This book is part of the effort of the Gospel and Our Culture Network to explore how churches can minister in an increasingly post-Christian and post-Modern culture.  Roxburgh and Boren argue that the primary need today is for churches to move from an “attractional” way of ministry to a “missional” way of ministry.  In the attractional paradigm, “The common theme is that church is about an event (usually the Sunday morning services) and about getting people to attend that event…” Though they are not against doing things that are “attractive,” the authors argue that this paradigm now needs to be partnered with a missional paradigm.  Rather than the primary question being, “How do we attract people to what we are doing?” the missional church asks, “What is God up to in this neighborhood?” and “What are the ways we need to change in order to engage the people in our community who no longer consider church a part of their lives?” 

Roxburgh and Boren offer the image of a river.  There are three “currents” which make up this missional river.  First, the current of “mystery” refers to the unfathomable decision of God to choose a people through whom he would bring blessing to others.  Second, the current of “memory” refers to the larger Story to which the church belongs.  Third, the current of “mission” refers to the reality that the church has been called as a sign and witness of God in the world.  Being missional means making a commitment to being shaped by mystery, memory and mission.

The book then provides three topics which can help churches understand what it means to be missional.  First, the authors urge us to reconsider our ministry context and the fact that the West is now a mission field.  Second, the authors urge us to rethink the Gospel and to realize it is not about God meeting our needs but about God using us to meet the needs of others.  Third, the authors urge us to re-imagine the church as a “sign, witness and foretaste of God’s dream for the world.”

The authors offer four ways for a church to discern where it is on the missional journey.  Reactive churches respond to the changing culture by turning inward and becoming more dissimilar from their neighborhoods.  Developmental churches respond to the changing neighborhood by improving what they are already doing.  They focus on increasing their “attractiveness.”  Transitional churches realize that no matter how many improvements are made, many of their neighbors won’t come—no matter how attractive the church is.  Thus, they launch new efforts to go to these neighbors.  Transformational churches enter fully into a journey of engaging their neighbors in new ways.  In the book’s final chapters, the authors propose a pathway for churches to move from reactive to transformational.

Overall, the book is a helpful introduction to the concept of being missional and a useful resource for individuals or groups who wish to better understand Western culture and how ministry might change in that context.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebolasmallpox/2179047732/

 Lord, every person today has her own god.  Every nation has its own temple.  Everyone says it doesn’t matter who you worship–as long as you worship sincerely.

But Lord, there is no god like you.  In the match between you and those Egyptian gods, there was no contest.  The “W” went in your column, the “L” went in theirs.

And every chapter of history since then bears it out.  There is no god like you Lord.

Let all those whom you have made come to worship you as the one and only God.

Deeds Over Creeds

In his book Christless Christianity Michael Horton argues that when it comes to the Christian faith in North America, creeds have given way to deeds.[1] In others words, what counts in modern Christianity are deeds—serving the poor, drilling water wells, and tutoring at-risk children.  What no longer counts in contemporary Christianity are creeds—believing specific things about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  What matters these days is what churches do in their communities and around the world, not what churches believe when they gather together.  Creeds have given way to deeds.

In my book Preaching to Pluralists I argue something similar.[2] Contemporary postmoderns are more interested in orthopraxy—the right practice—than they are in orthodoxy—the right belief.  They have tired of churches which claim to have the right belief but fail at the right practice.  Postmoderns long for churches which prioritize deeds and call their members to go and make a difference in the world.  They care less and less what those churches believe.

In today’s religious world, it no longer matters what a person believes as long as a person behaves.  Relativism or pluralism is the reigning worldview.  It’s the view that that there are many truths and no single truth is true for all people at all time.  Belief, therefore, is subjective and private.  Behavior, however, is more objective and public.  What matters are the kinds of deeds that make a difference around the world.  Who cares what your creed says about God or Christ or the Holy Spirit?

False Creeds

But in fact, churches and Christians in North America have not entirely abandoned creeds.  They’ve just embraced an alternative creed.  Michael Horton writes, “I think our doctrine has been forgotten, assumed, ignored, and even misshaped and distorted by the habits and rituals of daily life in a narcissistic culture…[the church’s creed] is closer to the American Dream than it is to the Christian faith.”[3] Churches and Christians today still have a belief system.  It’s just that the content of that belief system now resembles the American Dream of health and wealth more than it resembles anything in the Bible.  Deeds are still considered more important than creeds.  And what creeds still do exist are a far cry from the teaching of Scripture.

From 2002 to 2005 the National Study of Youth and Religion interviewed more than 3,300 American teenagers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.[4] On the one hand, the study found that teenagers have very little knowledge of biblical doctrine.  Kenda Dean, one of the researchers, writes, “Teenagers lack a theological language with which to express their faith or interpret their experience of the world.  The vast majority of U.S. teenagers, to quote Smith and Denton, are ‘incredibly inarticulate about their faith, their religious beliefs and practices, and its meaning or place in their lives’ (emphasis original).”[5] Many teens today do not have a traditional Christian creed or hold to traditional Christian beliefs.

On the other hand, the study found that teenagers do have a fairly consistent spiritual belief system.  It is a belief which they’ve caught from their churches.  Called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” this creed consists of 5 basic tenets:[6]

1. A god exists who created and orders the world and watches over life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

This recent research shows that many teens today emphasize deeds over creeds.  But teens still have a belief system.  Their creed is moralistic therapeutic deism.  And point by point it contrasts central teachings of the Bible.

Thus we arrive at a crisis: the dominant perspective today in the spiritual world of North America is that it doesn’t really matter what you believe.  And when it comes to what people actually do believe, the content of their belief resembles little of what we find in Scripture.

The Importance of Belief

The dichotomy between creeds and deeds is a false dichotomy.  Christianity has always been interested in both belief and behavior.  For example, James critiques those who claim to have faith (belief) but do not have works (deeds).  On the other hand, Paul emphasizes the importance of salvation by faith (belief) and not by works (deeds).  Both creeds and deeds, both faith and works, are vital to the Christian faith.

But in this contemporary culture in which belief is belittled and so many wrong beliefs are championed, it is important to understand that the Christian faith has long been a faith focused on belief.  Orthodoxy—the right belief—is central to what it means to be a Christian.

Author Ben Quash puts it this way:[7] “From its very beginnings, Christianity said that neither your race, nor your sex, nor your social class, nor your age could ever be a bar to full membership of Christ’s body, the Church.  Anyone could be a Christian: you didn’t have to be born in the right place at the right time to the right parents…What, though, was left to mark a Christian out from a non-Christian?  The answer was this: your faith—what you believed in, as embodied in your practices and confessed with your lips.”  What made a Christian a Christian was not birthplace, skin color, gender, or income.  What defined a Christian was belief.  That belief gave rise to certain behaviors.  But belief was the root of all that was distinctive about the Christian faith.  You were a Christian first and foremost because of what you believed.

