Within those Churches are theological differences on how people view this era. By this I mean the lens they see the world through. Obviously being conservative or evangelical or, liberal are an integral part of that lens. Concepts like Covenant Theology, Dispensational Theology, Pre, Post and A millennialism impact how they see the end of the Church Age playing out. Also, what they believe about the Book of Revelation and how it applies to the End Times affects the composition of the lens and impacts what they see and how they react to events around them.
These different Christian World Views result in some Christians who believe there will be an imminent time of judgement with the immediate return of Jesus Christ thereafter. As opposed to those who believe that Revelation has already happened and Jesus Christ will return at some point in the future when all of that generation accept the gospel and are believers in Him.
There are also many different iterations within a believers world view. Some Christians adhere to a major philosophy, such as, the Dispensation Pre Millennialist view where some believe in a Rapture of the Church before the time of Tribulation and then the Second Coming after the Tribulation and see Israel as separate entity to the Church. Meanwhile, the Classical Premillennialists don't believe in a rapture and see the Church as Israel. On the other hand the Post Millennialists feel the Millennial Kingdom has already happened during the Church Age and that Jesus Christ will return later as mentioned above.
Liberal Christians tend to have a lot of questions. Some believe the bible to be a book of myths and legends. Others fit evolution into the first verses of the Book of Genesis. There are those who are effectively secular in their outlook supporting feminism, antiracism, LGBTQ+ and any number of other causes into their view of Christianity.
I guess the question that arises though is "Who is a Christian?" and in this discussion of Christian Worldviews, what can be said about limitations of what it is acceptable to believe and still be a Christian? I have given this subject a lot of thought and come to the following conclusion. As a bottom line a person is a Christian if they believe John 3:16 "That God so loved them that He gave His only Son that if they believe on Him (Jesus Christ), then they will not perish but will inherit eternal life." Then regardless of what else they believe, true or otherwise, and regardless of their denomination. If they have heard and believed the gospel they are saved.
So to me a Christian can be in any denomination and believe many things which make up their personal Christian lens through which they view the world. They can be misled and mistaken or partially correct or completely correct in their beliefs about many theological and biblical issues. However, if they believe on Jesus Christ and that He bore their sins on the Cross and paid their sin debt at Calvary. They will not perish and will receive eternal life. Then they are saved and as a result our brothers and sisters are a remnant scattered across the many denominations and factions of Christianity.
So what then can we say about theology? What indeed? A good number of wars have been fought and lives lost for no good reason because of disputes of theology. In fact, if you will pardon me, I would have to say that the bible gives scant information about a lot of theological issues. In many cases it gives enough information to provide an outline of doctrine but not enough for an exhaustive and conclusive definition of doctrine. So interpretation becomes key.
An example would be Predestination and how that fits with the many scriptures that say Christ Died For All. Honestly, you can dispute this issue until the cows come home and never resolve it. The problem being that the scripture simply doesn't spell it out. God obviously felt it wasn't an issue and that we shouldn't waste time fighting over it. Probably because in the end, it is what it is and nothing we can do will make any material difference to the outcome. God has it under control and we just need to get on with the Christian life and the living of it.
So what can we conclude about how we view the world and how it impacts on who we are and what we do? For instance, should we stop reading the bible and being informed about the things of God. As the apostle Paul said "May it never be!" We need to pray and meditate on the word of God to grow our faith and develop our relationship with Jesus Christ.
The bible draws us closer to God and shapes our personality as a Christian. With it God develops His character within us as the Holy Spirit uses that knowledge to cleanse us of all unrighteousness and create a child of God. I think the bible is more of a useful tool for God to work within us than it is for us to draw out doctrines to beat others into submission. Maybe we simply aren't using it the right way. More humility and less spiritual pride as it were.
Finally, what of the time we live in now? Which is the correct lens to view this time? Well I think of climate change and the population of mankind in 2022. The climate seems to be becoming more unstable and we have approximately seven point nine billion souls on the Earth at present. The question here is "Can man survive his destructive tendencies without God?" Honestly, I think it is apparent that in less than a century man will fall victim to his capacity for global war or, the consequences of laying waste to the environment or, a general shortage of resources. In short man's capacity for evil and sin will lead to his demise. So to me any Christian lens which sees Jesus Christ returning soon is most probably the right one. Man just can't continue without the imminent return of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.
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