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Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: a Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the `Ordinary Eschatology' of Some Congregational Christians

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Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: a Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the `Ordinary Eschatology' of Some Congregational Christians Durham E-Theses Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: A Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the `Ordinary Eschatology' of Some Congregational Christians ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL,ROBERT How to cite: ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL,ROBERT (2011) Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: A Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the `Ordinary Eschatology' of Some Congregational Christians, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3274/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Michael Robert Armstrong Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: A Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the ‘Ordinary Eschatology’ of Some Congregational Christians ABSTRACT The thesis investigates the life after death (hereafter LAD) beliefs of members of my Congregational church via in-depth semi-structured interviews. Complementary criteria of critical reflection and visible effect on behaviour are used to identify these views as „ordinary theology‟. It is argued that the disclosed „ordinary eschatology‟ provides a valuable commentary on both the current theological norm of protestant Christian tradition and contemporary academic debate. Ordinary theologians can be considered as Spirit signal processors for the church: a claim based on a view of continuing revelation, the changing living tradition of the church, and the nature of doctrine as „regulative principle‟. Protestant doctrine and funeral liturgy is not entirely clear about LAD, so this is supplemented with a particular view of „life after LAD‟ to provide a comparative „norm‟. The present data shows a significant disjunction with this norm in several key areas. Ordinary eschatology does not envisage a physical afterlife or final re-embodiment of the dead: the afterlife is an immediate soul- spirit existence. Jesus‟ resurrection is not regarded as directly relevant to the nature of human afterlife but rather was to confirm his person and message. These ordinary theologians are deeply sceptical of scholarly and ecclesial authority, and their attitudes suggest a failure on the part of church and academy to convey the results of academic scholarship. Ordinary eschatology challenges the contemporary theological trend of denying a substantial soul, and questions some interpretations of key biblical texts concerning LAD. These ordinary theologians also frequently report experiences of supernatural phenomena: continuing contact with the known dead is especially important. The listening process used to disclose this ordinary theology has great benefit and could be applied in other congregations and contexts. There is an identified desire among these ordinary theologians for LAD to become a more common and routine topic of church conversation. TITLE PAGE Lay Christian Views of Life After Death: A Qualitative Study and Theological Appraisal of the ‘Ordinary Eschatology’ of Some Congregational Christians by Michael Robert Armstrong A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology and Ministry Department of Theology and Religion University of Durham 2011 64,951 words „The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged.‟ 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Title Page 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 6 1. Why a Study of the Afterlife Beliefs of Ordinary Christian People? 7 1.1 Experience of Ordinary Pastoral Ministry 7 1.2 Ordinary Theology 10 Is it „Theological‟? 12 The Benefits of Ordinary Theology 18 1.3 Ordinary Theologians As „Signal Processors‟ of the Spirit 23 Continuing Revelation 26 Doctrine Tested in the Ordinary 33 1.4 Assessing the Theological Contribution of Ordinary Theologians 39 2. Process and Method 43 2.1 A Real Learning Experience Leading to Further Reflection 46 2.2 An Empowering and Positive Experience 47 2.3 Data Collection and Analysis 48 3. Ordinary Eschatology Discovered 52 3.1 There is a Life After Death 52 Ordinary Theology Being Done 54 Individual Heavens – A Remarkable Solution 55 Disembodied Existence 56 3.2 An Immediate and Non-Physical Afterlife 57 Strong Belief in a Soul/Spirit 60 Ordinary Reasons for Belief in Soul/Spirit 62 God is not physical 62 Awareness of Self 63 The Identity Issue – How am I the Same „Me‟? 64 The Dementia Problem – Where Has She Gone? 66 Reincarnation and Resurrection Confused 68 3.3 Arguments in Support of Non-Physicality 70 Dead People are „Empty‟ 70 The Physical is the Problem 71 Physicality and Death 72 Physical Suffering will Cease 72 Practical Issues For a Physical Afterlife 73 Space and Other Resources 73 3 Relationships and Meeting Others 74 Decay and Ageing 75 Which Physical Afterlife World? 