We see this clearly in Scripture.  Again and again there is an emphasis on having the right knowledge, belief, and understanding:

• Judges 2:10 – And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.
• 1 Kings 8:60 – that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.
• Psalm 25:4 – Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
• Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
• Psalm 119:66 – Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
• Psalm 119:128 – Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way
• Proverbs 2:6 – For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
• Isaiah 5:13 – Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.
• Matthew 7:15 – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
• Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
• Mark 12:30 – And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
• Romans 10:9 – if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
• Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
• Philippians 1:9 – And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment
• Colossians 1:9 – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
• 2 Peter 2:1 – But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
• 1 Timothy 2:4 – who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• 1 Timothy 1:3 – As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,

Those ancients who followed God and Jesus stressed the importance of having the right knowledge, understanding, and beliefs.  Strong warnings were issued against beliefs that were contrary to what was known to be true about God and life.  To be a follower of God, to be a Christian, meant to believe in something very specific.

The American Creed vs. The Nicene Creed

But what is that belief?  What are the defining beliefs of Christianity?  A survey of different Christian groups today might result in a number of competing answers to that question.  This series takes up that question in a two-fold way.  First, it explores some of the contemporary beliefs among people—including Christians—in North America.  I’m calling these contemporary beliefs the American Creed.  Second, this series holds those beliefs up next to the historical defining beliefs of the Christian faith.  To goal of this series is to provide a summary of what ancient Christian beliefs are most important in defining Christianity in light of current cultural beliefs.

In order to summarize the defining beliefs of historical Christianity, I’m going to use an ancient creed.  The word “creed” comes the Latin, credo (“I believe”) or credimus (“we believe”).[8] Early Judaism and early Christianity utilized creeds, short statements summarizing what they believed.

• The “Shema” in Deut. 6, repeated daily by Jews, was a kind of creed:[9] “4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. In their polytheistic culture, this creed was surely repeated as contrast to the belief that there were many gods.”[10]
• Paul rehearses what was probably an early Christian creed in 1 Cor. 15:[11] “3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
• Another early creed appears in Philippians 2:[12] “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

These statements were attempts to summarize the heart of Christian orthodoxy.  They were followed by additional attempts.

• One of the earliest we know of comes from about 190 A. D.[13] Irenaeus of Lyons summed up the Christian faith in this way: “The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles, and their disciples, this faith: [She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God.”
• Another early creed is found in about 215 A. D. from Hippolytus.[14] It takes the form of questions and answers. The context was undoubtedly one of baptism. Here is the version given by Hippolytus: Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty? Do you believe in Christ Jesus, Son of God, Who was born (natus) by the Holy Spirit out of Mary the Virgin, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate and died and was buried, and rose on the third day alive from among the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, to come to judge the living and the dead? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Church, and the resurrection of the flesh? The person to be baptized, we can safely assume, responded “yes” or “I do believe.”

Two things motivated the development of formal creeds like these: doxa and orthodoxa.[15] Originally these creeds were, in the words of Gerald Bray “jubilant expressions of baptismal praise…doxa.”  As candidates prepared for baptism these creeds provided a way for them to summarize what they believed and why they were being baptized.  But over time, the motive of doxa—praise, gave rise to orthodoxa—right or correct praise.  That is, the creeds weren’t just needed to provide a way for those being baptized the praise God and summarize their belief in God.  Eventually, the creeds were also needed to help differentiate the defining beliefs of Christianity from a number of different beliefs that started springing up.

Luke Timothy Johnson argues that the creeds did three things regarding alternative belief systems that were common in the ancient world.[16] First they helped Christians distinguish their beliefs from the beliefs of the Jews.  Second the creeds provided a way for Christians to explain what they believed about the resurrection, the most distinctive element in the Christian belief system.  Third, they provided a way of countering Christian heresy.

This final issue was more and more prevalent in the second and third centuries.[17] As Christianity spread across the globe there was an increasing diversity in what people believed about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The creeds helped churches across the globe understand what was correct Christian belief and what was not.

One creed in particular became most helpful in this regard.  It was known as the Nicene Creed.  It was produced by a council at Nicea in 325 A. D. The Council of Nicea was summoned by the emperor Constantine in an effort to unify his new Christian empire.[18] TTop of Form

he three hundred eighteen bishops who gathered at Nicea worked for months, and on June 19, 325 they issued a creed in Greek with this wording: “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Begotten of the Father as only-begotten, that is, out of the being of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things are made, things in heaven and things on earth, who, for us humans and for our salvation came down and became flesh, becoming human, he suffered, and he rose on the third day, and having gone into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit.”[19] As evidenced by the amount of detail given to the nature of Jesus, the creed was partly developed as a way of refuting some Christian heresies which taught the wrong thing about Jesus’ relationship with the Father.

Not long after, in May 381, the Christian emperor Theodosius called for a gathering in Constantinople. One hundred and fifty bishops attended. They approved a creed that substantially agreed with the Nicene Creed, but differed slightly. The most obvious difference was that it elaborated on the role of the Holy Spirit.[20] This creed became known as the Nicene—Constantinopolitan Creed.  Today it is commonly known as the Nicene Creed:[21]

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.  With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.  He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This ancient creed provides a way for us to summarize the core beliefs of the Christian faith.  When the early Christians sought to state the defining beliefs of the faith especially in contrast to alternative beliefs in the culture, this is how they did it.  This creed can be similarly helpful to us as we try to state the defining beliefs of our faith in contrast to common contemporary beliefs found in our culture.

We Believe

And notice how this creed begins: “We believe.”  The creed says, “This is who we are.  We are a people who believe.  We Christians are above all a people who believe.”  The most important thing about historical Christianity is that Christians were people who first and foremost believed.

Gerald Bray writes this:[22] “Second and third century Christians who first said credo did not do so thoughtlessly.  At times they uttered this word at the risk of their lives under threat of possible persecution, torture and death…To say credo in this way was to speak from the heart in direct defiance of the powers that be, precisely when those powers required direct denial of Christian faith.”  Who were these early Christians?  They were the one group willing to say “We believe” when believing cost them their lives.  They were the one group willing to say “We believe” when no one else did.  They were the only ones willing to say “We believe” when others argued it didn’t matter what you believed.

Luke Timothy Johnson writes that when Christians recited this creed they were contrasting themselves from the world:[23] “In a world that celebrates individuality, they are actually doing something together. In an age that avoids commitment, they pledge themselves to a set of convictions and thereby to each other. In a culture that rewards novelty and creativity, they use words written by others long ago. In a society where accepted wisdom changes by the minute, they claim that some truths are so critical that they must be repeated over and over again. In a throwaway, consumerist world, they accept, preserve, and continue tradition. Reciting the creed…is thus a countercultural act.”  When they said “We believe” they were also saying “We do not believe.”  “We do not believe what the powers tell us to believe.  We do not believe the lies the world feeds us.  We believe something else.  We believe someone else.”

And in an age when the primary creed is “It doesn’t matter what you believe” it is critical for Christians to once again be the people who say “We believe.”  In a culture which says “You can believe this, or this, or this—it really doesn’t matter” we need to be the community which says, “We believe this and only this—and it does matter.”  In contrast to all other worldviews rampant in our society, we Christians are those who say “We believe.”Top of Form

[2] Chris Altrock, Preaching to Pluralists (Chalice Press, 2004).

[3] Horton, 21.

[4] Kenda Creasy Dean Almost Christian (Oxford University Press, 2010), Kindle location 317.

[5] Dean, Kindle location 356.

[6] Dean, Kindle location 270.

