This may be a fairly unpopular post, because it is provocative. I might have called it “Reimagining Heaven.” And actually, there is not very much material on Heaven in the Bible. Certainly not enough for the theme of a week-long revival or to fill the hundreds of pages of a book. I was invited to read a book that was popular in the Evangelical crowd a decade ago. The author suggested that our pets would join us in heaven when we all died. That would be wonderful for my wife and I if our golden retriever Molly were with us for eternity. But then, there would have to be vacuum cleaners in Heaven to collect all of her loose fur. So, rather than add “stuff” that isn’t in Scripture, I’d like to poke around our interpretations and assumptions about what we do know of Heaven. And this is where it gets dicey.

The thought was planted in my mind about ten years ago. I was teaching in a high school about political parties while teaching their dual credit American Government course. Dual credit courses are an opportunity for students to earn college credit while satisfying high school graduation requirements. I was trying to emphasize to my class that both liberal ideology and conservative thinking have strengths and weaknesses (or perhaps contradictions) as well as trade-offs. I wanted to make the point that whether you were a democrat or a republican, you were likely a patriotic American who probably wants the same thing in the end (e.g., peace, health, grandchildren, safe schools, equal opportunity, etc.). The differences deal with how we get there and the proper role of government in the process.

With only three minutes or so before the bell rang, I gave the class the opportunity to chat quietly or collect their things, knowing that the term “chat quietly” as it applies to high school students is an oxymoron. One student raised his hand and asked me “Are there going to be democrats in Heaven?” I had never heard such a question before and had to quickly come up with an answer. I mentioned that it was an unusual question and, strictly speaking, not relevant to the learning outcomes for the course, but that as far as I could imagine, there would be both democrats and republicans in Heaven if they met the criteria to be there. At that point, I was saved by the bell. But I wondered afterwards how a seventeen year-old-boy would come up with a question like that? And why did he single out democrats instead of republicans? Did he assume that Heaven was reserved for republicans? And what of our assumptions? Do we sometimes ask ourselves the same question to ourselves that this young man asked me?

EGOCENTRISM

We tend to assume that the world, including this life and the afterlife, is centered on people like us. This tendency is called egocentrism. This thought structure is laid down very early in life. Erik Erikson (1902-1994), the developmental theorist might say it starts even in infancy when we learn notions of trust and mistrust. Egocentrism, itself, is the “tendency to view the world primarily from one’s own perspective and to prioritize one’s own feelings, thoughts, and experiences above those of others” according to Apple AI. In America where there has historically been an extraordinary amount of wealth, success and power, there is the notion that this country is somehow superior to other countries in different ways, and I would argue that this worldview is not compatible with Christianity, specifically the teachings of Jesus.

To some extent, egocentrism is global and cross cultural, but rarely expressed elsewhere as it is in America. For example, Americans tend to value independence and self-reliance while cultures in Africa and Asia place more emphasis on cooperation and harmony. We can see the cultural clash when we try to impose our values on other cultures. Because the U.S. has a generous representation of almost all of the cultures in the world, there is friction in our country as people with different values and ideas about society’s ills such as poverty, equality, diversity and inclusiveness bump elbows.

BENJAMIN DISRAELI

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) was once Prime Minister of England. He once delivered a famous speech to the House of Commons called “Two Nations.” In that speech, he highlighted “the contrast between the wealthy upper class and the impoverished working class, encapsulating the idea that society is fundamentally split into two distinct ‘nations’ – the rich and the poor. Speaking to Parliament, Disraeli described Victorian England at the zenith of its power thusly:

“There are two nations; between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other’s habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different worlds.“

Disraeli said that even though the problem between rich and poor divided British society so starkly, still the empire needed to address and remediate it since “There is no greatness without goodness.” It is the U.S. today whose greatness is perishing for lack of goodness. Money won’t buy goodness. Government cannot dictate that we be good. It has to spring from the human heart.

NO BILLIONAIRE LEFT BEHIND

If you watched Donald J. Trump’s inauguration last January, you no doubt recognized some people sitting behind the 47th President of the U.S. Of course, former presidents such as Bill Clinton and his wife were there. George W, Bush and his wife were nearby as well as Barak Obama. Other people with prized seats included cabinet appointees. The rest were filled by billionaires. For example, (and from left in the photo below) there was Mark Zuckerberg whose net worth is $100 billion dollars, Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $160 billion dollars, and Elon Musk with a net worth of a quarter of a trillion dollars as of last October.

If you had a net worth of just a few palsy million dollars or <gasp> only a few hundred thousand dollars in your savings and, of course, an invitation to the inauguration, then you were directed to a ballroom in another part of the city where you could see the swearing in streamed live to your location. Those at that location were not famous, important or wealthy enough to gather under the rotunda. But clearly money bought you access to the next President. Billionaires might be invited to play golf with Trump at Bedminster. Or attend private parties at Mar-a-Lago. Or ride on Air Force One like Elon Musk frequently does. And what makes these people special and their opinions worth more than that of other Americans? The answer should be obvious. It is their money and the respect, the power, and the privilege that money buys in our society. However, as awestruck as we may be, God is not impressed. And if you are a Christian, you should not be impressed, either.

