The Great Biblical/Theological Divorces

I turn 90 in a few days.  As I reflect on the state of American Christianity, which is not good, I am pondering the state of our theology which I find deeply flawed.  As I see it, there are a number of tragic divorces:

1.  The Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God.
2.  Repentance and restitution.
3.  Cross and the kingdom.
4.  Jesus and the kingdom.
5.  Love and justice.
6.  Faith and works.
7.  Kingdom and justice.
8.  Poverty and oppression.
9.  Spirituality/prayer and justice.
10.  Individual reconciliation and social reconciliation.

Any one of these divorces would be bad; the combination is catastrophic.

The result: a gutted gospel, a deeply flawed Americanized Christianity.  Who will put the holistic, biblical gospel back together again?

Here is how I see America's Sociotheological Challenges:

Problems:

1.  America's Idolatries:  WASP's in control, American exceptionalism, whiteness next to godliness.
2.  Lack of biblical teaching on oppression and justice.
3.  American trinity: individualism, materialism, and ethnocentrism.
4.  White superiority: based on both race and class.
5.  Systems of oppression: slavery, segregation, mass incarceration, racial wealth gap.
6.  Social Death:  individual, family, community, and cultural PTSD.

Solutions:

1.  The Creator/Redeemer God.
2.  Strong biblical teaching on oppression and justice.
3.  Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, church, community.
4.  All people created in the image of God.
5.  A more humane, equitable economic system highlighting cooperative models such as Jubilee justice.
6.  Reconciliation and shalom.

Theology and Practice of the Kingdom of God:

Old Testament

1.  Theology:  Messianic passages from Isaiah: 9:7; 11:1-4; 16:5; 28:16-17; 42:1-4; 61:1-4.
2.  Theory and Practice: Lev. 25.
3.  Practice: Neh. 5---leads to repentance and restitution, making things right.

New Testament

1.  Theology:  Mark 1:15; Mt. 6:33, and Rom. 14:17 NEB
2.  Practice:  Luke 4:18-19; Spirit, poor, oppressed, Jubilee justice.
3.  Practice:  Acts 4:32-35; generous giving.
4.  Practice:  James 1:12 through chapter 2.