[7] Ben Quash and Michael Ward, editors Heresies and How to Avoid Them (Hendrickson), Kindle edition.

[8] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (Image, 2007), Kindle location 183.

[9] Johnson, Kindle location 145.

[10] Johnson, Kindle location 204.

[11] Johnson, Kindle location 264.

[12] Gerald L. Bray, editor Ancient Christian Doctrine: We Believe in One God (IVP Academic, 2009), ix.

[13] Bray, x.

[14] Johnson, Kindle location 486.

[15] Bray, xii.

[16] Johnson, Kindle location 200.

[17] Johnson, Kindle location 435.

[18] Johnson, Kindle location 520.

[19] Johnson, Kindle location 544.

[20] Johnson, Kindle location 574.

[21] Bray, unnumbered page.

[22] Bray, viii.

[23] Johnson, Kindle location 613.

Researcher Thom Rainer provides this helpful snapshot of the Millennial generation (born between 1980 and 2000):

A year and a half ago I began talking about the Millennial Generation on my blog, in large part because my son, Jess, and I decided to research this generation and offer an early assessment of them. Our project is finally complete: a recently released book called The Millennials with B&H Publishing. I commend it to you.

In future posts I’ll unpack key aspects of our research about this important generation. But for now, I’d like to present a few broad and general insights about the Millennials that will serve as a foundation for later discussions.

Who are the Millennials?

I have identified Millennials to be those born between 1980 and 2000, primarily on the basis of clear spikes in the number of live births during these years. The research for the book specifically examined older Millennials—those born between 1980 and 1991. This representative sample has given us a clear look into who the Millennials are.

At first, I labeled this group the “Bridger Generation,” since they bridge one millennium to the next. Obviously, the term didn’t stick. Others tried to name them “Generation Y” or apply other labels. Now, it seems, most have agreed to call this generation “Millennials.”

The sheer size of the Millennial Generation is staggering. Between 1980 and 2000, nearly 78 million live births took place. Compare that with the Boomer Generation, which nearly had 76 million live births from 1946 to 1964. Like the Boomers, the Millennials are just too big to ignore.

Several key insights rose to the top in our research about this generation. Painting with broad strokes, the Millennials:

• Value education. In 2007, the first year the 25-29 year old group was entirely comprised of Millennials, 30 percent had attained a college degree.
• Tarry to marry. Millennials marry much later in life, if at all, than in previous generations. Perhaps one reason why is because about 65 percent choose to cohabitate, at least once, prior to marriage.
• Reflect diversity. Millennials are the most diverse generation in American history, representing a shrinking Anglo population and a growing Hispanic, Black, and Asian demographic.

As the Boomers shaped so much of American culture for most of the last half of the 20^th century, so the Millennials will for the first half of the 21^st century. Like the Boomers, Millennials have caught the attention of businesses, schools, media, churches and other organizations, who recognize their influence, potential, and buying power.

What are the Millennials like?

First, they are a hopeful generation. In our study, about 96% of Millennials indicated that they can do something great. A generation of optimists, for sure! One conclusion might be that Millennials are naïve and disconnected. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Millennials, largely, are realists who know that all is not well in the world. But, they believe they can have a role in changing it and making a difference with their lives.

Second, they are a relational generation. Perhaps this is why social networks like Twitter and Facebook are thriving in our culture. Millennials want to communicate and connect with others, there is no doubt about it. Relationships at work and with friends are valued highly, but so also are family relationships. I was encouraged to find that 9 out of 10 Millennials said their parents had a positive influence on them.

Third, they are a generation of learners. I’ve already mentioned that they value education, but more should be said. There are reasons why Millennials are receiving undergraduate degrees at a rate that surpasses all previous generations. Many in our study indicated two main reasons why they frenetically pursue education: parents and pragmatics. Millennials listen to their parents’ advice, especially regarding education. But Millennials also desire to get ahead, and one factor that separates them from each other in the work force is education.

Fourth, they are a less religious generation. I have to admit that this aspect grieves me, but motivates me as well (imagine the missiological implications!). Only 13 percent of the Millennials considered in our study said that spirituality of any type was important to them. One out of ten. Most Millennials don’t even think about religious matters at all. This generation is not antagonistic toward religion, especially Christianity, but rather agnostic toward all aspects of religion.

More about Millennials

I love this generation because my three sons are all Millennials. I see their potential, their influence, their desires, and their impact. I am proud of them, and I am hopeful for their generation.

Theirs is the generation of Britney Spears, LeBron James, Chelsea Clinton, and the Olsen twins. Millennials are already defining a new millennium and they will shape and influence our world for decades to come. Are we ready for them? Are churches in America prepared to understand and engage this enormous, important generation? 

[image]

Worshipers today dedicate themselves to deities other than you.

But what do these alternative gods offer?

They have mouths but cannot speak; eyes but cannot see; ears but cannot hear; hands but cannot feel; and feet but cannot walk. 

They promise everything but deliver nothing.

You, Lord, are different.  You, Lord, are better.

Your mouth blesses.  Your eyes watch.  Your ears hear.  Your hands help.  Your feet move quickly to relieve our distress.  Your heart beats with compassion for all nations and all creation.

You are the Maker of heaven and earth. 

And you make our lives a joy. 

Hallelujah to one and only God!

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Andy Crouch provides a thoughtful list of the top ten cultural trends from the past decade:

1. Connection
2. Place
3. Cities
4. End of the Majority
5. Polarity
6. The Self Shot
7. Pornography
8. Informality
9. Liquidity
10. Complexity

Did he miss something?  How do these impact your daily life?  Your spiritual life?  Your ministry?

[image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wellunwell/4687986994/sizes/m/in/photostream/]

Fast Company reports: 

“Brand expert Martin Lindstrom conducted a 3 year, 7 million dollar study comparing brain scans of the religious to those with high brand loyalty. Lindstrom discovered that the scans of people loyal to Apple matched the scans of devoted Christians…’Brands are a signal of self-worth,’ said Gavan Fitzsimons, professor of marketing and psychology at Duke. ‘We’re signaling to others that we care about ourselves and that we feel good about ourselves and that we matter in this world. It’s more than ‘I’m hip or cool’…I’m a worthwhile person, and I matter, and you should respect me and think that I’m a good person, because I’ve got the D&G on my glasses.’

Rather than look for meaning, purpose, and self-worth in religion, many today find it in the brands they use, wear, and consume.  For many, their brand is their religion.

Why?  How have you seen this?

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Anne Rice is a best-selling author of gothic and religious-themed novels. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.  As a child, Rice had connections with the Catholic Church.  As she grew older, however, she left that church.  She also left the Christian faith in general.  Rice became so removed from all religious faith that she eventually described herself as an atheist.  In 1998, however, Rice returned to the Christian faith and to the Catholic Church.  She announced she would now use her life and her writing to glorify God.  It was a surprising conversion, one that shocked many of Rice’s readers.  But twelve years later, on July 29, 2010, Rice publicly renounced her affiliation with the Catholic church.  Yet she steadfastly proclaimed her commitment to Christ.  Here is her announcement from her Facebook page: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.“  Rice followed that post with this one a few hours later:  “My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.”

