[Faith-talk] Church and culture, a good read

[Poppa Bear via Faith-talk]

Below is an article that I was just reading over a hot cup of coffee and as
I read it, several points struck me as running along the same vein as some
things that have been talked about on this list this last week, so I thought
that I would share. If the article is not read in it's entirety, it will
still be informative and thought provoking I believe. 

Enjoy,

       Stuart McAllister

                  The Church and Culture in the 21st Century

            In our last issue of Just Thinking, I gave an overview of some
major 

            issues and concerns that have been central to western culture
since 

            its early beginnings, and which continue to affect both church
and 

            society to this day. I'd like to continue looking at church and 

            culture issues, with the particular challenge faced when one of
two 

            things happens. First, when the church and individual Christians


            become so enamored with the spirit and rationale of the age that
we 

            or they eagerly conform to it and its standards; or second, when
we 

            are so repulsed by the standards and issues of the age that we
seek 

            to totally disengage and live as far removed from cultural
issues or 

            influences as is practically possible. 

 

            The first approach leads to issues of adaptation and compromise;
the 

            second to isolation and irrelevance. We have seen and continue
to 

            see both at work in our day. I was conversing with one of my 

            colleagues here at RZIM, when I commented that the most common
issue 

            I have come across personally, and which we are asked to comment
on 

            as a team in our seminars, is the irrelevance of much that
passes as 

            "church" to the felt needs or life issues of many who faithfully


            attend. Now I do not seek to attack the church or stand outside 

            throwing stones, but rather as a serious believer and in empathy


            with these many others who are serious and committed, I seek to 

            explore what is missing, some possible reasons why, and to ask,
What 

            is to be done? 

 

            I am reminded of how the philosopher Immanuel Kant was jolted
into 

            action by reading the critical works of the Scottish skeptic
David 

            Hume. Kant said he "was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers." In
the 

            highly popular movie, The Matrix, the character Neo (Keanu
Reeves) 

            goes through an awakening and discovers that life as he knows it
is 

            an illusion, a massive deception foisted on him. I cannot help
but 

            wonder if we urgently need a fresh "awakening" to first of all
see 

            how things really are, and then, to reach out to God afresh for 

            renewed passion, vision, and alternatives as we face the
whitewater 

            pressure of an ever changing culture. 

 

            So what is missing? I guess if I could pin it down, I would
describe 

            it as the suffocation or domestication of transcendence. The
faith 

            has been rationalized, explained, explored, and defined to such
a 

            degree that it appears as if "intellectual apprehension" is all
that 

            is required of true believers. Values such as accuracy, detail,
and 

            correct beliefs have taken center stage. And yet, the lack of 

            embodied practice or faithful expression is surely evidence that
our 

            beliefs are at best incomplete. The believer has then been 

            mobilized, analyzed, categorized and socialized into conformity
to a 

            variety of standards or systems defined within diverse 

            denominational structures and orientations. The church is then 

            organized, institutionalized and immunized so that she can stand
as 

            a light to the world, but well shielded from pollution or
compromise 

            from the surrounding culture. 

 

            In contrast, in the Incarnation "The Word became flesh and dwelt


            among us" (Jn. 1:14). God does not see our lives and cultures as


            something to be abhorred and avoided, but to be entered,
challenged, 

            and transformed. The error of some sects (such as the Pharisees
and 

            Essenes in biblical times) was a form of isolation and distance 

            based in concepts of uniqueness, particularity, and holiness,
but 

            which were in fact distortions, and not a faithful expression of


            God's clear intent. For some unexplained reason, a movement that


            begins with the presence and activity of God is slowly but
surely 

            changed into a rationalized and human-centered system. We all to


            easily see the hypocrisies and errors of the Pharisees and
whatever 

            its forms are in our time; but we seldom notice the ongoing
tendency 

            to distort or redefine the Faith to fit our comfort zones or
current 

            tastes. For we have not yet adequately addressed the underlying 

            issues, nor it seems have we found a working model that holds
the 

            tension between holiness and engagement effectively. Yet surely
me 

            must consider the biblical models before us, such as the Apostle


            Paul. In I Cor. 9:19-23 he speaks of his passion for the Gospel
and 

            of his desire to find ways to build bridges to others "that he
might 

            win some" (v. 22). 

