Does Amillennialism Really Need a Rebrand?
Keep making disciples, keep baptising them, keep teaching them; in the power of the Spirit and the name of Jesus. What makes Amillennialism so exciting and encouraging is not that is introduces anything new, but that it encourages us to continue in faith with the work appointed to us. Yes, persecution may come, but Jesus is on the throne, he is ruling, and is our ultimate hope.
I recently bought myself a fountain pen. I’ve had terrible handwriting as long as I can remember—an excellent trait to have as a writer—and I thought it was time I did something about it. I decided on a fountain pen partially because a number of other writers have recommended it, and also because it seems to force one to be more careful. No one suggested it had to be yellow though.
Yellow, I thought, If I’m going to convince myself to use it, it ought to look exciting.
In sales, new recruits are often asked to “sell” a pen to a colleague to exercise their skills. Well, I marketed the pen to myself and I bought my own logic, so I guess I’m one step towards winning salesman of the year in the Ravenhill household. Today I’m facing a similar issue, should I—should we—paint a theological model “yellow” too? Would that make it more attractive? Easier to understand? Less boring?
Important: My guess is that you’re in one of two camps:
- You’ve clicked on the name but might not make it past the next couple of paragraphs because they might seem more dense
- You’re savvy with the terms and you just wanna get on with the article.
For those in the first camp, I’d love to encourage you that this article isn’t as dense, boring, or aimless as it might seem. There are reasons we need to discuss subjects like this and although “academic” theological terms might be an immediate barrier, getting to know the terms can open up deeper biblical and theological understanding as well as simplifying future reading.
Here are some key terms:
Eschatology is the study and theology of the end times, post-, pre-, and amillennialism are models to help understand the shape that the end times will take and although there are others, these tend to be the most common amongst protestants.
Premillennialism (Pre-M)—Things will get worse before they get better. Some time during that period the saints will be raptured—or taken away from the world—then God will judge the earth.
Postmillennialism (Post-M)—Things will get better before they get worse, followed by judgement day. The better time will begin by being ushered in by the work of the church.
Amillennialism (A-M)—The end times started at pentecost and since then things have been both good (the work of the church) and bad (the persecution of the church) and this will be followed by the coming of Christ, the final judgement, and the new heavens and new earth.
The “good” in each of these is usually referred to as “the reign of Christ”, and the bad is referred to a “tribulation.”
In a recent YouTube video Matthew Everhard, Senior Pastor of Gospel Fellowship PCA, suggested that Amillennialism might be in need of a rebrand1. He’s not the first to suggest this, for instance, in a commentary on Revelation Beale says:
It is better to refer to [“amillennialism”] as “inaugurated millennialism,” since “amillennial” literally means “no millennium.”
G. K. Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary, page 420.
In researching for this article I’ve found that it’s quite a common practice for those arguing for the Amillenial position to produce or provide an alternative term, suggesting that the one we currently use is at best confusing—potentially even unfit to carry the weight of the theological implications it carries. Throughout his video, Everhard suggests a number of alternative terms such as:
- Nuncmillennial—Nunc meaning “now”
- Supramillennial—Supra meaning “over” or “above”
- Optimistic Amillennials—As opposed to the pessimistic portrait painted of us by our critics.
Beyond these possible new designations, however, Everhard doesn’t go into much detail as to what the benefits of a rebrand would be. Clarity is certainly an admirable goal, but theological terms are often difficult to understand at first. There seems to be an underlying emphasis that Everhard never quite gets to, but seems to be present throughout his video.
It’s Just So Boring
One of the main reasons, as I see it, that Everhard’s argument came about in the first place is that Amillennialism seems boring. I will come onto why that isn’t actually true, but on the face of it the Amillennial view doesn’t bring an urgency or new “mission” to the table in that same way that the Pre-M and Post-M views do.
This is part of what makes these models so exciting. They often come with particular markers to look out for, or goals to achieve. These include but are not limited to:
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The Analog Family
Analog requires effort. You have to put some effort into it, but you can expect the outcome to be proportional. Do you invest love, time, and joy? Guess what you will get?
I built a fire with my eight-year-old son this week. He helped me gather the firewood. We stacked it together. He lit the fat lighter and watched it slowly ignite. An hour later, as we prepared dinner, the fire died because we had not tended it. I helped him place another piece of fat lighter among the hot coals and rearrange some wood and told him to wait.
He reached for the lighter, but I took it from him and told him to wait. He complained. “But, nothing is happening.” I told him to wait.
He sat close to the fire on the hearth and watched, exasperated. It was obvious to him that I was dumb and had sent him on a fool’s errand. Until, from the kitchen I heard, “It started again!”
My eight year old is all boy and he learns primarily through experience (a trait that terrifies me, most of the time). If I had turned on the TV for Sloan, I could have built a fire in peace and quiet. He would have appreciated the warmth, but he would have paid little notice to the process. But, when he participated in gathering wood and building the fire, this particular fire became his fire. He learned that a small spark can grow into a warm fire. He learned that hot coals can be brought back to life. He learned (I hope) that daddy knows what he’s talking about when he says “wait.” He learned because he experienced.
Increasingly as a parent (and pastor), I am convinced that families need to emphasize analog experiences. In the digital age, our kids need to feel hugs, experience personal connections, eat real food, take their own photographs, get splinters, skin their knees, and feel the pages of a Bible or book as they read it to themself or out loud. They need to stand with their parents and marvel at God’s glory in a sunset or even hold hands and cry at a funeral.