Rice was driven from Christianity by Christian doctrine.  She could not embrace Christian doctrines regarding things like homosexuality and abortion.  But she was also driven from Christianity by Christian character.  She found Christians to be “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous.”  There was something about the way Christians behaved which led Rice to turn her back on Christianity.  Her story shows that the wrong Christian character keeps people from the Christian faith.   

A new study from the Barna Group found that many in the United States have had an experience similar to Rice’s.[i] The study found that about 1 out of every 8 adults in this country who used to be Christian, Protestant or Catholic now report being atheist, agnostic or a member of a non Christian faith.  When asked why they left Christianity, some of the common reasons given were the following: feeling disillusioned with church; feeling the church is hypocritical; having negative experiences in churches; and feeling the church is too authoritarian.  The wrong Christian character keeps people from the Christian faith.

And this is particularly troubling because that wrong Christian character is keeping people from something that is tremendously valuable.  Paul’s first letter to Christians in the ancient city of Thessalonica reveals just how valuable the Christian faith can be.

1 Thessalonians is probably the earliest letter in the New Testament.  This letter was written before any of the Gospels.  It is our first look into what happened when people were first introduced to the Christian faith.  Paul, Silas and Timothy visited this city during what is called Paul’s second missionary journey.  Paul travelled much of the world of his day as a missionary.  During his second major road trip, he stopped in Thessalonica with his coworkers Silas and Timothy.  Luke records their visit in Acts 17.

Thessalonica was located on a main highway which ran from east to west.  It also had a good harbor.  And this location on land and water routes made it a major trade and distribution center—an ancient Memphis.  It was the largest and most important city in Macedonia.  As the capital, Thessalonica had temples of Roma and of the Roman emperor.[ii] It’s possible that citizens in Thessalonica were required to pledge an oath of loyalty to Caesar and to Rome.  An example of this oath was found in another ancient city.  The oath read as follows: “I swear…that I will support Caesar Augustus, his children and descendants throughout my life in word, deed and thought…that in whatsoever concerns them I will spare neither body nor soul nor life nor children…that whenever I see or hear of anything being said, planned or done against them I will report it…and whomever they regard as enemies I will attack and pursue with arms and the sword by land and by sea…”[iii] Luke tells us that when Paul started preaching in this city that was filled with people who had sworn loyalty to Caesar, there was a riot.  Paul was accused of treason and sedition against Caesar and Rome.  As a result, Paul and his friends were run out of town.

But while they were in Thessalonica, Paul and his friends were accused, in Luke’s words, of turning “the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).  Spiritually speaking, that’s just what they did.  The Thessalonians who came to believe in Jesus went through the greatest turn-around they had ever experienced.  Their lives were turned spiritually upside down by Paul’s Jesus.  Paul puts it this way in 1 Thess. 1:9: you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.  The Thessalonians completely rejected the empty spiritual beliefs and practices taught them by their parents and grandparents and fully embraced the truth about God found in Jesus.  They finally found a God worth believing in and discovered the joy of grace and mercy.  They were ushered into a world in which they had purpose and meaning and a connection to the God who created it all.

Paul’s experience in Thessalonica reveals that the Christian faith turns lives around. Though Paul was run out of town and many rejected the Christian way, when these Thessalonians embraced the good news their lives were changed forever.  They were turned around 180 degrees.

The truth is that in your workplace, in your school, in your neighborhood, and right here at Highland there are people just like the Thessalonians.  They’ve accepted a wrong view of life, a wrong view of the world, and a wrong view of faith given to them by their family, their friends, their church, or their culture.  They may not be worshipping idols, but they’ve devoted their lives to pursuits that will leave them empty and purposeless.  And the Christian faith still has the power to turn their lives around.  The Christian faith still has the power to turn this world upside down.  There is nothing more valuable than this Christian faith and its amazing ability to turn lives around.

But the question is how?  That’s what we are taking up in this four-part series.  We’re learning four practices from Paul for sharing this faith so that it can turn lives around today.  This morning we are going to tackle the difficult dilemma of character.  One the one hand the wrong Christian character keeps some from the Christian faith.  On the other hand, the Christian faith still has the power to turn lives around.  What do we do?

Here’s what Paul did: 3For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thess. 2:3-6 ESV)

Traveling philosophers and traveling orators were common in the Roman Empire in Paul’s day. They moved from place to place, entertaining people and seeking a following.  Their primary motives were fame and fortune.^[iv] They were teachers and eloquent speakers who would draw large crowds and from these crowds they would gain wealth and notoriety.  They were often ill thought of.

What then do you think the Thessalonians thought of Paul, Silas, and Timothy when they strode into town and started speaking?  The Thessalonians assumed this was another trio out to attract a following and gain fame. They assumed this was another trio full of hot air and slight-of-hand.  They assumed this trio was just another group of hucksters and entertainers looking for a quick buck.

We American Christians are not the first ones who have had a character gap to bridge in order to gain a hearing.  Paul faced what we face: people who are fiercely skeptical because they assume, based on past experiences with similar people, that we have ulterior motives, that we aren’t who we claim to be, that we are here just to use people to get something we want.

Thus Paul draws a specific contrast between how they acted and how the run of the mill orators and philosophers of the day acted.  Paul refers to his message, his motivation, and his method.^[v] All three were expressions of a very different kind of character than people in Thessalonica were used to.

• First, the message.  Paul says in vs. 3 that their “appeal” or message does not spring from error.  This word “error” refers to something that strays from what is known to be true about God and about life. ^[vi] Paul did not change his message for his audience.  He didn’t come to Thessalonica to say whatever people wanted to hear.  Other traveling philosophers and orators may have done that.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  His message had no error.
• Second, the motivation.  Paul says in vs. 3 that their message did not spring from impurity.  The word “impurity” refers to moral uncleanness or moral impurity.^[vii] There was nothing morally questionable driving Paul’s preaching in Thessalonica.  More specifically, Paul mentions in vs. 4 that he did not speak to please man.  His goal was not to gain a large following.  Further, Paul writes in vs. 6 that he didn’t seek glory from people.  He didn’t come to make a name for himself.  Ancient travelling philosophers and orators may have done this.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  No impurity.  No people-pleasing.  No glory seeking.
• Finally, the method.  Paul writes in vs. 3 that he did not come with any attempt to deceive.  The word “deceive” literally refers to something used for catching.^[viii] It can refer to a decoy.^[ix] A decoy is something that looks like a duck or a deer, but once you get up close you realize it is not what it appears to be.  Paul is saying that he was no decoy.  He was no fake.  He didn’t look like a sincere follower of Jesus who, upon closer inspection, was not what he appeared to be.  Further, Paul says in vs. 5 that he didn’t come with any pretext for greed. This word “pretext” refers to a “cloak” used to hide something.^[x] Paul is saying that his teaching and ministry were not a cloak hiding the fact that all he really wanted was their money.  Ancient philosophers and orators may have used these kinds of methods.  But not Paul.  His character was different.  No attempt to deceive.  No pretext for greed.

Paul knew that he operated within a culture in which the wrong character of orators and philosophers had caused people to look upon any teacher with skepticism and distrust.  Paul knew that this could easily lead people to reject what he wanted to teach about Christ.  Thus Paul focused on demonstrating the most Christ-like character possible.  Paul understood that true Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith. By his own conduct, Paul could be a living example of the kind of turn-around the Christian faith can provide.  He could become a living sample of the Christian faith which allowed the Thessalonians to taste and see how good Christ was.