 

            In his book Deliver Us From Evil, Ravi writes about the
processes of 

            pluralization, privatization, and secularization, and how we see


            these at work in the culture. These categories help us to
capture 

            experiences and processes of change going on around us, that we 

            struggle to comprehend and face. Yet (as Ravi and others have
noted) 

            in our legitimate scrutiny of the issues and concerns around us,
are 

            we failing to look at the church and our own lives through the
same 

            lenses? I think if we did so honestly and reflectively, we would
see 

            the secularization of the church is as much a problem as the 

            secularization of the culture. 

 

            Let me cautiously, but I hope compassionately, cite some
examples. 

            The current fascination with "seeker" approaches to church
services 

            has led to many valuable and innovative strategies to connect
with 

            unchurched people. However, it is also easy to detect a 

            preoccupation with relevance, with performance replacing
spiritual 

            leadership, and with entertainment and excellence drowning out 

            reverence for God and the messy interactions of congregations
that 

            truly reflect "sinners saved by grace." I am also concerned by
the 

            lack of value placed on central theological themes such as the 

            Trinity and Christology, of the value and role of church
history, 

            and of the almost total disregard of the councils and
confessions 

            that are part of the roots and essence of the living church. 

 

            Managerial, entrepreneurial, and messianic illusions can lead us
to 

            a subtle but sure departure from the central core and focus of
the 

            Faith. A preoccupation with "man at the center," with our skills
and 

            responsibility, with techniques and technology can lead to the 

            displacement of God, and the replacement of confidence and 

            expectation on divine resources and intervention by reliance on 

            self, effort, and human wisdom. As Harry Blamires has written,
"We 

            must not exploit our faith by advertising it as a technique for 

            achieving earthly satisfactions. The Faith is not a recipe and
not a 

            program. It is a Way. Recipes and programs are made to help you 

            carry out earthly jobs successfully. But a way is something you
walk 

            in." 

 

            How often God's people have had to learn the lesson of "first
things 

            first": that is, seeking God above all else (see Joshua 9).
Although 

            we do know the Lord and sincerely desire to do what is right, we


            still tend to seek our own wisdom first, rather than seeking the


            mind of the Lord. I realize we face a paradox between doing
nothing 

            until we have had in-depth prayer versus simply acting on what
we 

            know. Yet the issue I am trying to explore lies in the subtle
zone 

            where nuance is everything-where we do discern when to act on 

            reasonable assumptions and where we do know when the most needed


            thing to do is to stop, pray, and ask. 

 

            I can hear the objections being raised, as there is another side
to 

            this issue-those who live in a world of mystical preoccupation.
They 

            seem to have a hotline to heaven and give the impression that
their 

            intimacy with the Holy Spirit is more substantial than their 

            relationships with others. All human effort is disparaged, the
use 

            of means mocked, and the disparaging of reason, education, and 

            rationality encouraged. Yet this is not the alternative I am 

            proposing. A retreat into "otherworldliness" is no less
problematic 

            and ineffective than a descent into worldliness. Perhaps this 

            highlights the difficulty of integrating and balancing the two 

            dimensions of our lives. Yet surely this was answered for us by
the 

            example, life, and model of the Lord Jesus, who was and is both 

            "perfect man and perfect God" at the same time-a living 

            demonstration and model of the new humanity. 

 

            The interaction of heaven and earth and the dynamic tension of
these 

            are what we speak of when we discuss God as both transcendent
and 

            immanent . The impact of secularization, I believe, has been to 

            create a cleavage between these two and to foster a false
dualism in 

            our lives, as we separate the world into "sacred" zones and 

            activities, and "secular" ones. In the movie Gladiator, the
Roman 

            cosmology was powerfully illustrated. As the Roman army is
poised to 

            engage the powerful tribal warriors, the hero Maximus tells his
men, 

            "What we do here today echoes in eternity." Throughout the
movie, we 

            see the dynamic interaction of the two dimensions that gives a 

            wholeness to life and is an inspiration to the courageous
actions on 

            earth! 