PEOPLES OF COLOR

I’m switching gears. Let me ask a few questions here? Would you be willing to admit that there might be angels in the service of God Almighty who have ebony skin somewhere in our universe where we go when we die or are all angels necessarily white? Is it possible that some peaceful (but undocumented) migrants that will be arrested, handcuffed and shipped off against their will and without their children to the Decápolis Hotel in Panama City or elsewhere– might wind up in Heaven when they die because they love God and have a personal, living relationship with His Son? Do the ICE agents who arrest them and the people who run Homeland Security in America get a free pass on their sins and guaranteed admission to Heaven or is it conceivable that some will be locked out even as undocumented migrants are ushered in? Heavens! Perish the thought! But it is quite possible.

I have no doubt that there is at least a small shred of truth to President’s Trump’s characterization of illegal aliens as being criminally insane or having violent dispositions or gang membership. This is one rare occasion where he may be at least partially honest. And I have no illusions or sympathies about letting dangerous loose in our society where they can harm other people. Who would allow wolves among the sheep? But certainly not all, or even most undocumented people fit these categories. And what of the Dreamers who have been working for years in America, getting degrees, paying taxes without being able to remember the strange land they last saw when they were only three years old?

God said to the prophet Samuel in I Samuel 16:7 “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

“There is no greatness without goodness.”
– Benjamin Disraeli

Too many Americans judge other people by the color of their skin, by how thin or obese they are, the clothes they wear, whether they look “Muslim” or “Jewish” or by their net worth. Today in America, we have the best President that money can buy. Note that I didn’t say we have the best President. The president of the U.S. is probably the most powerful person on the planet. But God Almighty created the universe. and the President of the U.S. is not God. He’s not even a Polish king.

XENOS (ΞΕΝΟΣ )

Scripture speaks of strangers using a word that is interchangeable with the English word “foreigner.” That word is ξένος (or ΞΕΝΟΣ in upper case.) In situations like this, it is helpful or insightful to see how a word is used in Greek literature.

The famous historian Herodotus (484 BC-425 BC) writing in his book Histories used the word in Book 1, where “he contrasts the Greeks with the “ξένοι” of Persia and Egypt, emphasizing cultural relativism.” In this case he clearly means people from other lands, according to Apple AI. Also, Homer used this word to describe Odysseus in The Odyssey as Odysseus travels from country to country after the Trojan War. Plato, Aristophanies, Xenophon and others also used the word to refer to people who do not belong the nation or city state where they find themselves.

WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

Sadly, when white evangelicals (or all people) are polled on attitudes about immigration along with nonevangelicals, black Christians, and Catholics, evangelicals are more xenophobic than the other Christian religious groups. For example, in a Pew Research Center poll taken last year, 82% of white evangelicals surveyed believe that the migrant flow at the southern border is leading to more crime in the U.S. That number was 12% higher than the second highest group (white Catholics.)

As far as why immigrants come to the U.S., barely half of white evangelicals believe it is because of violence and persecution in their homeland. This makes white evangelicals less believing of the stories that migrants tell. Black protestants (and atheists) are more likely to take migrants at their word.

So, where are these white evanglicals getting their information? Apparently, not from the Bible. According to Pew:

“The differences between religious groups on many of these questions are in line with broader divisions between Republicans and Democrats. White Christians – especially White evangelical Protestants, but also White Catholics and White nonevangelical Protestants – mostly vote for Republican candidates. And far more Republicans than Democrats view the situation as a crisis and say the migrant surge leads to increased crime.“

THE DEBT CHRISTIANS OWE ILLEGAL ALIENS

This is probably over the top to most Americans, but I’ll ask it anyway. What can we possibly owe people who violate our laws by sneaking into our country uninvited while enjoying benefits (e.g. public education) they did not earn?

In fact, Christians owe aliens (Greek: ξένος) documented or otherwise a number of things. The Bible tells us we owe them hospitality (Hebrews 13:2); compassion (Matthew 25:35) , charity (Deuteronomy 10:18), justice (Leviticus 19:33-34), and love (Romans 13:8.) If you are not a Christian, then this is probably just nonsense to you. To you, perhaps foreigners are sneaky. They stress our society by challenging our social capabilities to assimilate them. They get sick or injured and require hospitalization at taxpayer’s expense. They often remain aloof from mainstream America, and occasionally refuse to learn our language. Had “we” not stolen this land from the natives, you might have a point. But it is sheer hypocricy to condemn them for the same bad behavior our ancestors committed. And neither is there a quid pro quo here. We do things because our God requires it. We are patriotic citizens of America, but we also owe our allegiance to God.

EGOCENTRISM (REVISITED)

So, as a white American male, my natural tendency and inclination is to prefer whites and males over other races and over women. This might partially explain why both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris lost their campaign for the Presidency–because many Americans (at least males) could not see a woman as POTUS. Oh, I have friends from other races and I have friends who are women, but I was socialized as a white male. Not in some ideological sense, but in the sense that I was spared the criticism and resistance that women and people of other races face. No one ever told me I could not do something I wanted to be because I was not a woman. I was never denied credit, admission to a program, turned away from a job, etc. because I was white. In fact, doors were open to me. I don’t feel guilty, but I do feel appreciative and I go out of the way to try to understand how someone of another sex, race or nationality might feel who does not have the opportunities that I had. No one ever invited me to join the First Baptist Church specifically because I was white. But the same church turned aside people because they were not white. In Luke 12:48 Jesus says: “To whom much is given, much is required; and to whom they entrust much, of him they will demand the more.” I interpret this as saying that I should be willing to go the extra mile to provide opportunities to people who because of ascriptive qualities (sex, race, national origin etc.) might be disadvantaged.

Thanks for stopping by.