Elsewhere Paul shows just how much attention he gave to character:

• You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thess. 1:5 ESV)
• You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you… (1 Thess. 2:10 ESV)

Paul understood that true Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith.  For that reason he was deeply intentional about living out a Christ-like character before those to whom he preached.

The Christian faith is still able to radically turn lives around.  But the way for us to help that happen is not through a tested program or a canned strategy.  It’s not going to happen when we get the “professionals”—the staff and elders—out there converting people.  It’s going to happen when every one of us understands the critical impact of Christian character and commits to living among outsiders with true Christ-like character.  If we want people to hear the good news, every one of us must first become that good news.

That is why in November we are holding what we call “Go MAD Sunday.”  “MAD” stands for “Make A Difference.”  We’ll have an abbreviated worship service that Sunday—no Sunday School—and then we’ll be dismissed to go and do some act of service to some person in this area.  Reach Groups, Sunday School classes, Huddles and individuals will be challenged to leave this building and immediately do some act of service and show some kindness to a neighbor, a coworker, a poor family, a stranger, or a classmate.  Why?  Because we want to practice being good news.  We want to demonstrate the right Christian character.  We want to help people see that what they may have thought about Christians is wrong.  We want to live out Christian character so that we might then speak out regarding the Christian gospel.

Author Michael Green shares this story to remind us of the impact of our actions: [xi] I read about a missionary candidate in language school. The very first day of class the teacher entered the room and, without saying a word, walked down every row of students. Finally, still without saying a word, she walked out of the room again. Then she came back and addressed the class. “Did you notice anything special about me?” she asked.   Nobody could think of anything in particular. One student finally raised her hand. “I noticed that you had on a very lovely perfume,” she said. The class chuckled.  But the teacher said, “That was exactly the point. [It] will be a long time before any of you will be able to speak Chinese well enough to share the gospel with anyone in China. But even before you are able to do that, you can minister the sweet fragrance of Christ to these people by the quality of your lives.” Our character becomes the perfume of Christ.  The sweet fragrance of good, honest, caring, and kind conduct among non Christians becomes the aroma which draws them to Christ himself.

Joe Stowell writes of this experience at a Starbucks:[xii] The guy in front of me was in a tense argument with the clerk. In loud and no uncertain terms, the customer was complaining that all he wanted was the copy of the New York Times that he was holding in one hand while he was waving a fifty-dollar bill in the other. The fight was over the fact that the clerk did not have enough change yet to break the fifty-dollar bill, which made it impossible for him to sell the paper.  It dawned on me that this was an early morning opportunity to commit one intentional act of [goodness]…So I said to the clerk, “Hey, put the paper on my bill; I’ll buy it for him.” This immediately defused the tension, and the grateful New York Times guy walked away saying, “Thanks a lot. All I have is yours!” Which evidently did not include the fifty-dollar bill.  To my surprise, when the barista handed me my coffee, he said, “Mister, that was a really nice thing for you to do. This world would be a lot better place to live if more people were like you.”…His comments caught me totally off guard, and I knew that I could say something at that point that would point the glory upward…but nothing came…As I was walking down the sidewalk, it came to me. I should have said, “Well, this world would not be a better place if more people were like me. But it would be a better place if more people were like Jesus, because he taught me how to do that.” Your character can help people realize just how good this world could be if more people followed Jesus.  True Christian character can draw people to the Christian faith.

Where does it all begin?  It starts with what I’m calling “My Turn.”  My Turn is your chance to put this message into action.  Take some time today or this week to prayerfully address the following: Because I believe that the wrong character turns people from the Christian faith and the right character draws people to the Christian faith, I will 1) pray each day this week for God to transform this character flaw________________; and 2) demonstrate Christlike love and kindness to this person who may be far from God ____________________ in this way __________________.

[ii] Christopher R. Hutson, “1 Thessalonians” in The Transforming Word edited by Mark Hamilton (ACU Press, 2009), 979.

[iii] Ben Witherington III 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Eerdmans, 2006), 7.

^[iv] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1 Th 2:6). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[v] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1 Th 2:3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[vi] Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (58). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[vii] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1995). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (381). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

^[viii] Liddell, H. (1996). A lexicon : Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon (208). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[ix] Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.

^[x] Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (62). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[xi] Michael Green, in Alice Gray’s (editor) Stories for a Faithful Heart (Multnomah, 2004), 95.

[xii] Joe Stowell, Jesus Nation (Tyndale, 2009), 80-81.

Summer Celebration – Lipscomb University – July, 2010

In a recent article for Christianity Today Ed Stetzer surveyed multiple studies of the Christian faith in America and then provided these concluding thoughts:[1] “Mainline denominations are no longer bleeding; they are hemorrhaging. Increasingly, they are simply managing their decline. For evangelicals, the picture is better, but only in comparison to the mainline churches. Southern Baptists, composing the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., have apparently peaked and are trending toward decline. The same is true of most evangelical denominations…. There is little doubt in my mind that the cultural expression of Christianity in America is declining. True, Christianity is losing its “home-field advantage” in North America.” There is little doubt that Christianity in America is facing significant challenges and that fewer Americans are embracing the Christian faith.

Twenty years ago I was part of that massive group of “unchurched” Americans.  I was far away from God and from church.  Yet God used a high school senior named Gary Cox to lead me to faith in God and participation in church.

So, on the one hand many of us recognize that we Christians aren’t doing even a mediocre job in leading people in America to faith in God.  On the other hand, as my story illustrates, we know it is possible to lead people to faith.  And, I think, most of us want to see that possibility become reality.  We want the hurting people in our communities to know the joy of faith in God.  We want to bring an end to the decline Stetzer writes about.

That is what makes Matt. 5-10 such an important season of Jesus’ life to explore.  These six chapters may be the most important six chapters from Jesus’ life for those of us who no longer wish to see our country being one of the unchurched nations in the world. 

Matt. 5-10 begins with a vision.  It’s a vision which many of us share.  As Matt. 5 opens, Jesus dreams a dream.  Jesus sees us who follow him as salt which can remove and prevent decay in the lives of people around the world.  And, Jesus sees us who follow him as light which can dispel darkness around the world.  Here’s how Jesus puts it: You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  (Matt. 5:13, 14-16 TNIV)  In Matt. 5 Jesus gives his vision: “Imagine being salt and light.”  Jesus believes we and our churches can be so salty and so full of light that people around us will “glorify your Father in heaven.”  That’s how Matt. 5-10 begins. 

Notice how this section ends.  At the end of Matt. 9 Jesus urges us to pray for the Father to send out people to be salt and light: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  (Matt. 9:37-38 TNIV).  Jesus urges us to pray for the Father to send people out to be salt and light.  Then in Matt. 10, Jesus answers that prayer.  In Matt. 10 Jesus actually sends us out to be salt and light: Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness…These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions… (Matt. 10:1,5 TNIV).  Jesus begins Matt. 5-10 by urging us to imagine ourselves as salt and light—agents who can lead lost, lonely, and hurting people to faith in the Father.  Jesus ends this section by sending us to be salt and light.  In Matt. 5 we get the vision: “Imagine being salt and light.”  In Matt. 10 we get the commission: “Go and be salt and light.”   

