World Building and the Kingdom of God
Or what fantasy fiction has taught me about the Sermon on the Mount.
Once a month, I have the privilege of gathering with a local writing group. We call ourselves the Phinklings, a nod to Lewis and Tolkien’s Inklings with a Philly twist. While my writing typically focuses on theology, church, and culture, my friends write poetry, fantasy, and fiction. Their works are deeply imaginative, drawing readers into new worlds, and I find myself amazed by the richness of their storytelling.
A key part of many of my friends' creative process is what they call “world building.” World building refers to the intricate process of developing a fictional universe for a story. It includes creating the world's history, geography, culture, ecology, and even its social customs. J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is often cited as a prime example, especially with his creation of detailed maps and distinct languages for different races in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s world-building was nothing short of all-encompassing.
As I read and engage with the works of my fellow writers, I am inspired by their ability to craft these worlds so vividly. One of my friends, for example, is writing a series of poems centered around the lore of the different groups of people in the world he is building. The depth with which he develops these myths within myths, cultures within cultures, is a striking reminder of how storytelling has the power to expand our imaginations.
While the focus of my own writing projects are not on creatively developing worlds for readers to imagine. I do see my writing as creatively using words to describe the world God has created for my readers. My work is more about describing the world that Jesus is building rather than building a world itself. In my work, I use words to describe the world that God has created and is continuing to shape—a world that is centered on Jesus. The distinction here is that Jesus is the one who does the world building, I simply seek to describe the world he is already creating.
Jesus’ World Building: The Kingdom of God
Storytellers create worlds and describe how the adventure takes place within this world. While world building is often a concept to describe creating plausible worlds in which a fictional story unfolds as in fantasy writing and Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, what if we imagined Jesus as a world builder too? What if we considered The Sermon on the Mount as the world building of Jesus? Like Tolkien, he’s developing a plausible world called the kingdom of God. Now, unlike most world building, I do not think the kingdom of God is fictitious. In his own work Jesus has made the creation of this world, called the kingdom of God, and in The Sermon on the Mount, he has described what life in the kingdom is like (Matthew 5-7). But even more, Jesus inhabits the very world he builds, showing us that the kingdom of God is not a fictitious world or a set of principles, but it is a King. A person, who lived the way of the kingdom as reality.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers a vision of the Kingdom of God—an alternative reality that is both unlike the world we live in and yet more real than anything we can imagine. This kingdom is not a fictional world; it is a present and future reality that Jesus invites us into. Unlike other world-building efforts, which may create fictional realms for the sake of narrative, Jesus’ world is a genuine one, a world that exists in him.
In his proclamation of the gospel, Jesus doesn’t just announce a new set of rules or ideals. He is announcing the arrival of a new world, a new way of being. The Kingdom of God, according to Jesus, is not of this world (John 18:36), but through him, it has come near (Mark 1:15). The gospel is an invitation to live into this reality—to embrace the rule of God in our lives here and now.
In this kingdom, the poor are honored and blessed, for they are the ones who most acutely realize that the King himself is all they need. Those who mourn the pains of this age will find comfort and hope in this kingdom, where pain will ultimately be redeemed. The Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount describe the kinds of people who populate this kingdom—those who live according to the values of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12).
Kingdom Ethics: How We Relate to One Another
But the Kingdom of God is not just about personal piety or abstract ideals. It is also about how people interact with one another. Just as any good story is driven by the relationships between characters, the Kingdom of God is shaped by the relationships between its citizens.
In the world Jesus builds, there is a radical transformation in how we view and treat one another. Take, for example, the issue of anger and murder. In Jesus’ kingdom, the root issue is not just external violence but the internal anger and hostility that often precede it. In this world, reconciliation and truth-telling are paramount. Before we ever commit an act of violence, we are called to resolve our anger, ensuring that relationships remain peaceful and just.
Similarly, in the area of lust and adultery, Jesus teaches that true peace comes not just from avoiding unfaithful acts but from seeing one another as valuable image-bearers of God. Lust, which objectifies and dehumanizes, leads to broken relationships and harm. In the world Jesus is building, peace and truth reign, and we are called to see one another through the lens of God’s love.
As we reflect on these teachings, we must ask ourselves: What kind of community is needed to sustain such relationships? The Kingdom of God calls us to live in harmony, truth, and self-sacrifice, treating one another as God sees us and walking together in the way of Jesus.
Gospel Proclamation: Announcing the Kingdom
The gospel is the announcement of this Kingdom that arrives through King Jesus. Proclaiming the good news of Jesus is not just about sharing facts, nor is just about ethical guidelines to follow; it’s about declaring that the Kingdom of God is present and available to all through Jesus, the Messiah. The Kingdom that Jesus speaks of is not a distant hope; it is a reality that is already breaking into the world. In his life and ministry, Jesus has inaugurated this Kingdom, and through his resurrection, he has made it possible for all who follow him to participate in it.
The church, as the body of Christ, becomes a witness to this Kingdom. Through the gospel, we invite others to imagine life in this world—the world Jesus is building—and to participate in it by living under the rule and reign of King Jesus. The power of our gospel proclamation does not lie in our persuasive techniques or eloquent speech, but in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ world-building project is not one confined to fiction or fantasy. It is the world of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom that he both describes and embodies. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has made this Kingdom a present reality, and he invites us to live in it, now and forever. Proclaiming the gospel is not simply sharing a message; it is sharing an invitation to live in the reality of the Kingdom that Jesus has brought near.
“Blessed are the feet of those who bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15). Through the proclamation of the gospel, we are invited to participate in the world Jesus is building—a world where peace, truth, and reconciliation reign.