Friday, April 30, 2010

Are young people just more honest?

Here are some thoughts quoted a recent article in USA today from Mark Driscoll:

My personal experience having preached all over the country reveals three things:

One, adolescence is extending into the early thirties. Practically, this means that young people are delaying most major life decisions from career path to marriage, children, and even which set of spiritual beliefs they will adhere to. Subsequently, their ambiguity and lack of certainty about Christian doctrines is not surprising in light of their entire life.

Two, young people are committed to churches not built for them but built by them. Around the country young people are flocking to churches that have clear authoritative Bible teaching about real life issues, are lead by authentic leaders, include night services, use online social media, embrace technology, serve the poor and suffering, strive for community, encourage creativity, and allow young leaders to lead at the highest levels.

Three, young people are more spiritually honest. The days of feeling some sort of cultural pressure to adhere to historic Christian truths is simply gone. Subsequently, we may not be seeing younger people less devoted to Jesus Christ but simply more people being honest so that those who in the past would have professed faith they did not possess or practice are simply being honest which is more admirable than being a hypocrite.

What are your thoughts?

Read full article here

Monday, February 15, 2010

Carson's lectures on culture

I've picked up this link from Justin Taylor's blog. I haven't listened yet, but it would seem to pick up on the theme I've written about over the last couple of weeks. Although, Carson knows far more than I do

Andy Naselli points us to the availability of five lectures by D. A. Carson on Christ and culture, delivered at Moore College. For more on Carson’s perspective, see the published and expanded version of these lectures, Christ and Culture Revisited.

• Lecture 1
• Lecture 2
• Alumni evening
• Lecture 3
• Lecture 4

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

right focus

One final post and the plan is to move on from this discussion of church and culture. It seems to me that a third step we might think about in overcoming the difficulties that differing cultures present in our churches is to have a clear focus on the mission. It is notable that when Jesus' final words in Matthew are not a command to propagate culture, but make disciples of all nations. If we unite around that vision I think it makes a huge difference to the role that culture and our cultural differences play within a church.

First, a focus on mission (by this I mean more than evangelism, but making disciples) will necessarily put culture in a secondary position. In a recent article in Evangelicals Now, Marcus Honeysett helpfully points out that there are two positions that a church can stand in, maintenance or mission. Maintenance is about preserving a culture. Mission turns away from a preservation mindset and is about moving forward and seeing the church built in quality and quanitity. In effect, mission can become the new dominant culture that we all grab hold of.

Second, a focus on mission will leave, or should leave, no time for petty arguments about cultural things. Am I being naive and ignoring the reality of our sinful natures? Or is it true that if our attention is taken up with the pressing matter of how to reach our communities with the gospel and how can we encourage one another to grow in Christ we are not going to be so concerned about whether the music was a bit livelier last Sunday or the chairs have been moved around.

Third, a focus on mission gives us a reason to overcome our differences. According to Jesus love is the badge of discipleship (John 13:35). How will an unbelieving world see that the gospel is real and relevant? One of the chiedfways is by seeing the love that Christians have for eachother. If we are serious about mission, we will be serious about unity because without it how can think of reaching a dying world?

One last thing. Don't we need God to help us with this:

Oh God, may I submit to your will for the church. May I love people who are different to me, who see things differently and do things differently. Help me to remember that I am not accepted before you because I do things in a certain way, but because Jesus died for me. Help me to think of others in that way as well. Help me to be humble and realise that there are many different ways of doing things, my way is not the right way and other way the wrong way. Help me to have such a passion for mission, a passion to engage people with the gospel and see people growing in the Lord Jesus Christ, that I am willing to let go of my preferences and my cultural assumptions and live for the honour of Jesus and for the good of others. Amen

Saturday, February 06, 2010

right character

What might be the next step in mapping a way forward in overcoming the difficulties that our different cultures cause in church life? As we did last time I want to take my lead from the Bible and suggest that just as right theology is important here, so is right character.

When I think of unity in the church two passages in Paul's letters quickly spring to my mind - Eph 4:1-6 & Phil 2:1-4. Both of them are calls for the church to be united, and both of them emphasise humility as key to that unity. As I have thought and faced the problems that culture can cause in the church I have found these verses to be so helpful and so necessary. If we want unity despite our cultural diversity we need humility.

I want to suggest three ways in which this is important. First, we need the humility to acknowledge that much of what we do and the assumptions that we have are culturally conditioned. I remember spending a year at University in America. I didn't expect to have a culture shock when I went there, but I did. There were several differences and one that stood out to me, although it was so small, was the way the traffic lights worked. In the UK they go red, red & amber, green. In the US they go red, green. As I missed home this became an issue to me and in my pride I wanted to shout out, "YA'LL ARE DOING IT WRONG!!!" But of course that is not true. It was just different.

