Where is the Kingdom of God?

One of the most intriguing conversations I have encountered in recent years is the conversation internal to Christianity concerning the kingdom of God. Some claim that the kingdom of God is synonomous with 'heaven,' and that heaven is a place 'out there' somewhere. According to this line of thought, if you believe the right things about God and Jesus, then you get to escape eternal damnation (hell) and go to this wonderful place of eternal bliss- after you die of course. While this is a commonly held view, the biblical support for locating the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, out there, somewhere, is weak at best, and possibly non-existent. Unfortunately, this view often also results in a gospel message that has nothing to say about the current life we live, or our responsibility in the present world. If, after all, Jesus (and by extension God) is primarily concerned with individual salvation (life after death) then our current world is merely to be endured, as we await something better.

Another version, or theory, about the kingdom, is what might be called the "In Our Hearts" theory. According to this idea, the kingdom of God is located within the hearts of believers. Whenever and wherever you find a person with Jesus in her heart, or 'the mind of Christ' to use more biblical terminology, then God's kingdom resides in that person. This concept of kingdom seems much more in line with the biblical record, and certainly has some truth to it. And yet, considering the abundance of political language in scripture, and the fact that God seems to be interested in the complete redemption of God's good creation, this idea is at best incomplete.

The kingdom of God is much more than a disposition of the heart and mind in the individual. 'Kingdom' is communal language, not individual language. The whole idea of kingdom concerns the polis, or the political order of a particular community. The 'Kingdom of God,' also known as the 'Kingdom of Heaven,' (In Matthew especially) is a reference to a political reality. Christ came proclaiming (and embodying) the in- breaking of a new political reality upon the earth. Jesus announced that God's kingdom, a political reality under the rule of God- a nation of priests- was coming near. Christ walked the earth, pulling together the twelve tribes of Israel (note 12 disciples) into the community that would be the kingdom- the community living presently under the rule of God. The offer to join this kingdom, this new community that organized life around the will of God, was then expanded to all the peoples of the world. This is a much more accurate understanding of Kingdom, and makes much more since in light of scripture.

So next time you read the Gospels, read them with this idea of the kingdom as an earthly political reality in mind. Put away the notions of 'one day, after we die,' and begin to see what Jesus was saying about the here and now, the way we as children of God are expected to live within God's kingdom, which is both already here, and not quite yet. If you have not read scripture from this viewpoint before, beware, it may change your understandings of the faith.