This phrase was made popular by Will Smith in a rap album released in 1988, but the sentiment of the saying still holds true today. I would like to use the phrase a little differently, or in a different context.
I was sitting in a Philosophy class last week when one of my fellow students made a comment. We were talking about post-moderns (like we do in Bible College). Her remark made me think about how different our views of things are in the church. I don’t want to say her opinions were outdated but her views of how evangelism should work were definitely not an effective way to do things.
I know that probably sounds hyper-critical but we can’t continue to “do church” the same ways we have in the past. Our world is changing and people’s worldviews have changed even more. No longer can we assume that people trust anything the Bible says or expect them to act thusly.
I guess where I’m going with all that is this; as Christians we need to strive to be relevant. It doesn’t mean changing the truths presented in the Gospel, it just means changing the way we present those truths. The problem is when we think that those truths are too much for people to handle and water them down for the masses (cough Brian Mclaren).
6 comments:
Higgins,
I appreciate your post, but what do you propose the church does to make the Gospel more relevant to the culture without watering it down? Just curious...I wrote a paper on this last semester. (:
Bekah, Thanks for the comment! I think the issue is that people are not being challenged. I work at a mega church and see the problem with just teaching that Jesus loves us. While it is true that Jesus does love us, far too often churches stop there. I just feel that when we water things down too far they lose their meaning.
As a teacher there is a concept which we call i+1, "i" being the knowledge the individual already knows, the "+1" is the information they need to be learning. In short you should always be teaching something just above what they know...to challenge them.
All I'm trying to say is I'm ok with teaching things so people can understand them...but we should also challenging them.
I know that doesn't specifically answer your question but I hope it helps.
I agree with you. The church has significantly watered-down the message of the Gospel. I don't believe the issue is that people are not being challenged enough, however. I believe that the message of God's love by itself can't function properly. Without understanding that we are desperately wicked, enemies of God, deserving of God’s wrath—simply because God’s very nature is so Holy that it must punish sin, and can’t abide the sight of it—we have in effect taken away the need for a Savior. God loves us, yes. But why is God’s love so amazing? Because some guy died for us because he loved us? No, because we had a desperate problem. We were going to hell—by our own sinful doing. We were hopelessly sentenced to eternity in Hell with a debt of sin that we could not repay in a million lifetimes over. Jesus died for MY sin. He died so that I would be made right with GOD. He paid the debt that I could not pay. This is why God loves me. This puts meaning into the Gospel. Without this central part of the Gospel included—the message of “God’s love,” safely could be called soft heresy. If it is not the whole Gospel—it is not the Gospel.
Can you tell that I am passionate about this? (: I'm sorry if it comes across too strong.
Bekah, I'm sorry if I ever made it sound like I didn't agree with you. Because I totally do! I think that people should be taught about every aspect of who God is. I think that sometimes people in the church don't put enough emphasis on the entirety of the Gospel and this just preach the "Jesus is love" part and leave out the rest. And, your passion on the subject is appreciated!
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