Christian Pipe-Smoking: An Introduction to Holy Incense and Bonus Interview with Dr. Samuel Frost on Full-Preterism

Pipe-smoking communicates a desire for temperance and a certain calm disposition toward the world.

The Patience of Redemptive History

The Bible takes us on a journey from creation to consummation, from Eden to the New Heavens and New Earth. What is most striking about the nature of redemptive history— in contrast to other narratives in the world—is the endurance of the kingdom of God; one might say the patience of redemptive history. The kingdom does not come and disappear after a little while. As Luther’s great rendition of Psalm 46 states, “His Kingdom is forever.” This eternal kingdom does not exercise its power in acts of immediate gratification. The kingdom is more like a seed planted that takes a while to harvest and manifest its glory.

The kingdom is most often offered to the humble and meek, who are most eager to see it. The rich person has a difficult time entering the kingdom of God, not because he is rich, but because he has tremendous difficulty in choosing between loyalty to God or mammon (Matt. 6:24). The Kingdom offers a maturational existence rooted in repeated patterns, but mammon specializes in quick fixes. The Kingdom trains you to be a King 20 years later, but mammon offers you riches and glory now without maturity. In the wilderness temptation, Jesus took the road to the kingdom rather than the immediate coronation ceremony Satan offered.