This is an odd topic for Epiphany, but C. Michael Patton is treading where few dare to go. He asks, "Do you believe in Ghosts?" I'm so glad for his honest question.
I’ve often wondered at how strongly those in the tradition of my childhood affirm that Ghosts can not exist! It was also a surprise to find how distinctively Evangelical such a commitment seems to be.
It seems to me that the few affirmations of scripture regarding the intermediate state leave a lot of room for further activity. Surely to be present with the Lord doesn’t necessarily imply that we are inactive, sedate or unconcerned with this world. The whole of classical Christianity seems to think otherwise.
Might our Lord have work for us to do in the mean time? Might there be something to learn? My Anglican tradition affirms that believers who have passed continue to exist somewhere, and so we pray that they continue to grow in love, grace and knowledge. And what does any of this have to do with those who die apart from our Lord’s covenantal claim. We believe they suffer somewhere; do we know for sure this has no manifestation in the realm of our sense?
How do we know?
That’s the point of wonder for me: we act so sure about that which we know very little- especially when we have the testimony of so many people and cultures. Do we know from the paltry number of verses available that the thousands of experiences of honest people must be wrong?
The whole question of "Are there ghosts here?" also seems to be built on a two-storied view of creation- earth is here, heaven and hell are way over there, and never the twain shall meet. But if heaven and earth are further dimensions of reality so that we are constantly surrounded by an unseen reality, might the question of whether those who died in the Lord are still “here” be a moot one? Wouldn’t the answer be “Of Course! And sometimes they step out and say hello.” Likewise, should we be surprised if we wander into a part of the landscape where those who died lost (and so continue to be so) congregate.
Perhaps Heaven is up, but not North; Hell is down, but not South.
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