In light of all the recent goofiness surrounding the long expected Rapture happening last weekend (it didn't happen did it?), I think it's time to say "Farewell Rapture."
Are there any serious New Testament Scholars out there who believe in the North American invention of RAPTURE? NO? I didn't think so... The problem is - a lot of North American Christian believe in the idea of Rapture (a word not found in Scripture).
The good thing that has come out of the Left Behind series and further fueled by the latest Harold Camping fiasco targeting May 21, is that the eschatological framework involving Rapture and the left behind script has moved into the realm of being caricatured which makes it more easy to dismiss as a non-biblical concept.
N.T. Wright wrote an article entitled "Farewell to the Rapture" in 2001. Wright writes rightly, "Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later. The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated."
This has almost nothing to do with the Rapture itself but entirely about Rhetoric.
You asked the question: "Are there any serious New Testament Scholars out there who believe in the North American invention of RAPTURE?"
I would answer that question, YES. There ARE serious New Testament Scholars out there who believe this. They might be WRONG, but they aren't being silly.
It's kind of like the "No True Scotsman" argument.
Posted by: Adam | May 23, 2011 at 04:12 PM
I wholeheartedly agree with the point of your post. We need to get past our fixation on speculative eschatology in all its forms. I would push back on your comment that the word 'rapture' doesn't appear in scripture. The Latin Vulgate does have rapio for the translation of the Greek word harpazo in 1 Thess 4:17. If you don't accept the Latin Vulgate as scripture then I suppose the point is mute. But that's much closer to being in scripture than trinity:)
Posted by: Paul Sheneman | May 23, 2011 at 07:38 PM
Push Paul, push... ok. I should have nuanced my words a little better. That's what happens when you spit something out in a few hurried minutes.
Peace out.
Posted by: Mike King | May 23, 2011 at 08:31 PM
Mike, this was interesting. I haven't heard the Rapture challenged before. I really enjoy hearing new ideas such as this one. Take care, Dan
Posted by: Dan Gras | May 24, 2011 at 12:51 AM
To be clear. The problem is with the concept of a "Rapture."
It is a confession of my faith that Jesus "will come again to judge the living and the dead." Christians great hope is not RAPTURE, it's RESURRECTION, resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Posted by: Mike King | May 25, 2011 at 07:57 AM
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/june/whogetsleftbehind.html
Posted by: Mike King | May 25, 2011 at 01:03 PM
No offense, but if there's a facebook like button, it'll be much easier for me to share.
Posted by: Elliptical reviews | November 30, 2011 at 12:32 AM