Other Voices—
From the Senior Pastor of Oakwood Church, exclusive to Saline Journal. [1]
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” [2]
This statement goes counterculture. As I asked last time, ‘Is Christianity still relevant for today?” Just trying to answer the question puts me in a tight spot. There used to be so many Christians that believed in the same truths that this wasn’t an issue. [3]
Now it is.
We have almost become a subculture. Our values and the way we believe can move in a completely different direction than the society around us. A society that believes there are many ways up the mountain.
Do we really believe His claim? Let’s say you do. Now you get caught. We are commanded by Him to be the salt of the earth. We are told to be the light of the world. He said to go and make disciples. He told us to baptize them. [4-6]
He commanded us to not just share it here, but to make disciples of all nations.
Making a disciple means changing their world. It means reshaping their lives and their culture. But if tolerance is the new law of the land (and the church), preaching change becomes really difficult. [7]
How do people change? How does the culture around us change?
Christians in all walks argue about this. Some want to separate from the world. They want to act like it doesn’t exist. If we ignore this stuff, it will just go away. That worked well forty years ago.
We sit back in our safe meetings and take pot shots at the way the world acts.
Another part of the Christian faith wants to just blend in. They want to mix culture and Christianity. This is causing strife and divisions in one denomination after another.
We are missing the point.
Either we are going to change culture or culture is going to change us.
Spectator Christianity just won’t cut it. If we hide in our buildings, those who need Him will never see a change. They won’t know we are there. They will hear no message. They will see no life.
Just blending in doesn’t fix it either. All we are trying to do is be socially relevant. There is no challenge. There is no authority. There is no concept of atonement.
“I’m OK – You’re OK.” [8]
The issue: Christians always believed in a Christ that changed culture. He changed people. He never left them where they were. He gave them a strength to live life. He gave them the ability to walk through hardships. He changed their lifestyles. He could pull them out of drug and alcohol addiction.
Christianity was relevant because it actually made a difference.
Many years ago, a church would start in a community, and that community would become a different place. Today, we want to argue about fitting in and making the message more acceptable.
If you walk that path, though, Christianity winds up being watered down. Society will even start to doubt if it is real at all. The message becomes irrelevant.
References
- Oakwood Church (home page).
- “John 14:6” The Holy Bible, Bible Hub.
- “Frank Radcliff on the costs of me-based morality, loss of a larger meaning in life, and faith” Frank Radcliff (October 25, 2019) Saline Journal.
- “Matthew 5:13” The Holy Bible, Bible Hub.
- “Matthew 5:14” The Holy Bible, Bible Hub.
- “Matthew 28:19” The Holy Bible, Bible Hub.
- “Tolerance” Marriam-Webster.
- “I’m OK – You’re OK: Book Summary & Review in PDF” Lucio Buffalmano, Power Moves.