But how do we get from that vision to that commission?  How do we turn that possibility into reality, especially in a changing culture like ours?  That’s what Matt. 5-9 is about.  In Matt. 5-9 Jesus presents all that is necessary for the dream to be put into action.   Specifically, in Matt. 5-7 Jesus gives us instruction.  Jesus instructs us on the kind of character and lifestyle we and our churches must have if we want to be salt and light.  Also known as the Sermon on the Mount, this instruction is the clearest teaching in the Gospels of the kind of people we need to be in order to be salt and light.  In Matt. 5-7 Jesus instructs how to be the salt and light. 

Then in Matt. 8-9 we find demonstration.   Jesus demonstrates how to be salt and light.  Jesus lets us tag along as he interacts with lost, lonely, and hurting people and becomes salt and light in their lives.  Jesus models the kinds of practices which we and our churches can do that will lead people to faith in the Father. 

But before we dive into Jesus’ demonstration, there is a mindset we must embrace, because it sets the context for everything else in Matt. 8-9: 14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:14-17 ESV)   John’s disciples ask, Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”  John’s probably referring to the common practice of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.[2]  And he wants to know why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast on Mondays and Thursdays. 

To answer, Jesus borrows imagery from Is. and Ez. in which God is described as a bridegroom. 

Here, Jesus describes himself as a bridegroom.  He imagines his ministry as a wedding, a time of joy and happiness.  Thus, he says, now is a time for feasting, not fasting.  As Matt. 8-9 will make clear, now is a time of celebration because people are being healed, forgiven, and freed from evil spirits.[3] But eventually, when the bridegroom is taken—a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion—then it will be a somber time, a time more suited to fasting. 

Then Jesus uses this wedding imagery to address a larger issue. [4]   A key ingredient of weddings in Jesus’ day was wine.  When you hosted a wedding, you provided wine.  So, having described himself as a bridegroom, and his ministry as a wedding-like celebration, Jesus now talks about wine.  He says that if you put new wine, which is still in the process of fermenting, into an old wineskin, that wineskin may burst. In Jesus’ day people would sew animal skins together to make a container for liquid like wine.  Once filled with wine, the container would expand as the wine fermented.  But once these skins stretched to their limit and hardened, they could expand no more.  Taking one of these old and inflexible wineskins and filling it with new wine would cause it to burst.[5]

Why does Jesus raise this issue of wineskins?  His comment comes in the context of growing conflict between himself and the religious leaders.  Jesus is busy in Matt. 8-9 demonstrating how to be salt and light, but the religious leaders keep criticizing him: 

• For example, in Matt. 9:1-8 Jesus restores mobility to a paralyzed man and forgives his sins, but the teachers of the law respond by muttering, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 
• In Matt. 9:9-13 Jesus establishes friendships with people far from God but the Pharisees respond by critiquing him for eating with sinners and tax collectors. 
• In Matt. 9:27-34 Jesus drives an evil spirit out of a man but the Pharisees snap, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” 
• And here in this text about wineskins, we find even the disciples of John, one of Jesus’ greatest supporters, wondering about Jesus’ methods.

To use Jesus’ imagery, we could say that the religious establishment is not satisfied with Jesus’ wineskin.  The wineskin is the external expression of Jesus’ ministry.  It’s the words and actions Jesus is using to demonstrate how to be salt and light.  That’s the wineskin.  And the religious leaders don’t like what they see.  They don’t like Jesus’ wineskin.  Why?  Because it doesn’t look like the wineskin of their traditions and customs.  They are used to doing religion in a certain way.  And here is Jesus doing it in a different way.  In fact, Jesus’ wineskin, his way of being salt and light, looks so different that they have been accusing Jesus of abandoning the Bible.  Earlier in this section Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets…” (Matt. 5:17).  Jesus says this because that’s what he has been accused of doing.  Jesus’ way of being salt and light is so revolutionary that that the religious leaders accuse him of abandoning the Bible.

And in the face of this controversy, Jesus says, “It’s time for a new wineskin.  What I’m here to do for lost, lonely, and hurting people is so revolutionary, it calls for a new wineskin.  It’s not going to look the way religion’s always looked.  It’s got to be given new expressions, forms, and practices. 

And this statement provides the foundational key for us becoming the salt and light we long to be.  Because the truth is that we American Christians have strayed from Jesus’ way of being salt and light.  We and our churches have developed our own customs, our own habits, our own ways of doing church, and ministry, and outreach.  And some of these have actually gotten in the way of our being the salt and light Jesus envisions and commissions in Matt. 5-10.

Here’s one piece of evidence to consider:  In January of this year, Church Relevance collected studies of the fastest growing churches in America from 2004-2009.  Based on these studies, Church Relevance put together a list of the Top Ten churches which consistently experienced high levels of growth over this 6 year period (I’ve inserted the founding date of each church (based on the church’s website)):

1996 – Crossroads Community Church (Cincinnati, OH)

1988 – Lancaster County Bible Church (Manheim, PA)

1996 – LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK)

2001 – Church of the Highlands (Birmingham, AL)

1980 – Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA)

1993 – Woodlands Church (Woodlands, TX)

1988 – Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC)

1990 – Community Bible Church (San Antonio, TX)

1998 – Bay Area Fellowship (Corpus Christi, TX)

1995 – CedarCreek Church (Perrysburg, OH)

Notice that all of these churches are 30 years old or younger.  There is no church above 30 on the list.  Why does age seem to hinder consistent and significant growth?  It has to do with our wineskin.  We in established churches have developed our own wineskins, our own ways of being salt and light.  And sometimes those ways are so different from Jesus’ way that when Jesus tries to pour his wine, his salt and light ways, into our wineskin, it just doesn’t work.  Jesus’ way of being salt and light requires new expressions, forms, and practices.

This is especially true given the radical changes taking place in our culture.  Here in America we are witnessing two “cultural revolutions.”  One cultural revolution is the shift from Christian to non-Christian.  One of the most comprehensive studies of the spiritual lives of Americans presents these findings (2008):[6]the number of Americans who report being members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%; From 1972 through 2006 those with no religious preference have increased from approximately 5% to over 15%.  Our culture is shifting from a Christian one to a non-Christian one.

A second cultural revolution is the shift from Modern to Postmodern.  “Modern” and “Postmodern” are different worldviews, different ways of thinking about life.[7]  

1. Modernism believed that reason, not religion, offered the best hope for understanding and explaining life.
2. Modernism believed in human autonomy.  It said that humans are independent from God, do not need God.
3. Modernism believed in the positive progress of human history.  Through reason, science, technology, and effort humans could create a bright future characterized by prosperity and peace. 

But this Modern way of thinking about life is being replaced by a Postmodern way of thinking about life.  In my book Preaching to Pluralists I use seven characteristics to describe Postmoderns. 

