Thanks for giving me a little extra time. This is an e-mail I got this morning.
it would seem that the word “relevant” is used so often in the Christian world that it possibly should be written as “thou shalt be relevant” the eleventh commandment. its obvious that some Christians strive to relevant in shallow ways, some churches follow the latest coporate fad, pastors dress according to current trends, and that music is ipod worthy. and for some, even the coffee brewed is a mark of relevance. others still to great lengths for an understanding of the culture, not a bad thing, and relate to movies on screen and messages in books.
believe me when i say that not all acts of being relevant should stop. i do believe that it essential for one to be relevant in the expansion of the Kingdom. i believe though that many Christians have a limited understanding of what it means to be relevant and therefore have overlooked the natural relevancy of the Christian message. Michael Ramsden states, ” if you believe you have to make the gospel relevant, you are assuming that it is irrelevant…but it is not irrelevant; it is percieved to be that way, and all you’re doing is removing that faulty perception.”
there is some truth the statement that showing the relevancy of Scripture to the world has more to being different from the world than it does with looking exactly like the world. how then, is this activity, thought, or method to be accomplished?
consider these three areas:
transparency: if we want to be relevant, then we should stop putting on masks and making like everything is alright and well in our lives. when we admit our struggles, people can relate to us, and we give them permission to be honest about themselves. authenticity is rightly prized in our culture.
sin: Christians need to be honest with the world about sin and its consequences. humans innately know that all is not as it should be. we need to resist sugarcoating a poison; it may not be comfortable to talk about but it is relevant.
joy: there are few things more sought after than true joy. the truth of the gospel is that joy does not have to depend on our circumstances, and it is not something that can be bought or earned. it is found only in God Himself
Cultural critic Brett McCracken writes, ” True relevance is not about making faith fit into a hipster box as a opposed to a fundamentalist box. True relevance is seeking the True Faith that transcends all boxes and labels.”
the gospel is the most relevant thung we have to offer the world. we should be careful not to obscure its true relevance with our own well-intentioned attempts at it.
I choose to go a little nuts every time someone assumes that relevancy constitutes rewriting the Gospel message. Free Starbuck’s coffee and sugar coated poison are not one in the same. I have been called to church revitalization. I have experience in working with churches who desire to reach their communities is a meaningful way. Without exception, none of them ever considered changing the message. I know there are examples out there of non-profit groups, steeped in universalism, and even humanism, that call themselves churches. But, golf shirts, khakis, electric guitars, movie clips, and french roast are not the scars of a superficial discipleship experience.
Relevance should not be discussed as optional. It wasn’t optional to Paul. “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.� (1 Cor. 9:19-24 NASB)
To comprehend the immensity of God’s grace, and the implications of Christ’s sacrifice, we must also understand the human condition. “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of {a son} in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.� (Gen. 5:1-3 NASB) Being born in Adam is to be born spiritually dead. Sin is as much a by-product of that death as a stench is to rotting eggs. Focusing primarily on the by-product of the human condition has resulted in a religion known primarily for condemnation. The Good News is not perceived as irrelevant, but judgmental. Is it possible that so many prideful Christians have rejoiced in communicating to an unbelieving world that they are godless and condemned, that we have drowned out the message of hope and unconditional love. The world definitely knows what we are against. Do they know what we hold dear?
1. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17 NASB)
2. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:1-2 NASB)
3. For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. (2 Cor. 3:9-11 NASB)
We cannot learn relevancy for New Orleans from a book written in Southern California. Paul said, “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.� Relevancy must be a work of Christ in the leadership of a local body of believers. Jesus is the relevant revolutionary, and He has chosen to live His life through me if I would accept it and let Him. Who am I to tell Him he has to change the world in a suit and tie with a cup of cheap coffee.
I clink my very expensive, very relevant coffee cup with yours in agreement. I also suppress a giggle at the wonderful idea that such a scandal has been created. AND I suppress a bit of anger that some must take their eyes off the prize in order to stab at a fellow soldier when he chooses to fight his battle with a different strategy. Ah well… nothing a little starbucks and a church meeting where the preacher wears crocs won’t cure! hee hee!!
awesome post. “Relevancy must be a work of Christ in the leadership of a local body of believers. ” - think that’s the really tough part.
great stuff! there’s a strange sociological backlash happening, eh? once something reaches its “tipping point,” so-to-speak — in this case, the concept of being “relevant” — it seems there must always emerge (ha) a group of naysayers that will bemoan the use of a term that originally brought clarity and purpose to many.
Thanks for this - here’s to good coffee, to living out a life changed by Jesus, in a manner that can be understood by people w/o any prior exposure to the good news.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you!