The Myth of Progress神话进展

A few months ago I e-mailed one of my pastors at my church after he gave a sermon on the Kingdom of God.几个月前，我通过电子邮件发送我的一位牧师，在我的教会后，他给说教对上帝的王国。 As part of a long, frustrated e-mail, I wrote the following:作为一个长期的，沮丧电子邮件，我写了以下内容：

My biggest question is, why aren’t we seeing the progress on earth?我最大的问题是，为什么不是我们看到的进展，在地球上？ Why haven’t the cosmic changes that Jesus’ coming brought turned into real changes on earth?为什么没有宇宙变化，耶稣的未来带来变成了真正的变化，地球上呢？ I know that the Kingdom of God is a long work in progress, but why can’t I see any big concrete changes towards the Kingdom of God?我知道上帝的王国，是一项长期的工作进展情况，但为什么我不能看不到有任何大的具体的变化对上帝的王国？ I know there have been many many many little things that Christians and churches have done over the past 2000 years to make earth a little more heavenly, but it doesn’t seem like there has actually been a mass movement forward, even if it is just a little bit more forward.我知道有很多很多小东西，基督信徒和教会做了超过过去2000年使地球多一点的天堂，但它似乎并不像有实际上已群众运动，展望未来，即使是刚一点点更具前瞻性。 Instead it seems like we are in much the same place, if not in a worse, more sinful, and evil condition.相反，它好像我们在很多相同的地方，如果不是在一个更糟的是，更多的罪孽深重，与邪恶的条件。 Now I definitely can’t grasp the whole scope of history around the world in the past 2000 years, but it doesn’t seem like the world is moving towards peace as we are building up larger militaries, amassing nuclear weapons, and fighting over ever more dwindling resources.现在，我肯定不能掌握整个范围的历史，世界各地在过去2000年，但它似乎并不像世界正迈向和平，我们正在建设更大的军队，积累核武器和战斗力，超过以往任何时候都更多的资源日益减少。 It doesn’t seem like we are moving towards the end of poverty as the gap between the rich and poor is growing ever larger still, and the Christians around the world have the resources to end extreme poverty on their own, yet aren’t doing it.它似乎并不像我们正在走向结束贫穷的差距，富国和穷国之间的越来越大，但和基督徒在世界各地有资源，以结束极端贫困对自己，但不这样做它。 It doesn’t seem like we are moving towards authentic loving communities as our lives become more and more individualistic and media-based.它似乎并不像我们正在走向真实的爱社区作为我们的生活变得越来越个性化和媒体为基础的。 Is it getting better and I’m just not seeing it?是变得更好，我刚才看到的，并非它呢？

My longing for the Kingdom of God led to deep frustrations when I couldn’t see it coming.我渴望上帝的王国，导致深挫折时，我无法看到它未来。 I wanted tangible examples of the redemption of God here on earth.我想具体的例子，赎回上帝在地球上。 Small examples wouldn’t do; I wanted to see progress towards the glorious return of Jesus, when there would be a new heaven and new earth, and all of creation would be redeemed.小例子，不会做，我希望能看到进展的光荣返回耶稣，当会有一个新的天堂与新的地球，所有的创作，将赎回。 I believed that if the Church just got it’s act together, and we all agreed that we needed to end injustice, love our neighbor, and overthrow the Empire, we could do it.我认为，如果教会只得到它的共同采取行动，我们都一致认为，我们必须结束不公正，爱我们的邻居，推翻帝国，我们可以这样做。 I believed that the Church could usher in the Kingdom of God through strong effort and unity.我相信教会能迎来在上帝的王国通过强有力的努力和团结。

I realize now that I started believing in the “myth of progress.”我知道我现在开始相信，在“神话的进展” 。

NT Wright, in his book新台币莱特，在他的著作 Surprised by Hope 惊讶希望 , explains the myth of progress:解释，神话的进展：

