Politics and the current state of evangelicalism
We live in interesting times. Those liberal dems have taken over the House of representatives and Senate...this coming on the heels of the Ted Haggard shocker http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227568,00.html all which seems to have thrown evangelicals into a tizzy. There is no joy in Who-ville for the wicked old Grinch has stolen Christmas!
While not trying to minimize all the "bad stuff" going on today, I will postulate that we may just be headed for better things. Yes, we live in the proverbial "perilous times," and the end is certainly nearer, but these are not necessarily bad times, at least, from God's perspective. In fact, God often presents us with opportunity in the midst of crisis.
I do believe that the reform that is necessary is not a political one; our hope is not in the Republican or Democratic party, especially, as Christ's Church. Nor is the answer one that gives up on truth. It lies more in how these timeless truths we believe are to be communicated in the times we find ourselves in. I think the perceived crisis America (and possibly other parts of the industrialized word) is experiencing is that we no longer live under the shadow of "Enlightenment" or modernist thinking. So, at least in this sense, America is perceived to be going morally down the drain...because the very cultural fabric of this country was founded on these puritanical/scientific reformation principles --logic, reason, uniformity, science...and those methods are now broken as the mainstay of societal thought. So, indeed, there is the possibility, even if only temporary, of a cultural vacuum being filled with all kinds of humanistic gobbledy gook.
Apologetics and modern evangelicalism won the day for many years in America because our national DNA is just as much based on John Locke as Jonathan Edwards. But modernist-style books like "A Case for Christ" (a good book) are not going to cut it anymore. These books may encourage believers to believe with more confidence, but they are not going to reach this so-called post-modern culture. Furthermore, you can no longer argue or scare people out of hell or "prove the Bible" by using scientific methods. Btw, I don't necessarily believe we live in a "post-Christian" world because I'm not sure we really know what that means. I realize that what I am saying here is almost heretical to modern evangelical dogma but, as a culture, we may not be any more or less "Christian" than we ever were. Maybe, we're just coming to grips with the naked truth for the first time. But, at least, this idea of morality is being redefined, even reinvented, so as Christians we better have a voice in what that is; but it needs to be God's voice, with His heart and from His Spirit.
We definitely find ourselves living in this so-called post-modern worldview. And "post-moderns," like ourselves, have been saturated by clever marketing schemes and they know that "truth" can be manipulated. As Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis) points out, "God spoke, and the rest is commentary." We all have a bias and we perceive "truth" through our own admittedly limited and culturally colored filters. When it comes right comes down it, we believe what we want to believe. We often argue to prove we are right, not necessarily to be heard or to hear. Everyone has an opinion...but the only truth that matters is the one that actually works in reality. So,it's not really a question of whether people can believe in "absolutes" anymore, but will they see those truths absolutely working in us.
Gone are the days where a preacher can manipulate people into believing what he or she wants them to believe. No longer can people just be told what to believe. And people no longer want to be preached at, then see no evidence of what is being preached in the preacher (again, case in point, Ted Haggard). We must BE the truth, which requires constant repentance, accountability, humility, and utter dependence upon the Spirit of God working in us. It can ONLY be Christ in us, the hope of glory. And I would point out here, isn't this the way the world was actually won in the New Testament?
So...I ponder as I type...is the demise of modernity and the age of enlightenment and reason really a bad thing? I mean, didn't modernity also give us "I won't believe it unless I see it with my own eyes or can prove it" or "there no such thing as ghosts" too? Maybe this is indeed a new "reformation" and we are in the birth pangs? And does not the death of ourselves--our expectations and dreams of how things should be--ultimately bring new life? And none of these things in any way affect the Truth.
Paul said he didn't use human persuation or clever speech to win the lost, but by the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 2). We should not want to miss that point. No one will ever be argued or boycotted into the Kingdom. Our influence is in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our cleverness or apologetics. Of course, Paul's point being, so that ALL the credit (glory) would go to God. This means...not Paul, not to mega-church celebrities (no matter how popular their books are), or T.V. evangelists, big shots...or little shots like me.
So in a sense I am actually encouraged by all this. Yes, we are in time of transition, even crisis. But again, is that a bad thing, at least, from God's perspective? And, again, does He not also reveal to His people new opportunity in the midst of crisis? May we tremble before our awesome and terrifying holy God, Who is a consuming fire, Who sees us as we really are, naked, blind, and poor...yet Who is so kind, patient, and gentle and Who still loves us so incredibly that He would call us His own! (I still can't get my mind around that one!)
Btw, I am in no way pointing a finger of condemnation at the public exposure of hypocrisy in people like Ted Haggard. He was just an example of what I see happening in the body of Christ at large, and I submit again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see God is at work! I see my own hypocrisy and it drives me to my knees, hopefully, teaching me to reverently fear the Lord and depend on His amazing grace and mercy more and more each day. I must give up my religious idolatries and let Christ win out in this clay pot. Two's company in this case! I preach to myself a lot more these days... :-)
Some good books on this...
"Permission Granted to Do Church Differently in the 21st Century" By Graham Cooke and Gary Goodell
http://www.amazon.com/Permission-Granted-Church-Differently-Century/dp/0768423805
"The Great Giveaway" by David Fitch
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Giveaway-Reclaiming-Organizations-Psychotherapy/dp/080106483X
"The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals must embrace Postmodernity" by Carl Raschke
http://www.amazon.com/Next-Reformation-Evangelicals-Embrace-Postmodernity/dp/0801027519
While not trying to minimize all the "bad stuff" going on today, I will postulate that we may just be headed for better things. Yes, we live in the proverbial "perilous times," and the end is certainly nearer, but these are not necessarily bad times, at least, from God's perspective. In fact, God often presents us with opportunity in the midst of crisis.
