Andrew Meredith’s Reviews > Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Followingthe Lamb into the New Creation > Status Update

Chapter 6 Questions:

"1. In what ways does Christ as the Lamb of God “reconfigure” the identity of God?"

First, "This is the way God loved the world: He gave His only begotten Son." When we say, "God is love," we are often tempted to think of that in terms of our romanticized redefinition of the word which is based in sentimentality, but love is concrete sacrificial action. Through the blood of the Lamb, God shows us what love truly is, and who He, the one we were created to image, truly is.

Second, God often rules in ways we do not expect. We commit cosmic treason, we expect to meet the Lion who will devour us, but lo and behold, our judge is the Lamb who has taken our sin upon Himself and the just wrath that we deserve.

"2. In what ways are Christ and/or God associated with secular power in our culture?"

What do you mean by "secular"? "Secular" as opposed to what? I'm not being pedantic here. This question itself begs a more foundational question.

One of the most effective strategies utilized in tearing down Christendom 1.0 was to seize on the "supernatural/natural" distinction (featured in some prominent theological systems) and derive from it a "religious/secular" divide, each sphere governed by their own "rule" and "laws." "Secular" here being a mythical (fictitious) "neutral" space that ought to be kept free from any miraculous interposition so that universal reason may hold sway unimpeded by metaphysical opinions. Political, then, is to be firmly secular and should alone hold the power of the sword.

This understanding of the world would be alien, even completely unintelligible to anyone before the 19th century, and wouldn't take hold of American society until the mid-20th century. Today, it's just taken as "common sense," and Gorman uncritically reads it straight into Revelation (a ~2000 year old text) as one of the main points of the text (i.e., The Obvious Dangers of Mixing Christianity with Politics and Power), [in danger of?] completely undermining the Great Commission in the process.

"3. How might seeing the vision in chapters 4 and 5 as the interpretive key to Revelation affect our reading and actualization (embodiment) of it?"

I disagree that this is the interpretive key seeing that Gorman otherwise misses the whole point of Revelation. How we can "actualize" or "embody" the judgment and wrath poured out on apostate, covenant-breaking Jerusalem in AD 70 is not what he's driving at, I'm sure.

But, for the sake of the question itself, if you did take these chapters as the definitive interpretive key, then the rest of the Apocalypse, divorced from any concrete historical events in which to ground them, becomes entirely symbolical for dealing with any generic obstacle, opposition, or temptation the Church might face (a blank slate over which we might paint the face of "American Imperialism," for instance).

"4. How might the liturgical and musical character of the vision in chapters 4 and 5 shape us theologically, spiritually, and pastorally, as well as liturgically?"

This part of the chapter I did truly appreciate (the Church desperately needs to recover its ancient forms of call-and-reponse liturgy!), but I will draw out one point Gorman does not: Worship is warfare.

Judgment is poured out on our enemies, the Church is delivered, and the world is changed as the Church sings, prays, and glorifies its triune God. The Church is a collective prophet in the divine council of God, petitioning Him to act in accordance with His Covenant promises, or to switch the typology, the Church is the Garden/Temple out of which a river of life flows to bring life and healing to the world.