“[The myth of progress is] the idea that the human project, and indeed the cosmic project, could and would continue to grow and develop, producing unlimited human improvement and marching toward a utopia…. “ [神话的进展是]的观点，即人类的工程，事实上，宇宙工程，可并会继续成长和发展，产生无限的人权改善和走向乌托邦… … 。 This utopia dream is in fact a parody of the Christian vision.这个乌托邦的梦想，其实是在模仿秀，基督教视野。 The kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world come together to produce a vision of history moving forward towards its goal, a goal that will emerge from within rather than being a new gift from elsewhere.上帝的王国和王国的世界走到一起，产生视觉的历史向前迈进的实现其目标，这一目标将会出现从内部，而不是作为一个新的礼物来自其他地区。 Humans can be made perfect and are indeed evolving inexorably toward that point.”人类可以作出完美的和确实是不断演变的不可阻挡地走向了这一点“ 。

We believe this myth when we believe that the next political leader will finally solve some the world’s problems once and for all.我们相信这个神话，当我们相信，未来的政治领袖将最终解决一些世界问题的一劳永逸的。 We believe this myth when we believe medical advances will eventually rid the world of disease.我们相信这个神话，当我们相信医学进步最终将在世界上消除疾病。 We believe this myth when we believe economic growth will eventually end world poverty.我们相信这个神话，当我们相信，经济增长速度将最终世界贫困。 We believe this myth when we believe the Church can build the Kingdom of God我们相信这个神话，当我们相信教会可以建立神的国度

When we stop believing in this myth we see that it is no longer our responsibility to build the Kingdom of God, but that doesn’t mean that we should try to slide through this life as painlessly as possible, waiting to go to heaven or until Jesus’ return.当我们停止相信在这方面的神话，我们看到它已不再是我们的责任就是要建立神的国度，但是这并不意味着我们应该尽量透过这个幻灯片的生活painlessly ，尽可能等待去天堂，或直至耶稣的回报。 Please don’t get me wrong, we have a very real work to do here on earth, building for the Kingdom of God.请不要误会我的意思，我们有一个非常实际的工作要做，就在地球上，建设为上帝的王国。 We are not going to build the kingdom on our own; it will come from God as a new creation, as an act of redemption, not as the final conclusion to the progress we are making here on earth.我们不打算建立英国对我们自己;它将来自上帝作为一种新的创作，作为一个行为的赎回，而不是作为最后的结论的进展，我们正在就在地球上。 Yet every work of grace, every work of love, justice, and compassion, is building for the kingdom, and will be part of the kingdom when it comes in full.然而，每一个工作的宽限期，每一个工作，爱情，正义和同情，是建设为英国，并将于部分的英国当谈到足额发放。 In 1 Cor.在一肺心病。 15, Paul speaks about the resurrection of the dead and the coming new creation, and he ends the chapter in verse 58 by saying, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We may not be able to build the Kingdom of God on our own, nor will we slowly progress towards it, but let us be assured that our work here on earth is not in vain, that we really can build for the kingdom, with the assurance that in the end God will redeem all of creation. 15 ，保罗谈到复活的死亡和今后一个新的创造，他完一章，在诗58说， “总是给自己充分的工作勋爵，因为您知道您的劳动在耶和华是不在徒劳的。 ： “我们未必能建立神的国度我们自己，我们也不会缓慢的进展，但让我们放心，我们的工作就在地球上是不是徒劳的，我们真的可以建立为英国，保证在年底上帝会赎回所有的创作。

I encourage you to read NT Wright’s我鼓励您阅读新台币Wright的 Surprised by Hope惊讶希望 to explore more of this idea.探索更多的这种想法。

Author Bio: : Maria currently lives in Chicago with her husband and works with teenagers. 作者生物： ：玛丽亚目前住在芝加哥与她的丈夫及工务局与青少年。 She always has more questions than answers, but is hoping to find a few more answers next year when she goes to seminary.她总是有问题多于答案，但希望能找到一个数更多的答案，明年，当她去修道院。 In the mean time you can find more of her questions at在平均时间您可以找到更多她的问题 www.mariadrews.wordpress.com. www.mariadrews.wordpress.com 。

for further reading .为进一步读。 . 。 . 。

• Onward, Christian Soldiers以后，基督教士兵