There are many areas in church life where we need the humility to accept that someone elses way is not wrong, it is just different. It is not wrong to sing in a different style. It is not wrong to make decisions in a different way based upon the same biblical principles. It is not wrong to preach in jeans and t-shirt. It is not wrong to not meet at 11am & 6pm on a Sunday, but to do Sunday another way. It is not wrong to have Saturday meetings, or not to have Saturday meetings. It is just different. But that takes humility to recognise. Often pride and a satisfaction with our culture blinds us to this.

Second, we need humility to compromise with each other. One of the lessons that I have learned in marriage is that if we are to live together in harmony there needs to be a good deal of give and take. The same is true in the church. Paul points this out, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Phil 2:3). The problem is that this is not always easy or always the case.

I have found this to be particularly in churches where a dominant culture has existed for a long time. New people come in and are welcomed, but often on the condition that they fit in with what is already there. However, is that a biblical approach? Obviously church is not about conforming to the wishes and desires of every newcomer. That would be impossible and deny the need for compromise from those who start coming to a church. Yet, is it right to insist that for someone to be part of a church body they must conform with the cultural practices of the church and not just the biblical principles on which they are based? I would answer no.

We need to accept that one way of doing things that encourages one group of people may not encourage another. We need to understand that while our needs might be 'being met' by the way we are doing things others needs may not. We have to grasp that while I may understand what is being said others might not because of the cultural barriers that exist. This takes humility.

Third, we need humility to be patient with each other. Paul writes, "bearing with one another in love" (Eph 4:2). I don't know about you, but I need people to bear with me in love. I get so much wrong and I am slow to understand others.

One area where I think this is needed today is in the relationship between the young and old and the use of language. I have friends on facebook of varying ages and in looking at their communications I have noticed that words once used to express strong feelings are now common place. Similarly phrases that were once used to give offence are now used as the norm between friends. These are cultural differences that can easily cause real problems  between people as offense is taken where none was intended. We need to bear with one another, think the best of each other and seek to understand one another.

As we come together from different cultures, thinking differently and liking different things there are many areas where friction can easily be fostered. However, much of this can be avoided if we approach eachother with humility.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

right theology

As I've reflected over the last few weeks on the issue of culture and the church I've grown in my conviction that if we take the teaching of the Bible and 'live it' then local church should be a body of people that transcends culture. The Gospel is an amazing message that cuts through cultural boudaries and calls people everywhere to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and from everywhere they do and are saved.

However, it is also clear to me that in the nitty-gritty of church life this might be seen as the ideal rather than the reality. Our differences often militate against the kind of biblical community that we pray would be realised among us. So, is it really possible? Should we simply abandon this and form churches where we exist only with those who are 'like us'? I don't believe that is the answer for one minute and I want to move now to map out some of my thoughts for a possible way forward.

The first step is the need for right theology. I think Paul makes this clear in the incident recorded in Galatians 2. Paul rebukes Peter for separating himself from the Gentile believers. But how does he do this? He doesn't plead with him not to be unkind. He brings him back to the gospel, and particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Is there a lesson here for us? If we are to work for and live together in culture transcending churches we need to grasp more fully and be more deeply rooted in the wonderful truths of the gospel.

What did Peter need to remember? First, he needed to remember that he was accepted before God, not on the basis of nationality of keeping certain Jewish customs,  but through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His culture was not a contributing factor to his salvation. The same is the case today. We are not right before God because we sing Townend & Getty songs, go to meetings of the church regularly, pray every day or believe a certain view of the end times. We are accepted before God through faith on the basis of the finished work of Jesus.

Second, he needed to remember that others are accepted before God through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ and not on account of a cultural allegiance or religious activity (Gal 2:15-16). Again, this has not changed. Someone is not a Christian because they sing Wesley Hymns, use a certain Bible version, dress a certain way, are verbal or non-verbal as the sermon is preached, stick their hands in the air or not, eat meat potatoes and veg or something different. They are right with God through faith in Christ and are fully accepted before him on that basis alone.

I think that if we are to be churches that transcend culture it is vital that we grasp this truth, because it puts culture in it's right place. Culture is not the main thing in any sense of that word. It is not an essential thing and should never be made one. But we will only live like that if we have grasped justification by faith alone. By that I don't mean merely know it., Peter knew it, we need to live it.