1. The most dominant characteristic is pluralism.  Pluralism is the belief that there is not just one Truth, but many truths.  As a result, postmoderns are turned off by what they view as the intolerance and exclusivity of Christianity.
2. A second characteristic of the postmodern culture is its anti-institutional bias.   That is, postmoderns are not interested in the institutional element of Christianity—the church.
3. Pragmatism is a third quality.  In terms of spirituality, they are primarily interested in having a better life before death, not in securing a better life after death.
4. Fourth, postmoderns are uninformed about basic Christianity.  Because they are growing up in a non-Christian culture and not pursuing a faith within Christian institutions, they know little about the Christian faith.    
5. A fifth characteristic concerns their spirituality.  Postmoderns may not be Christian.  They may not be in church.  But they are interested in spiritual matters. 
6. Sixth, Postmoderns are experiential.  When it comes to their spirituality, they do not care if a place offers the correct doctrine about God.  They care more if a place offers a stimulating experience of God.
7. Finally, Postmoderns are relational.  Of those who do darken the doors of a church, many say they are looking for some kind of community. 

And here’s the challenge: most established churches developed a wineskin, a way of being salt and light, that fit a Christian culture filled with people who had a Modern worldview.  But that Christian culture is turning more toward a non-Christian culture.  And that Modern worldview is being replaced by a Postmodern worldview.  As a result, our wineskin needs reinvestigation.  We may, more than ever before, need to set aside our customs, our comforts, and our habits and embrace the new expressions, forms, and practices of Jesus. 

Last summer I read Barbara Kingsolver’s New York Times Bestseller The Poisonwood Bible.[8]  It is the tragic story of a Christian who refused to set aside his own customs and embrace the ways of Jesus.  The narrative takes place in the early 1960’s and focuses on a Georgia Baptist preacher and his family: Nathan and Orleanna Price and their girls Rachel, Leah and Adah (twins), and Ruth May.  Nathan moves his family to the Congo in order to lead the Congolese to faith in the Father.  Nathan ends every sermon in the Congo with these words: Jesus is bangala!  Bangala was a native word.  Pronounced one way, the word means “great.”  Pronounced another way, the word refers to a poisonwood tree which will, in the words of one of the story’s characters, “make you itch like nobody’s business.”  What Nathan means is “Jesus is great!”  But because he pronounces the word wrong, what he actually says is, “Jesus is poisonwood!”  And the novel reveals how, even though Nathan wants the Congolese to believe Jesus is great, Nathan actually makes Jesus poisonwood to them. 

How?  It has to do with Nathan’s wineskin.  The way Nathan goes about being salt and light actually makes Jesus unappealing to the Congolese.  Nathan assumes that what worked in Georgia will work in the Congo.  He makes this assumption about everyday kinds of things.  For example Nathan started a garden in order to demonstrate to the tribe’s people how to grow food.  Just as he had in Georgia, he planted his garden on a flat plot of land.  But one tribesperson urged him to create large mounds on which to plant the seeds.  Nathan refused.  At the first torrential rain, all of Nathan’s seeds washed away.  The tribespeople knew that to grow crops in the Congo, seeds must be elevated.  But Nathan was unwilling to consider that what worked in Georgia wouldn’t work in the Congo.

Worse, Nathan did the same thing in his ministry.  For example, when the Price family first arrived, the tribe welcomed them with a feast, a feast that cost the tribe a great deal.  The tribe’s leader asked Nathan to say a word at the end of the feast.  Nathan immediately started preaching about Sodom and Gomorrah.  At the end of his remarks he grabbed one of the tribe’s women—all of whom wore no clothes on their tops—and he condemned her for her nakedness.  What Nathan failed to realize was that none in the tribe considered going without a shirt to be immodest.  They did consider it immodest to show one’s legs.  But Nathan allowed his wife and his girls to go around the village in pants that revealed their legs.  Nathan couldn’t fathom that what worked in Georgia wouldn’t work in the Congo.

And at his first Sunday service, Nathan urged all the tribe’s people to follow him to the Kwilu river to be baptized.  Nathan envisioned hundreds of them in white clothes being baptized into Christ in the Kwilu river.  Upon hearing the invitation, however, the tribe’s people were alarmed.  Why?  The Kwilu river was filled with crocodiles and children had been devoured in that river.  Still, week after week Nathan urged people to be baptized in the Kwilu river.  Jesus is bangala Nathan kept preaching.  He wanted them to believe Jesus was great.  But his way of being salt and light was ultimately making Jesus poisonwood.

There is a sense in which some of our customary ways of being salt and light may be as unfit for a post-Christian and Postmodern culture as the customary ways of a Georgia preacher are unfit for the Congo.  There is sense in which in some of our attempts to be salt and light, we may be leading people to conclude that Jesus is poisonwood instead of concluding that Jesus is great.  Like Nathan, we may need to reinvestigate our wineskin.  We may need to confess that our ways are not the revolutionary ways of Jesus.

Fortunately, it’s not as complex as we may fear.  It is hard.  It is daunting.  But it is not complex.  Ultimately what it takes is a return to the simple and ancient practices of Jesus, those he demonstrates so well in Matt. 5-10.  As we survey those chapters, we see five revolutions, five changes we may need to consider if we truly desire to be the salt and light Jesus envisions.

First, Jesus’ words in Matt. 8-9 about wineskins call us to move from our customary ways of ministry, created for a Christian and Modern culture, to a more contextual way of ministry that takes into account cultural changes.  It calls for a more incarnational approach to ministry. Jesus’ example in these two chapters reminds us to be open to new ways of thinking about and approaching outreach.  Many of these I cover in my book Preaching to Pluralists.    

Second, Jesus demonstrates character.  We see the power of character in Jesus’ interactions with people in Matt. 8-10.  In Matt. 8:2-4 Jesus interacts with a leper: 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”   Notice what Jesus did.  He touched the man.  He not only drew close to him.  He touched him.  He showed great compassion.

We see the touch of Jesus’ character throughout Matt. 8-9:

• When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.  He touched her hand and the fever left her…(Matt. 8:14-15 TNIV)
• While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died.”…After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up… (Matt. 9:18,25 TNIV)
• As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”…Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored… (Matt. 9:27, 29-30 TNIV)

For Jesus, it was rarely enough to just say something.  Jesus also wanted to do something.  Jesus touched people.  In every encounter in Matt. 8-9 Jesus becomes the good news the people so desperately need.

And just in case we miss the point, Matthew includes this description of Jesus in Matt. 9:35-36 :35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (Matt. 9:35-36 TNIV).  Matthew uses these words as a summary of Matt. 8-9.  For Matthew, this is how Jesus demonstrated salt and light: by showing compassion.   It was the power of his character which elicited faith in people.

We also see the critical role of character in Matt. 5-7.  This Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ summary of the kind of character it takes to be salt and light.  Jesus understands that it is not enough to tell good news, we must be good news.  The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ description of the kind of character we must have in order to become salt and light.  Imagine the impact a church could have in this changing culture if it focused on being a Sermon on the Mount community.  In my book Rebuilding Relationships I focus on this call.

Jesus’ compassion in Matt. 8-9 reminds us that being salt and light is not simply about telling good news but about being good news.  Jesus heals, restores, and serves people in these two chapters.  His example reminds us of the power of being good news.  It shows the impact of character.  In a non-Christian and Postmodern culture where people may not be interested in what we say to them, they will be open to what we do for them.  When we are good news, people respond better when we tell good news.  In this changing culture, we need to focus once again on imitating Christ’s character and move from simply telling good news to being good news.

