Posted on 04/12/2005 8:08:37 AM PDT by logos
It is surely significant that the two most influential spokesmen for orthodox, evangelical Christianity in the twentieth century were both apologists. Both spent much of their time and energy engaging ideas and challenging the prevailing wisdom of the age. Ironically, much of modern culture, including the church, is heavily pragmatic and has little patience with such issues as whether or not naturalism is a coherent worldview or whether it can adequately account for personality. The immediate pragmatic cash value of such discussions and distinctions is not always apparent. At first glance they may seem almost irrelevant to the urgent needs of people in a hurting society. Much of the church is driven by what has been called "the tyranny of the urgent", matters of immediate concern that call for action now.
Lewis and Schaeffer both realized that our society did not arrive at its lost condition overnight, and they recognized that the root problems are much deeper than can be addressed by immediate action. That is why they engaged ideas. Ideas have consequences, and the consequences are not always felt instantly. Deep and long-term social change requires insightful analysis of root issues.
Richard John Neuhaus has remarked that evangelicals have been very good at personal evangelism but not very good at cultural evangelism. That is, they have not been nearly as effective in engaging culture at the level of the ideas and practices that shape our common life. Such engagement does not typically produce dramatic results that can be measured instantly and in obvious ways. Cultural evangelism is a more subtle operation, and it can be measured only with the benefit of years of hindsight.
Schaeffer called for such broad engagement as follows: "If we are going to join the battle in a way that has any hope of effectiveness - with Christians truly being salt and light in our culture and society - then we must do battle on the entire front." Both by example and instruction, Schaeffer encouraged his fellow Christians to join the battle on a wide range of intellectual, cultural, social and moral issues. With both Schaeffer and Lewis, hindsight reveals a legacy of lasting impact, which is still being measured and is likely to be so for years to come.
The next installment.
Very true. Part of our problem is that we need to speak the language of our culture, which is the language of entertainment. Every time I hear a Christian lamenting the success of the Harry Potter books, I have to ask why we aren't simply producing novels and movies that are as engaging, as Lewis did with the Chronicles of Narnia.
George Hunter writes a good analysis of Patrick's cultural evangelism in "The Celtic Way of Evangelism.....How Christianity Can Reach the West Again."
For example:
Patrick would have observed several traits in the Irish Celts that, together, suggested communicative response. The Irish, perhaps from the teachings of the druids or the primal religion that preceded the druids, were aware that Ultimate Reality was mysterious and complex, and they were comfortable with paradox; nevertheless, they had "a bureaucrat's love of classification." Brendan Lehane reports that the Irish also believed that some numbers were significant; the number three was expecially powerful, and their characteristic way of structuring thought about complex matters was..."the triad, an arrangement of threee statements which summed up a thing or person or quality or mood, or simply linked otherwise incompatible things. Three false sisters were said to be "perhaps, maybe, and I dare say.." Three timid brothers "hush, stop, and listen...".... So, when Irih seekers ask Patrick how Christianity understands God, he withdraws, from the bank of Christian doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity..."
One would think that thinking and talking about salvation, forgiveness of sins and spending eternity with the Creator who made us would be pretty exciting. It will never be so, however, until society can be dragged kicking and screaming away from MTV and the Second- and Third Things of life back to First Things. And that won't happen until we begin to engage the big questions of life in our churches. I don't even want to think about how much time we waste arguing about trivia and other "earth-shattering" matters which don't mean anything at all.
Yes, and about the last one, too.
I understand that Korea had many that attempted evanglization, but that the Presbyterians really clicked with the right message at the right time in the right manner.
I've never studied it, but, on the surface, it appears to have been an outreach that incorporated an entire culture.
Although there are now other branches of Christianity in S. Korea, the roots were presbyterian, and the largest portion is some form of presbyterianism or another.
The church itself is open 24/7; the doors never close and the lights are never turned off. Every 12 member familes has a lay pastor, and every 12 lay pastors have an Associate Pastor. If I'm not mistaken, this is also the church which has had serious conversations about sending missionaries to the US to evangelize the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Not a bad idea, really.
Oh my, logos. It is perfectly clear that I need to buy this book. Thank you so much for this "mini-series!"
I've wondered if the presbyterian emphasis on "elders" and presbyteries (?) paralled the confucian (chinese) cultural roots in Korea in a way that they didn't elsewhere in Asia. Also, the predestinarian view would have dovetailed nicely (not one to one...but nicely) with the buddhist element's understanding of karma. Korea had also been subjugated off and on by their traditional enemy, the Japanese ... who were a merciless foe long before WWII rolled around. They surely understood mercy.
About this idea....it's entirely possible that an outsider could actually have a better perspective.
This is true, though I would argue that digging into the "trivia" the right way can engage minds to think about the big picture. I'm seeing that with my youth group right now; we dig into some bit of minutae that they find fascinating, and then we'll zoom back out to see how that rabbit trail fits into the overall picture of God's plan.
In regards to the larger culture, we can get into these kinds of questions in one-on-one conversations (as the author notes), but we haven't mastered speaking to the culture as a whole. Paul engaged the Athenians in the halls of debate, because formal debate and discourse was their language. To the Corinthians, who didn't care about formal debate or deep thought but who were hungry to see God, he resolved to know nothing but Christ crucified, and taught them with demonstrations of the power of the Spirit. To the Jews, he taught in the synagogues from the Tanakh. Paul knew how to speak to different cultures on their level.
I think we need to do the same. Instead of simply lamenting the pop culture and talking about "dragging people away from their MTV," we need to learn to communicate Christ in the linga franca of our day, entertaining stories (as indeed Jesus Himself communicated with His people)--without watering down the Gospel.
That's a tough tightrope we have to walk, but if we don't, we'll continue to see our influence in the culture fade.
There's also the matter of being genuine, of course, and living in accordance with our beliefs. All the communication in the world is useless if the world doesn't see the image of Christ living in us and the goodness of the family of Christ in our churches. I fully believe that when God judges America, it won't be because of the openly pagan, but because of the lukewarmness of our churches.
Thank you oh so very much for this excellent series!
Absolutely true, as evidenced by the three versions of his road to Damascus experience in Acts - one told to the early Christians, one to a Roman official and the third told in the Temple to Jewish leaders. The differences in the three renditions of the event are in style and emphasis, not in substance.
Again, quite true, which is what this book is all about. I just have a little trouble trying to envision something along the lines of "Christ's Corner" on the MTV fall schedule... ;^)
Thank you both for your enthusiastic responses.
lol No, but that would be amusing to see.
Have you guys read "The Door" recently?
I'm afraid I'm not familiar with "The Door". Is my education incomplete?
By all means let me introduce you to the MTV of the Evangelical world. I have followed this publication for the past 25 years. In fact, I have to hide it so my wife can't find it. It will only confirm her suspicions that men never grow up. If you offend easily (although in this forum I can't see how you can stay and not be at some time) then don't look. See, you are already trying to look.
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/home.html
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