though i’m still not completely sure about the working-out of these thoughts, several books i have been reading lately seem to be converging into one serendipitous stream (why can’t these kinds of moments land me a spot on jeopardy, or this show?)…
mclaren’s secret message of jesus, claiborne’s irresistible revolution, and peterson’s living the resurrection each deal with unique themes and topics and, yet, each contains similar ideas regarding the true nature of the kingdom of God…
just as some have sought to bridge the red/blue political divide with a “purple” middle-ground, so are some believers wrestling with the implications of the kingdom of God – is the kingdom of which Jesus spoke simply the post-death eternity His believers will experience (the sweet by-and-by)? is it the so-called “social” gospel that deals primarily with societal problems in this world (the here-and-now)? is there some kind of third way?
in other news, we’re getting ready for our youth summer retreat. theme, location, dates… it’s all being worked out… but at least the important stuff has been taken care of. rebreakable boards shall be thusly distributed as prizes of awesomeness to the winners of yet-to-be-determined retreat games & activities. back in the day, one of my co-pastors and i gave out a riverdance vhs as the top prize. while we were in stitches, the student was unmoved. he gave it back to us. perhaps i will report back in a couple of weeks, a couple of rebreakable boards richer.
headsparks* 
Dear Dan,
Indeed the kingdom of God appears to be the center of Jesus’ message. I’ve benefited a lot from The Presence of the Future by George E. Ladd in simply understanding what the term must have meant to the first century Jews who heard that term. Now I’m delving into what that could mean for us, today.
Where am I coming out? Tentatively, neither the sweet-by-and-by nor the paradise-on-earth now will do. Nothing less than the present reality of the royal reign of God to be participated now while remaining to be consummated in the future will do.
Isn’t it amazing that the good news of the Old Testament, “Our God reigns” so closely echoes the good news of the New Testament, “The kingdom (i.e., the rule, the reign, the malkuth) of God has come”?
– Sam