76 Physical Characteristics in the Non-Physical 79 Non-systematic and Practical Faith 81 3.4 Further Characteristics of The Afterlife 83 A Social Afterlife – The Anthropocentric View 83 Perhaps not with Everybody 84 Vaguely Theocentric – The Possible Presence of God 85 Judgement or Not? 87 Active, or Not? 92 3.5 What Jesus‟ Resurrection Tells Us 95 3.6 Little Trust in Academy and Church 98 Relativism and Individualism 105 Failure to Convey Biblical Scholarship 106 Ordinary Biblical Interpretation 108 Reading Key Texts in an Ordinary Way 110 3.7 The Supernatural 112 Spiritualism, Mediums and Seances 115 Ghosts and Spirits 118 NDEs and Out-of-Body Experiences 119 The Presence of the Dead 122 Continuing Relationships with the Dead 126 3.8 Formation and Effects 129 Family and Church Background 130 Experience of the Supernatural 131 Nature 132 The Effect of Belief in LAD 132 Theodicy is Not an Issue 132 Belief in LAD Does Make A Difference 134 Reluctance to Talk about LAD 135 4. Conclusions 138 4.1 A Method and Concept Tested 138 4.2 The Key Elements of Ordinary Eschatology 139 A Potential Criticism 141 4.3 What These Views Can Tell Us 145 4.4 Further Implications for Church and Ministry 149 „Ordinary‟ Teaching and Learning 149 The Need for More „LAD talk‟ 151 4.5 For Further Research 153 Appendix A - Existing Empirical Data on LAD Belief 155 4 Appendix B - Excursus on Church Doctrine Concerning LAD 164 Congregationalists and Doctrine 164 Creeds and Anglican Doctrine 166 Appendix C - A Minister Reviews his Own Theology and Practice 170 Appendix D - The Tom Wright View of ‘Life After LAD’ 179 Appendix E – Methodological Approach 183 An Appropriate „Conversational‟ Model 183 Reflexivity and Epistemology 188 Rationale for Interviewing my own Congregation 192 „Power‟ in the Interview 193 Should the Interviewer undertake Different roles? 194 Should Interviewing be Active or Passive? 197 The Interview 198 Ethics 199 Appendix F – Project Documentation 200 A Typical Interview Schedule 200 Research Participant Information Sheet 204 Research Participant Consent Form 207 Supplementary Research Participant Information Sheet: Dealing With Data 208 Supplementary Research Participant Consent Form 209 Appendix G – Excursus In Defence of the Substantial Soul 210 The influence of Greek Philosophy 210 The Influence of Science 213 Variations of Monism 213 A New Kind of (Emergent) Dualism 216 Traditional Dualism Defended 218 Appendix H - Excursus on Approaches to Biblical Interpretation 221 The Text in Past and Present 221 Authorial world views and contemporary science 224 Contrasting and Competing Interpretations 230 Conclusion 238 Bibliography 239 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my great thanks to several organisations and individuals for their support. In terms of practical and financial assistance I am most grateful to the following organisations. The Council for World Mission awarded me a scholarship over the final three years of this degree. The Coward Trust gave me encouragement and generous support for my studies over the past four years. The Northern Region of the Congregational Federation provided invaluable assistance for the first year of my doctoral programme. Hatfield College not only provided me with a wonderful environment and supportive friends throughout, but on several occasions also helped with funding for research expenses (via the Hatfield Trust and MCR research fund) and with a Floreat scholarship in 2007-08. Without the support of these organisations this project could not have been undertaken. I am also most grateful to the members of my own church who volunteered to be the subjects of this study. They have trusted me with their deepest held views and beliefs. It has been a humbling experience and an enormous privilege to research their extra-„ordinary‟ theology. I only hope that I have been able to do them justice. I must also mention two people in particular for their unstinting support and encouragement. In numerous and loving ways they have enabled me to complete this project. A quite extraordinary „ordinary theologian‟ of Coast Congregational Church has, among many other forms of invaluable assistance, provided me with a regular supply of cheese scones made in heaven. Finally, my wife has not only tolerated, but actually encouraged, my unsocial obsession with LAD. Her patience and love are the foundations of this thesis. 6 1. WHY A STUDY OF THE AFTERLIFE BELIEFS OF ORDINARY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE? 1.1 EXPERIENCE OF ORDINARY PASTORAL MINISTRY It is perhaps not immediately obvious why the views of members of an ordinary Congregational church concerning „life after death‟ (hereafter referred to as LAD) should be of interest and importance.
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