Third, in Matt. 8-9 Jesus demonstrates closeness. Jesus leaves the safety of the mountain where he’s gathered for the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and draws closer in Matt. 8-9 to those who most need his salt and light.  In Matt. 8:1-15 Jesus draws close to three people: a leper, a centurion, and a Jewish woman.  A scholar named Frederick Dale Bruner suggests that we can picture these three people—a leper, a centurion, and a Jewish woman—in terms of how far each is from the center of the temple in Jerusalem.[9]  As we consider the temple in Jerusalem, we can imagine concentric circles.  

• At the center is the Holy of Holies, the place where God resided.  There, only one person, a Jewish male, could enter one time each year. 
• Next is the Holy Place, a space where only Jewish males could enter. 
• Next is the Court of Women.  Women were welcome in this space, but could go no closer. 
• Then, there is the Court of Gentiles, the only place in the temple where Gentiles were permitted. 
• Finally, there is Jerusalem and then outside Jerusalem. 

Bruner suggests we can imagine Jesus being at the center, the Holy of Holies—after all, he is God—and each of these three people—the woman, the centurion, and the leper, being at various distances from that center.  But Jesus leaves the Mount and draws close to each of these three—people believed to be successively farther and farther from God.  Jesus practices closeness.

But because many of our churches originated in a Christian and Modern culture, we’ve tended to rely on a certain way of being salt and light called “attractional” or invitational.[10]   Here’s what “attractional” outreach looks like:

• “Drawing in”—the goal is to draw in as many as possible from the outside world;
• “Starting where we feel at home”—outreach begins by getting outsiders to come to the place we feel at home;
• “Seating”—the goal is to fill as many seats in the church building as possible;
• “Come to us”—we ask those in need to come to us for help;
• “How many people come to our church services?”—this is one way churches measure success.  They count the number of people who come to church services.

There are examples of attractional ministry in Scripture.  For example, in John 4 a woman who has met Jesus at a well outside of town invites her fellow towns-folk to “come and see” this Jesus.  In addition, if a church is healthy, it will be naturally attractive.  Some attractional outreach is still effective.  But in our post-Christian and postmodern culture, there will be some who will not be attracted to Christian events.

That’s why we need to supplement our “attractional” outreach with “missional” outreach:[11] 

• Attractional outreach is drawing in—missional outreach is sending out. 
• Attractional outreach is starting where we feel at home—missional outreach is starting where they feel at home.  It is Christians leaving their “turf” and going to places where non Christians feel at home;
• Attractional outreach is seating—missional outreach is sending.  The goal is to empty as many seats as possible by sending Christians into the lives of non Christians;
• Attractional outreach is come to us—missional outreach is go to them;
• Attractional outreach asks “How many people come to our church services?”  Missional outreach asks “How many people does our church serve?”

Just like Jesus, we cannot remain on our Sermon on the Mount and just invite people to come to us for what they need.  We have to leave that Mount and go to them.  Jesus’ example calls us to shift from our attractional strategies in which we tell people in our community “if you need salt and light, come to us and we’ll give it to you” to a more missional practice in which we tell our community “since you need salt and light, we’ll go to you.”  If we want to be salt and light, we’ll need to practice more closeness: a move from attractional to missional.  We’ll need to learn to spend time where non Christians are.  We need to get out of our Christian ghettos and rub shoulders once again with the irreligious.

This practice ultimately calls us to move from a focus on evangelistic programs with canned speeches and answers to a greater reliance upon people:  relationships and learning to be salt and light within the context of friendships.  In this changing culture, we need to focus once again on imitating Christ’s closeness and getting involved in the lives of people far from God, moving from attractional to missional and from programs to real people.

Fourth, in Matt. 8-9 Jesus demonstrates conversation.  Jesus shares the story of the kingdom.  Throughout Matt. 8-9 there are references to Jesus’ preaching and to the power of his word:

• In Matt. 8:13 Jesus speaks and a paralyzed servant is healed.
• In Matt. 8:16 Jesus drives out spirits with a word…
• In Matt. 8:32, Jesus commands “Go!” and demons flee from two men.
• In Matt. 9:1-8 Jesus’ words bring healing and forgiveness.
• And in Matt. 9:35 Matthew writes this summary statement: Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom…

Thus, one thing Jesus demonstrates in this section is the practice of conversation.  We learn that being salt and light involves telling good news.  In fact, when Jesus sends us out in Matt. 10 he says, As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matt. 10:7 TNIV).  One of the ways we act as salt and light is through conversation: telling the good news about Jesus.

Jesus’ example calls us to reconsider how we tell the story of the kingdom in this new culture.  Because of our legacy in a Modern and Christian culture, we’ve tended to focus on sharing pixels, very small pieces of the story of the kingdom.  We could assume that people already had the big picture in their heads and just needed guidance on some of the details.  But now in this non-Christian and Postmodern culture in which some know nothing at all of the Christian story, we’ll have to focus again on sharing the image, the big picture of the Bible.  Through this ancient yet new wineskin, we too can have a revolutionary impact on people around us.  On my website, www.chrisaltrock.com, under the Story button, I provide some examples of how to share the story, how to share the whole image rather than just the small pixels.

Finally, Jesus’ demonstrates the importance of community.  In Matt. 10 Jesus sent disciples, not a disciple.  He sent a community.  Mission was to be done in community.  And these disciples were to invite new people into a community.  They were not merely inviting people to Jesus.  They were inviting people into Jesus’ community.

This calls for a revolution from “me” to “we.”  Mission is not just about “me.”  It’s about “we.”  It’s not something “I” do.  It’s something “we” do together.  The Modern world with its individualism and optimistic view of humanity tended to focus on outreach that was individual and done 1 on 1.  But the postmodern world, with its hunger for relationships and its awareness of the need we have for each other, will be best reached by community.

At Highland we are attempting to practice this revolution by means of an emphasis we call “Thru You.”  Let me briefly walk you our brochure…

[2] Ben Witherington III, Matthew Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Smyth & Helwys, 2006), 200.

[3] Warren Carter, Matthew and the Margins (Orbis, 2005), 223.

[4] Witherington, 201.

[5] Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Eerdmans, 1999), 301.

[6]  “U. S. Religious Landscape Survey 2008” The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, http://religions.pewforum.org/. 

[7] Michael Goheen & Craig Bartholomew, Living at the Crossroads (Baker Academic, 2008), 23.

[8] Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible (HarperPerennial, 1999).

[9] Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew Volume 1: The Christbook (Word, 1987), 299-310.

[10] Based on postings by Steve Hays in response to “Attractional vs Missional Services” http://mattstone.blogs.com; “What is a Missional Church?” Friend of Missional http://www.friendofmissional.org; Chad Hall “Missional:Possible” Leadership (Winter 2007), http://www.christianitytoday.com; Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch The Shaping of Things to Come (Hendrickson, 2003).

[11] Hays etc.

65% rarely or never pray with others.

65% rarely or never attend worship services.

 67% don’t read the Bible or sacred texts.

If the trends continue, “the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships,” says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources.

What’s your reaction?  Why is this happening?  What can be done about it?