 

            True spirituality must live within the complexities, challenges,
and 

            ambiguities of a Spirit-led faith that is rooted on the earth,
or as 

            Stuart Briscoe used to say, "Faith with boots on." The impact of


            secularization and rationalization is so insidious and so subtle


            that we are often unable to discern their influence. Exposure to


            Christians in other contexts and countries often surprises or
amazes 

            us, especially when they are serious and devoted to prayer,
spend 

            extensive time in worship and fellowship, and seem very
confident in 

            what God can and will do in the normal run of things. 

 

            Perhaps we are so qualified, skilled, and self-motivated, that
we 

            don't need any help or assistance? And yet I truly believe that
the 

            hunger for God that is expressed but seldom met, the impact that
is 

            desired but seldom achieved, and the transformation that is
called 

            for and preached about but so rarely seen, is due to a failure
in 

            delivery, not necessarily in ideas. Books, tapes, videos, and 

            seminars abound on anything and everything relating to the
latest 

            "how to" issue, but multitudes carry on untouched, unfulfilled,
and 

            thirsty for an encounter and deep knowledge of the living God. I
am 

            reminded of the words of the prophet Haggai to the people of
God, 

            that though they sowed much there was little harvest; though
they 

            earned wages, it went into a purse with holes. What then was the


            prophet's admonition? Consider your ways! (Haggai 1:4-7). Are we


            (particularly those in church leadership and active ministry)
truly 

            willing to evaluate, to ask hard questions, and to face the need
for 

            change? I realize this is a sensitive issue, but it seems clear
that 

            in many instances our hunger for God is not met. We have become
able 

            and gifted in utilizing the latest technologies and
techniques-which 

            I do believe can be vehicles for an encounter with God. However,
the 

            deep taste of God's presence and anointing that put the prophets
on 

            their faces (David, for example) and that overwhelmed seekers in


            many revivals (the Hebrides, the Great Awakening) is all to
rarely 

            experienced despite our sophistication. I truly wonder, Is our 

            experience of God so deficient that we have lost even the
capacity 

            to know what it is we are missing? 

 

            Why has this happened? How did we get here? I believe that we
have 

            tremendous insight available within the church that charts the 

            history and experience of the church in the modern and now 

            postmodern age. The battles that raged for faithfulness, for a
high 

            view of scripture, for the role and centrality of biblical 

            convictions in guiding morality, among others, have been 

            well-documented and the issues thoroughly outlined. From J.
Gresham 

            Machen to Charles Colson, we have had many examples of highly
gifted 

            and educated believers who were serious about the life of the
church 

            and passionate about the need to impact the culture. 

 

            I personally feel that evangelicals have been good at
understanding 

            "bad ideas" and dangerous philosophies, and very poor at 

            understanding or grasping the impact of everyday processes and 

            interactions that subtly but surely transform us. Let me
illustrate 

            with the terrible tragedy in the Ukraine, when the nuclear
reactor 

            at the Chernobyl plant caught fire. Millions went about their 

            everyday business as usual, cooking, working, and going to
school, 

            unaware and uninformed that an unseen but deadly element was 

            unleashed all around them. Something was happening that was
changing 

            the atmosphere and the essential conditions for life. Thousands
were 

            affected, and many died, all the while unaware of the slow
poisoning 

            from concealed deadly forces. 

 

            I cannot help but sense that this serves as a useful metaphor
for 

            our times. The values and assumptions within our modern ways of 

            living steadily but surely redefine things for us. Perhaps the
most 

            powerful exposition of these processes and challenges is
addressed 

            by Craig M. Gay in The Way of the Modern World. Writers such as
Os 

            Guinness, Lesslie Newbigin, Francis Schaeffer, David Wells, Ravi
and 

            a host of others have provided tremendous insight and
orientation on 

            our current challenges and on how ideas-and I would add, 

            influences--have consequences. 

