I have had the conversation with several of you, and have read several authors who point to this truth:
The Church is not me, nor is it my local community, nor is it all of the communities of faith in my city or country; it is all of those who have chosen to participate in Christ in every culture since Jesus walked among us. This means that I do not speak for the Church (in one sense, it is vital that I do speak for the Church*), nor does my local community, etc, etc. We who desire to keep in step with the Spirit, must hear his voice as it echoes forth from all our brothers and sisters throughout the earth and throughout the centuries. We must hear from the African slaves of the 1700’s, the Chinese underground church of today, the early Greek fathers, the Sudanese in conflict with muslims, the American addicts and the European scholars. The whole church must speak to the issues that face it, in both its global and local expressions.
This is most evident for me in the affluent and decadent slumber of the American Christian, who quite ignorantly believes himself or herself to be “middle class.” The young men and women of our churches who honestly believe God desires them to be “comfortable.” Our young prophets and apostles languish away in schools, saddling themselves with decades of debt, selling themselves for the American Dream that keeps them from even knowing that God has dreamt dreams for them. We would give a young woman all of the material wealth and comfort that her mother never had, and in the end she will find herself empty. We will tell our young men to go to a university to get “educated” and to “better themselves,” and yet they will be slaves to a church culture that tells them to pursue comfort at any cost, pursue a 401K, God wants to “bless” you.
All of this falls away the moment an honest heart steps foot in a second world country (we won’t even mention the third world). As women and men indwelt with the Spirit of the Compassion of God, we won’t be able to return to our cars, and jobs, and houses, and schools.
It is this aspect of the whole church speaking to the whole church that I believe holds the way forward for the Church in America, and perhaps in other parts of the world. I am less familiar with the perils of Chinese Church culture, however, familiar enough to know that they need our biblical understanding, our educated people; and yet this again is another indictment of our own lack. I truly believe myself “unqualified” when Chinese Christians plant churches (plural) in the first months and even weeks of their salvation. …and this with none of the Judeo-Christian heritage that is our childhood tutor.
*I would never want to take away from the reality that we are members of Christ and all participate in His mission which is the Church. We are all representatives of Christ, but we must be representatives of the global, historical church, not the 21st century Western Church.
9 comments:
“…the affluent and decadent slumber of the American Christian…”
I must confess that whenever I see the word affluent, I always remember its cousin, effluent – a liquid waste, often from a factory or sewer. This is a term that is often used to refer to the urine and manure that is pumped into or out of a lagoon. Certainly puts a different spin on the American Dream. But if you can make things grow (and I bet Jesus can), it can be good having some fertilizer at hand. So I say, gather up your affluent effluent and grow tomatoes for Jesus! I’ve never been one to get too bogged down in theory to the detriment of methods. Methods stand true - Do what Jesus did. Theory is generally pondered out of our ever changing thoughts about what has been done before. What do you think Jesus thought as he walked among us? How worried was he about all the problems in the garden as he showed us how to plant the seeds?
I've been duly chastised...
My ‘redneck’ commentary was only meant to start conversation.
I’m not a chastiser offering a chastisement for something chastisable. I’m just a squirrel without a nut. Maybe I had too much coffee…sorry.
No apologies necessary... if I see a chastisement where a chastising was not intended, that speaks to my need to be chastised, albeit you are an unintending chastiser.
I suppose what I heard in your comment was, stop complaining that american christians do not know what to do with thier wealth and start leading them in the stewardship of it; whether you intended that message or not, I heard it.
I think that Steve gets comments on his blogs because he always writes on theological stuff. I had a hard time even spelling theological!
I'll take the stewardship rap, and raise you a group discussion on the nature and extent of tithing. I am often guilty of suggesting I have given enough. And even more so if it folds and fits in my wallet. When a missionary in China tells you he doesn’t want your money, but that he rather wants you – to show up and do what the Lord calls you do, it makes a duty-filled nod to 10 percent seem like a slight. I pray I can come to give just one thing freely to the Lord…everything (manure and all).
...a hearty amen!
I have continued to feel God challenging me to "step it up," with regards to my role in peoples lives; stop complaining about the state of the ground and start planting tomato seeds!!!!
"Our young prophets and apostles languish away in schools, saddling themselves with decades of debt, selling themselves for the American Dream that keeps them from even knowing that God has dreamt dreams for them"
Is it fair to really speak to those same students who may find joy in the education they receive? Those students who eventually go on to write the books that could potentially affect your life?
Even the OT provided schools for their prophets. The languishing you speak of could be considered an act of joy. Of serving the God that they love.
Zach,
I would never dream of telling all people they shouldn't get a college education! My point was that it is just as foolish to tell all people that they should!
What is the real motivation behind such an emphasis... comfort, security; the enemies of the Gospel!
There are those, I heartily concur, who belong in school, but to call everyone to such a life is to disuise worldliness behind the guise of "wisdom" or "stewardship."
Post a Comment