I do believe that the reform that is necessary is not a political one; our hope is not in the Republican or Democratic party, especially, as Christ's Church. Nor is the answer one that gives up on truth. It lies more in how these timeless truths we believe are to be communicated in the times we find ourselves in. I think the perceived crisis America (and possibly other parts of the industrialized word) is experiencing is that we no longer live under the shadow of "Enlightenment" or modernist thinking. So, at least in this sense, America is perceived to be going morally down the drain...because the very cultural fabric of this country was founded on these puritanical/scientific reformation principles --logic, reason, uniformity, science...and those methods are now broken as the mainstay of societal thought. So, indeed, there is the possibility, even if only temporary, of a cultural vacuum being filled with all kinds of humanistic gobbledy gook.
Apologetics and modern evangelicalism won the day for many years in America because our national DNA is just as much based on John Locke as Jonathan Edwards. But modernist-style books like "A Case for Christ" (a good book) are not going to cut it anymore. These books may encourage believers to believe with more confidence, but they are not going to reach this so-called post-modern culture. Furthermore, you can no longer argue or scare people out of hell or "prove the Bible" by using scientific methods. Btw, I don't necessarily believe we live in a "post-Christian" world because I'm not sure we really know what that means. I realize that what I am saying here is almost heretical to modern evangelical dogma but, as a culture, we may not be any more or less "Christian" than we ever were. Maybe, we're just coming to grips with the naked truth for the first time. But, at least, this idea of morality is being redefined, even reinvented, so as Christians we better have a voice in what that is; but it needs to be God's voice, with His heart and from His Spirit.
We definitely find ourselves living in this so-called post-modern worldview. And "post-moderns," like ourselves, have been saturated by clever marketing schemes and they know that "truth" can be manipulated. As Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis) points out, "God spoke, and the rest is commentary." We all have a bias and we perceive "truth" through our own admittedly limited and culturally colored filters. When it comes right comes down it, we believe what we want to believe. We often argue to prove we are right, not necessarily to be heard or to hear. Everyone has an opinion...but the only truth that matters is the one that actually works in reality. So,it's not really a question of whether people can believe in "absolutes" anymore, but will they see those truths absolutely working in us.
Gone are the days where a preacher can manipulate people into believing what he or she wants them to believe. No longer can people just be told what to believe. And people no longer want to be preached at, then see no evidence of what is being preached in the preacher (again, case in point, Ted Haggard). We must BE the truth, which requires constant repentance, accountability, humility, and utter dependence upon the Spirit of God working in us. It can ONLY be Christ in us, the hope of glory. And I would point out here, isn't this the way the world was actually won in the New Testament?
So...I ponder as I type...is the demise of modernity and the age of enlightenment and reason really a bad thing? I mean, didn't modernity also give us "I won't believe it unless I see it with my own eyes or can prove it" or "there no such thing as ghosts" too? Maybe this is indeed a new "reformation" and we are in the birth pangs? And does not the death of ourselves--our expectations and dreams of how things should be--ultimately bring new life? And none of these things in any way affect the Truth.
Paul said he didn't use human persuation or clever speech to win the lost, but by the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 2). We should not want to miss that point. No one will ever be argued or boycotted into the Kingdom. Our influence is in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our cleverness or apologetics. Of course, Paul's point being, so that ALL the credit (glory) would go to God. This means...not Paul, not to mega-church celebrities (no matter how popular their books are), or T.V. evangelists, big shots...or little shots like me.
So in a sense I am actually encouraged by all this. Yes, we are in time of transition, even crisis. But again, is that a bad thing, at least, from God's perspective? And, again, does He not also reveal to His people new opportunity in the midst of crisis? May we tremble before our awesome and terrifying holy God, Who is a consuming fire, Who sees us as we really are, naked, blind, and poor...yet Who is so kind, patient, and gentle and Who still loves us so incredibly that He would call us His own! (I still can't get my mind around that one!)
Btw, I am in no way pointing a finger of condemnation at the public exposure of hypocrisy in people like Ted Haggard. He was just an example of what I see happening in the body of Christ at large, and I submit again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see God is at work! I see my own hypocrisy and it drives me to my knees, hopefully, teaching me to reverently fear the Lord and depend on His amazing grace and mercy more and more each day. I must give up my religious idolatries and let Christ win out in this clay pot. Two's company in this case! I preach to myself a lot more these days... :-)
Some good books on this...
"Permission Granted to Do Church Differently in the 21st Century" By Graham Cooke and Gary Goodell
http://www.amazon.com/Permission-Granted-Church-Differently-Century/dp/0768423805
"The Great Giveaway" by David Fitch
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Giveaway-Reclaiming-Organizations-Psychotherapy/dp/080106483X
"The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals must embrace Postmodernity" by Carl Raschke
http://www.amazon.com/Next-Reformation-Evangelicals-Embrace-Postmodernity/dp/0801027519
Labels: Evangelicalism, Politics, Postmodernity
posted by Pastor Mel at 12:53 PM
1 Comments:
Good word Mel! Your congregation is blessed to have someone like you.
I believe we are in "As in the days of Noah..." We are witnessing the flood and judgement of God. Haggard may be one of the "public figures" but we all know many who are not in the public's eye (as well as all of us!)that are being found out. As the flood and judgement comes, it also shows us the mercy and grace of God as He brings us all to a place of repentence and prepares His church for the return of Christ. I also believe that during this time we will also see a "flood" of the outpouing of the Holy Spirit in a way that the world has never seen before. God's Kingdom will come! May we all repent and seek the kingdom first. May we all do as you wrote,
"We must BE the truth, which requires constant repentance, accountability, humility, and utter dependence upon the Spirit of God working in us. It can ONLY be Christ in us, the hope of glory."
Keep preaching it brother!
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