 

            In addition to the wisdom of these gifted teachers and speakers,
we 

            also have a tremendous resource from the history and experience
of 

            missions and missionaries. This has been sadly neglected, yet is
a 

            reservoir of insight and skill much needed at this time. It is
of 

            some interest that the accumulated experience and knowledge
gained 

            by the US forces in the Pacific, particularly in terms of
amphibious 

            landings, was underutilized in the preparations for the Normandy


            landings in Europe-and at great cost. Are we perhaps doing
something 

            similar in the western church in relation to missionary
experience? 

            The battles with spiritual powers, the struggle with
communication 

            and translation, the long uphill road in church planting and 

            transformation as the Gospel enters and engages new cultures has


            been well documented and serves as vital instruction much needed
in 

            our current context. Missionaries have poured out their lives, 

            prayed without ceasing, mobilized others to pray for
breakthroughs, 

            and by God's amazing grace and generosity, have seen lives and 

            cultures transformed. 

 

            I was just reading a Christianity Today article on evangelicals
and 

            history, and in recent years I have read countless others on 

            evangelicals and work, evangelicals and politics, evangelicals
and 

            science, etc. They are all similar in some respects. They
address 

            the lack of "perceived impact" in the particular area, yet cite
the 

            highly skilled Christian practitioners eager for change in the 

            various disciplines or activities. I cannot but feel these are
all 

            subsets of the bigger and all embracing issue of the church and 

            culture. Perhaps we tend to rationalize too quickly, rather than


            exploring ways to find one another, to seek God's face, and to 

            repent of self-confidence, pride, and spiritual apathy. 

 

            What then is to be done? A number of years ago, the British 

            theologian and preacher John Stott remarked in a lecture in
Brussels 

            on the tendency of Christians to lament the degradation and
decline 

            of the culture or society. Stott said, "We should not ask, 'What
is 

            wrong with the world?' for that diagnosis has already been
given. 

            Rather we should ask, 'What has happened to the salt and
light?'" 

            (Mt 5:13-16). Surely this is both biblical and of urgent 

            contemporary relevance. We must seek God's renewing grace and
power 

            in our lives, our churches, our Christian organizations, and our


            culture. 

 

            In 1989 we witnessed an event that was as important as it was 

            symbolic, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. For about 30
years, 

            the wall had divided Germany into two countries and the more 

            extensive "Iron Curtain" split Europe in two and came to
symbolize 

            the two opposing systems of capitalism and communism. With the 

            destruction of the wall, families were reunited and new 

            possibilities (and problems) emerged. It is this symbol of
bondage 

            to freedom, of oppression to liberty, of a one-size-fits-all 

            approach contrasted with the diversity that makes for a more
open 

            and liberal society, that I believe should inspire us. The 

            transformation-though less than needed-was significant and
profound. 

            What would be the equivalent of the "Berlin Wall" in our
context? Is 

            it perhaps an unconscious elevation of man-centeredness over 

            God-centeredness in our thinking, planning, and actions? Are we 

            witnessing what Jacques Ellul, the French theologian and writer,


            described as "the triumph of technique"? Has the influence and 

            heritage of William James' pragmatism subtly but surely led us
into 

            an unconscious but deeply held self- reliance? The church
reformers 

            coined the phrase ecclesia reformata semper reformanda, "the 

            reformed church always reforming." God the Holy Spirit has not
left 

            us alone, and the "story," the church's journey across history,
is 

            not yet over. I have often been inspired by how God raises up 

            leaders with vision in times of great need (Deborah, Gideon, 

            Nehemiah). Perhaps we need not some grand organization or
strategy, 

            but multiple grassroots movements of God's people seeking the
fresh 

            winds of His spirit, renewed vision and passion, and an impact
on 

            lives and cultures for the glory of God I would not be
triumphalist 

            and call for some simple and all embracing solution to the
massive 

            challenges and complexities that face us today. I would,
however, be 

            confident to urge us all afresh, as individuals, as churches,
and as 

            organizations, to give serious thought to this moment, our 

            stewardship, and God's will. The prophet Jeremiah said it so
well: 

            ""You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all
your 

            heart." (Jer. 29:13.) 

 

 

 

             C 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. All Rights 

            Reserved.