Empty Definitions of a Kingdom Worldview

The definition of the phrase, “a Kingdom worldview,” varies depending on the person to whom you are talking. Many use the word “kingdom” as a synonym for “Christian,” attaching the word to whatever one deems created by, run by, or controlled by a Christian. However, the word means so much more that to use it in such a fashion is to waste it. I never use it that way on this website.

Defining words is important, especially when words they convey ideas. This blog exists to present the world to the reader through a Kingdom lens, whether that be reviewing movies, books, culture, politics, or current events. My goal here is, has been, and will continue to interpret reality in all its manifestations from a Kingdom worldview. Therefore, I thought it time to explain what I mean by a “Kingdom worldview” or “Kingdom approach” toward whatever topic I tackle here. So, here goes.

A Kingdom Worldview Embraces a Proper Understanding of the Kingdom

Describing a Kingdom worldview starts with understanding the kingdom of God is the reign of King Jesus. The Kingdom is not just the Church. Nor is the Kingdom synonymous with heaven. The kingdom of God includes the Church and heaven, but it extends so that the birds of the airnest in its branches and enjoy its benefits. Everywhere we go as Christians submitted to the lordship of King Jesus we take the kingdom of God.

Therefore, when we talk about the kingdom of God in this blog we are likely talking about Jesus’ expanding reign on the earth, not the Christian afterlife. Although heaven may be occasionally referenced. Jesus rarely talked about heaven, but He talked about the kingdom more than he talked about love or salvation. This understanding of what the kingdom of God is should cause a paradigm shift. This blog exists to assist in shaping this view the world, our work, and our sanctification through the lens of the kingdom of God.

It Presupposes the Kingdom will Prevail on Earth

A kingdom Worldview is not synonymous with a Christian worldview, although a Christian should have a Kingdom worldview. A Kingdom worldview, as I use the phrase here, means an approach to life from the perspective of one who is part of an administration presided over by King Jesus. Jesus established this administration during His earthly ministry, and it has grown and will continue to grow before Jesus’ return until it has substantially transformed God’s creation into what He created it to be. Consequently, a Kingdom approach is optimistic about the destiny of the kingdom of God on earth.

You will find this optimistic Kingdom worldview enables one to see things others do not. For example, you will see the world at the end of the first millennium in a way most did not see then but was undoubtedly correct. Or you will see the future of the LGBTQ movement in a way that seems unbelievable to most Evangelicals. Some call this thinking outside the box, but that is where the Bible should take us. The Bible is outside the box because it is revelation from God. To base our thinking on it should lead to views that do not fall in lockstep with the world. It was just this sort of outside-the-box thinking that set Jesus against the religious leaders during His earthly ministry.

A Kingdom Worldview Rejects the Left-Right Political Game

Lastly, it should go without saying that a Kingdom approach is a Biblical approach, but I will say it anyway. I say it because while it should go without saying, it is often said without doing. Case in point: how many Christians get their worldview from Fox News rather than the Bible?

A Kingdom worldview rejects and refuses to play the left-right, Democrat-Republican game. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans get their platforms from the Bible, so we shouldn’t look to them to tell us how to think about government or the world it governs. We can argue over which party is more biblical in their platform, but that just proves the point. Neither is fully consistent with the Bbile. It is better that I seek medical advice from WebMD than a witch doctor, but that doesn’t mean I should be relying on either one.

As a result, in this blog you will find opinions you will no doubt find strange, like views on capital punishment or how employers should pay their employees. I challenge you to fit them into a left or right box. They don’t fit because that is not where they came from, and that should be some of the best evidence we are on the right track here.

With that understanding of what we mean by “Kingdom worldview” or “biblical approach” you are ready to dive into this website. I hope you enjoy reading what you find here as much as I have enjoyed writing it. GS