I see the concept, but I am a bit weary of the idea that the R1 keeps growing till it envelops R2. I think we would all agree that the rule of God has a dynamic quality to it, and is not static. I may profess Jesus as Lord, and get added to R1, but this does not necessarily mean the rule of God is flourishing in my life. Entering into covenant with God through Jesus may add me to r1, but it does not necessarily decrease the zone of R2. If R2 is the cosmos, there is a lot more ruling to be done other than conversions. I like Meredith G. Klines book Kingdom Prologue. Although I am not too keen on his covenant of works for Adam and all that, and I am not a Calvinist, I agree with him that Abraham, as one who went around building altars in a land that was promised to him, but that he did not currently possess, is a great paradigm for those of us who are undert he rule of God, but are not really seeing that rule fully fleshed out. I think some of the R1 and R2 stuff can flirt with the idea that the more conversions, the more rule of God we see. But the rule of God is cosmic, not just anthroprocentric, so this alters the equation significantly for me.

greetings, "The Kingdom of God is a central theme in the New Testament and an important issue as we consider the work of the missional church. Some have said it is a distraction to the true mission of the church... others say it is a restoration. What say you? Would you agree, disagree, or nuance what Cullman proposes? "

Theologically, the Kingdom of God is not only the central theme of the NT but also of the OT. The Kingdom of God is the foundation for all other theological arguments. To suggest the Kingdom of God is a distraction to the church's mission is throwing all doctrine and theology to the wind and foolishness. The raising up, and pointing to the Kingdom of God as displayed in the death of Christ upon the Cross, is the hope eternal that promises everlasting fellowship with our Creator. The Kingdom of God, by grace and then by faith, has been gifted to us. We are called to reflect the mercy, grace, and love of the Kingdom to each person God places in our path. We cannot enter into a God honoring, effective relationship that will yeild a God honoring conversation with an unchurched or unbeliever unless our hearts and minds are all about establishing the Kingdom of God in our hearts and minds and asking others to do the same. The Kingdom of God is essential and the cornerstone of the all other theological foundations. As such, it is essential for the believer, pastor, and church corporate to embrace the Kingdom of God prior to embarking on any missiological objective. Mt 6:33 exhorts us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His rightousness", and it can be argured that we are to do so with every thought, word, and deed. If we follow Jesus Mt 6:33 command and are in prayer for God to prepare the hearts and minds of those whom he will place in our path this day to recieve a spiritual conversation, then we will assume a missiological positon, seek its objective, and will not only present the Kingdom of God, but will tangibley live it out in boldness.

oddly enough, most new testament writers seem to be looking forward to the Kingdom of God. Paul shortly discusses this when he's had a glimpse of heaven

Everyday is for missiology.

I love what Jesus said about the kingdom in Matthew 11:12- "..the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." noting it will take action from those who have enlisted in his army and fight for his cause. Churches serve as a type of home base for those who are on the front lines, as a hospital for the sick and injured, as a mess hall for the hungry, a fortress for the weak and defenseless, right??? The church should be recruiting, training and sending people out to advance the Kingdom and providing the support for those on the front lines. So, yes, I beleive what Cullman proposes is true, maybe even more than what he envisions.

I like how Cullman uses the image of circles. So often we get reminded of pyramids in churches. A select few have the power and privilege at the top with layers of submitted individuals below, some who never really get a place at the table expect as filthy hungry beggars receiving a bite of bread.

The circle redistributes the power where there is no single elevated focal point.

The use of the word "Kingdom" gets problematic (and not the only way the Greek need be translated.) It reinforces European notions of world domination and colonization, something that happened with the aid of missionaries. If indeed Christ is building a KINGDOM, it looks radically different from anything we have ever seen on earth so perhaps we need to come up with new language so that we can envision the work in a fresh new way, one not encumbered by images of domination, pomp and circumstance, and the reinforcement of class distinctions.

The language of Kingdom need not be problematic and certainly is pre-european. Kingdom is the language of both testaments and speaks of the power, rule and presence of God as king.

