The Work even more Christian than we know

I've discovered the reason for my disdain for the church level as I call it. It has to do with religion devoid of the eschatological orientation vs. religion focused on what is above, and what is supernatural. Church Christianity I've always associated with the former; order Christianity (and my school is the Fourth Way language) with the latter.

A problem has always been the ill-defined nature of the word eschatology. The word itself was coined in 1844 according to Merriam Webster. That is why it has an ill-defined sense to it. It has not had a long history in Christian discourse and doctrine.

It also has two uses, one more mundane, one electric (in many senses).

The mundane use is to define the branch of systematic theology dealing with the end of the world and humankind.

The electric use of the term deals with a sort of alive sense of presence in a believer oriented towards the vertical and higher Kingdom of God. This use of the term is more of a 'now' understanding, rather than a historical, end-of-a-linear-process down the road understanding.

When the true religion loses this now and vertical and presence understanding of eschatology it morphs into just another worldly approach to life and problems. It is no longer the religion of the Bible.

With that in mind read this quote from Geerhardus Vos:

"The practical spirit of the age demands concentration of the religious energy upon the needs and issues of the present moment and of the tangible world, whilst eschatology invites an expenditure of spiritual power on transcendental realities both unseen and remote."

That might seem to contradict what I wrote above when he says 'present moment', but he is referring to present pressing events and problems the world swamps us with. He is not referring to conscious presence there.

The religion of Jesus and the apostolic era had this eschatological presence, the vertical-oriented presence, oriented to the supernatural, the unseen, the Kingdom of God where we exist in now as believers. And this is what the first and second conscious shocks are all about. This is how the Work is even more Christian than we know.