This World is Not Our Home . . . Or Is It?

“This World is Not My Home” was one of my favorite songs growing up. I sang it as part of a quartet that won first at the state convention in Illinois. (Relax, it was a Christian school competition, not exactly American Idol). But was popular song theologically right? In some ways, yes. The world system, run by the “prince and power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), is alien to the kingdom of God. You can’t love the world, John writes, and have the love of the Father in you (1 John 2:15-17). Yet, in other ways, this song is somewhat wrong. This earth is our home and it groans in anticipation of Christ’s full kingdom renewal (Romans 8:22). It is this fully-formed view of eschatology that should inform the way we do cultural engagement now. This is part of the recent conversation I had with Mike Wittmer, Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of the Center for Christian Worldview at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and author of Becoming Worldly Saints.