of my inability to do what he has done but my unwillingness to submit so thoroughly and obediently to God).

Amongst other things, Claiborne relates his phases in his growth as a follower of Jesus, how he became dissatisfied with numerous variants and expressions of Christianity, and how he eventually came into real contact with the poor and the homeless. I won't give too much away, but there's a part where he calls up Mother Teresa on the phone. It's a fairly quick read so far, simply because it becomes so compelling. I'm already on page 93, and I just sat down with it for about an hour this morning...