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A Review of “Church Refugees” Leaving the Church But Not Their Faith Behind
“So, the dones are leaving behind the church. But they do not necessarily leave their faith. In fact, it seems they have a strong desire to maintain their spiritual lives. The reason the Dones have dechurched themselves is not that they no longer believe in God. Rather, it is because they feel the church is no longer fostering an environment in which they can spiritually grow.”
I have a dim view of Mallory Challis’ glowing review of “Church Refugees” by Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope. (https://baptistnews.com/article/these-christians-are-leaving-behind-the-church-but-not-their-faith/) There is a celebratory glee in reporting upon strong, faithful, and committed Christians leaving the oppression of the church. The author reports at least four reasons justifying these heroic former members walking away in a fit of pique. These include hateful teachings about homosexuality that offend their friends or family members. Some are done with church because of a lack of support for a member’s pet projects. While others have walked away because of the time and resources dedicated to Sunday morning corporate worship that could be spent elsewhere. And finally, some have walked away because the church has too great an emphasis on doctrine, rather than on personal relationships.
The book and the article term these people as the “Done.” Many were a part of the 20 percent who did 80 percent of the work, but have become dissatisfied. That name, “Done,” is instructive. “I’m done!” connotes anger to such a degree that one is committed to cutting off any further contact or communication. Hardly a mature and faithful response to issues within the church. And yet, amazingly, the author of the review claims,
“So, the dones are leaving behind the church. But they do not necessarily leave their faith. In fact, it seems they have a strong desire to maintain their spiritual lives. The reason the Dones have dechurched themselves is not that they no longer believe in God. Rather, it is because they feel the church is no longer fostering an environment in which they can spiritually grow.”
But the church is the place for spiritual growth, as the Westminster Divines said:
25.3. Unto this catholic visible church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth, by his own presence and Spirit, according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.
The Divines based this high view of the church on Scripture and not on feelings:I Cor 12:27—Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.. (NASB-95).
Eph 4: 11—And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming (NASB-93).Is this to say that every one of the estimated 300,000 particularized congregation in America is a place of spiritual growth? Certainly not. The Scriptures speak of synagogues of Satan. The Scriptures speak of false teachers. The Scriptures speak of the Lord extinguishing the lampstand of faithless churches. But the Lord promises that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt 16:18).
We may well ask the Dones what the Lord asked Elijah in I Kings 19:13b-14: “And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
But Elijah was not the only believer left. Just a guess, but I doubt all 300,000 churches are false churches. A true church is one that faithfully preaches and teaches the Word of God, that rightly administers the sacraments, and that practices church discipline. Every aspect of the church involves the Word of God. We see the Word preached. We see the Word on display in the sacraments. And we see the Word in action via church discipline. It seems more likely that the Dones are consumer-oriented connoisseurs of boutique Christianity than that all churches in America are false.
The mission of the church is to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28: 19-20). And yet, if accurate, this quote, from Miss Challis, is quite disturbing:
“Outside the church, the dones often seek ways to foster spiritual growth. Small groups, Bible studies and other non-institutional activities that prioritize relationships and conversation over doctrine and business-like decisions provide spaces in which they can explore their personal relationships with God free of judgment and structure that is holding them back.”
The very offices (elders and deacons) that God has ordained to oversee, teach and care for His people are the very people accused of holding back the Dones from spiritual growth. No evidence is proffered. Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. That is a high and noble calling.
One of scariest verse in the Bible is in Judges 21: 25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It seems history is repeating itself, even though we have a king. Our king, the Lord Jesus Christ, has ordained that His church be ruled administratively by elders. Our rule may be imperfectly executed, but it is the Scriptural pattern for the church.
As elders, we need to examine those imperfections. We need to redouble our efforts to ensure that the Word of God is preached well, that our doctrines are taught to the next generation, that the sacraments are rightly administered, and that discipline is practiced at from the local congregation to the General Assembly.
The sheep are scattering. As under shepherds, we must seek them out and call them back to the church.
Al Taglieri is a Ruling Elder in the Providence Presbyterian Church in York, Penn.
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Finding Strength in Hard Times
For Christians, hard times might not be the blight on our existence we think them to be. If we believe God’s word, which reminds us that God is working in our favor as much in the hard times as in the good, we have no reason to panic during the difficult days, as we are prone to do.
The good times are to be expected, and the hard times are surprising and strange. Perhaps that unconscious assumption is causing us grief. In his book Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry describes the “old-timers” in a way that seems lost on many people today. He says: “As much as any of the old-timers, he regarded the Depression as not over and done with but merely absent for a while, like Halley’s comet.”
Though many wrongly interpret this disposition as fear, there can be health in this way of thinking. For many of us, politicians have promised us the world, and we have believed them. Conservatives and liberals alike often feel that the state of our existence should always be one of constant progress and that if we had the right politicians in place, humanity could build its tower to heaven. This thinking, of course, is foolish. There are good days and bad days ahead for all of us. Sickness, economic collapse, and natural disasters are nothing new. They have all happened in the past, and they will occur again in the future. Scripture tells us that when fiery trials come upon us, we should not think something strange is happening to us (1 Pet. 4:12). Though this verse applies primarily to persecution, it is true of any hardship.
To make this more personal, as long as our health is robust and our jobs feel secure, we think we can handle anything, but in the words of the late Rich Mullins, “We are not as strong as we think we are.”
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