Book in Review: Eschatological Discipleship

What time is it? Where are we going? What is the vision of the future that gives us purpose to live in our present time and place? These questions are some of the few Trevin Wax addresses in his recent book entitled Eschatological Discipleship.

Eschatology is a theological term often associated with the topic of the end times among Christians. Wax chooses to use this word in a “broader sense” as “encompassing the Christian vision of time and the destiny of the world.” Wax is correct in his concern that many Christians are living with a “shrunken view of eschatology” which “fails to impact discipleship” and leaves Christians without the necessary tools to read the signs of the times and navigate its darkness. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to see Christianity viewed as a truncated list of rules or doctrines detached from any future vision of the Kingdom of Heaven. In this book, Wax gives a call for Christians today to live in the present as people of the future.

After defining his terms, Wax then gives a quick survey of Eschatological Discipleship throughout the Biblical corpus. Old Testament precedents, teachings and parables of Christ, the teachings of Paul—all show an emphasis on recognizing the current moment in light of the future realities. Particularly in Paul we see eschatology drive appeals to Christian urgency, holy living, and external ethics.

The best part of this book, however, was undoubtedly Wax’s treatment of “rival eschatologies” and what effective missional postures may look like towards each. Wax looks at the watershed movement of “the enlightenment” and the more recent developments of “the sexual revolution” and “consumerism”’. “The danger of failing to discern our current times correctly,” Wax writes, “is that we will succumb to the world’s vision of reality in ways we would never foresee.” All three worldviews are masterfully laid out in their assumptions and with their future visions of the world.

Let’s look at the Sexual Revolution briefly:

“The Sexual Revolution story is formed by the Enlightenment autonomy and told through Romanticist expression.” Its eschatology is about “progress” where “sexual restrictions are loosened and as criticism of various forms of sexual expression diminish.” Such an effort is portrayed as the heroic or courageous breaking of archaic boundaries to a future world of complete sexual freedom. To address this false eschatology, Wax offers some very good advice: put sex in its place (break the false tie between identity and sexual attraction, while speaking to its profound sacredness), Proclaim fulfillment in Christ, not in sexual expression (offering good news to a world where gospel is self-actualization), expose the falsehood of the Sexual Revolution’s progress, and create a haven of human flourishing (accurately model a culture which reflects the Biblical vision of authenticity, as well as be there to pick up those hurting from this movement).

Wax concludes this book with a look at three conceptions of Christian Discipleship within modern Evangelicalism and he provides his critiques of each conception, showing how an “eschatological dimension” may satisfy some of the weaknesses of each.

Other take aways from this book for me personally was Wax’s breaking of the false dichotomy between being either proclaiming the gospel or living according the Christian ethic. We are called to both, and a Christian witness cannot be limited to either a proclamation of the gospel or a demonstration of the gospel. He also challenges the “lingering dualism” of seeking the immaterial things of God at the expense of the very material universe. “Seeking that which is above is a matter not of becoming heavenly minded but allowing the liberating rule of Christ to transform every dimension of your life.” Wax even challenged some of my own wrestlings with escapism, revealing how such an understanding drastically minimizes the power of the Kingdom.

Eschatological Discipleship is a very good book, rift with external source material and notes. Wax does a good job throughout of systematizing and summarizing different ideas in a logical way. Some may complain that this book is overly intellectual in its writing and vocabulary, which may be a reasonable critique. All in all this is a great book, particularly for those in church leadership; and best of all, it provides a great analysis of counterfeit eschatologies in our contemporary times. 

This is one I will be thinking of for a while.