Really, it is so tiring to read the post-modern desire to rewrite the language of the Bible to fit its worldview.

Didn't postmillennialism fuel much of the growth of the early modern missions movement?

Josh Hunt
Helping Groups Double
www.joshhunt.com

I think Cullman's distinctions (R1 and R2) function well for discussion purposes - just as we can speak of a person as Spirit, Soul, and Body - yet all three are that self same person. I think the centrality of the Kingdom is evident in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." It is the prayer and heart goal of the individual Christian, the Local Church, the connectionalism efforts between churches ie. Denominations, to orgs which result from cooperation between local churches. It being, the present, yet coming (or now and not yet) Kingdom Rule of God through Jesus Christ over all things.

I think R1 has a funtion inwardly as well as outwardly. Part of that function is bringing home the concept that the kingdom of God is not simply something for orgs, or the local church as an institution - but rather it is at the heart of what it means to be an individual believer. It is, as noted by the Lord's Prayer above, central to the heart of the believer. Scheaffer used to refer to this as "True Spirituality" which he defined as, "The Lordship of Christ in the totality of life." The individual Christan (and the local church) cannot live in an R1 and R2 world - when that means R1 is the aspect of one's life where Christianity works, lives, moves, and has its being and that there is the R2 realm of life which is ruled by secular forces, different rules, different expectations which exclude the desire for the kingdom to come. IOW, my personal R1 - the one which is my individual life - is still a place where I am praying, with all sincerity and earnestness, that God's rule and kingdom come and continue to come as I grow in Christ. And as I carry that prayer for the Kingdom to come in my own life out into my personal R2 (the world of relationships which surrounds me), I am looking, working, and praying that God's Kingdom will come into my home, family, workplace, teams, my kid's school, neighborhood, the circles in navigate on a regular basis, to the stranger I encounter on the street.

Old school churches, some at least, had attendance boards in the front of the church and attendance announcements. I recently listened to an old tape of old people speaking about their times in such a church as that. They spoke of beginning with 1 sunday school class and then growing to 2 classes. They spoke of the numbers which began and the numbers which eventually began to come to these classes. They spoke of seeing these people who came being saved, baptized, and changed. Times have changed, but at least in some local churches of days gone by, they watched those boards up front in those churches reflecting sunday school growth and seemingly understood that R1 growth was R2 expansion. Were they perfect? Surely not - much of what came from that era has remained as "having church" as an end in itself. I simply suggest that Kingdom planting is a project of sowing into individuals within the church, planting groups within the church, while at the same time, sowing into our connectionalism, orgs, associations, denominations, etc., and planting churches outside the church walls. The local church has to take the reigns and plant from the local church level inwardly through groups and connectionalism within and to plant, from the local church, through groups (plants) and connectionalism outside. It can not be the function, merely, of our denoms or orgs to plant churches - it should come all the way up from the individual to the group within the local church - through the local church into R2.

More to say - but space is limiting. I simply tend to think of the growth of the Christian and the expansion of the Kingdom as a part of that 3 way motion of the Christian life - inward, upward, and outward. The local church is the hub and while I have spoken (poorly maybe) about the inside the church work to be done - there's more that should be addressed concerning what it means for the local church to be the hub when it comes to working in an association, regional, denomination, etc. form of conectionalism. The local church has need to rise up speak powerfully upwards into whatever strata of conectionalism it exists within - and bring with that speaking a demand and offering of efforts to seek the kingdom above all else.

That statement in the Lord's Prayer - "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" has over time changed my perspective of the New Testament, Old Testament and mission. The Great Commission is not simply a command, but a promise. Now, we can see we are part of a great move of God to redeem the planet, to - through Him - bring restoration. I like what John Owen said, "Though our persons fail, our cause shal be as truly, certainly, and infallibly victorious, as that Christ sits at the right hand of God. The gospel shall be victorious. This greatly comforts and refreshes me." -Jim Danner