These pages have often wrestled with the issue of gospel enculturation—the question of how much we adapt the message we preach to the culture in which we dwell. It’s such a complex question that the wisdom and righteousness (or lack thereof) of our attempts at preaching the gospel in a culturally sensitive way will be displayed finally on that last great day. But my last post on character and hope has lead me to a test that we might apply to our gospel preaching.
There were only three of us in Bible study group the other morning, and the other two guys were both in sales—one in property and one in software. We were talking about how to encourage other people with the message of the Bible (whether Christian or non-Christian), about why we fail to do so, and so on.
I started to say that I sometimes find it difficult to talk easily about Christian things, especially with non-Christians, because I’m not a natural ‘salesman’ sort of personality—“Not like you two guys”. But one of my friends pulled me up short.
Christians are arguing about emotions and passionate outpourings. Some exalt in these experiences, and see in them the revival of true and authentic Christianity; others decry the emotional hysteria of easily manipulated crowds, and assert that rational, mature Christianity needs to rise above such gross displays of experientialism.
Sound familiar? It is a (rough) description of the mid-18th-century American context for Jonathan Edwards’s classic work A Treatise on the Religious Affections.
How did you come to Christ?
I grew up in a Christian family. Thanks be to God for giving me such a great Mum and Dad! Although I went to church throughout my childhood, I don’t think the penny dropped until I was in Year 10. I just moved to St Matthias (the original home of The Briefing), and three things happened:
Pete, how did you come to Christ?
I grew up in country New South Wales in a Christian household. As a family, we’d head off to church and Sunday school every Sunday without fail. I knew Jesus personally, and I trusted that he knew what was best for my life.
When I was 17, I moved to Sydney to study engineering at the University of New South Wales, living in New College. The first night I was there, an upper year student (who is now the rector of All Saint’s Petersham in Sydney) stood up and announced that a group was going to church and that anyone was welcome to come. This was a significant moment for me as my family wasn’t with me any more; I could do what I liked!
I went to church, and over the next four years as a student, was fed a hearty diet of Bible at church and in small groups. These were very important years for me; they gave me a great grounding for Christian growth as I moved into my 20s and beyond.
Late last year, Gavin wrote about the importance of being faithful in the small things. I’ve been pondering Gav’s insights, and I’d like to offer a couple of further comments.
Jesus himself directly teaches the importance of faithfulness in small things:
Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.” But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matt 5:33-37)
Last week, our Saturday post spoke about five people or groups that the Bible encourages us to look to as models: (1) God (2) Christ (3) the apostle Paul (4) Christian leaders (5) other Christians. This week turns to examine the implications of this thinking about Christian modelling for those in Christian ministry.
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On Saturday night, our family participated in Earth Hour. My eight-year-old daughter was very keen to do so. These are some of the thoughts I had during Earth Hour:
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Nicole’s challenging thoughts on appreciation and approval have motivated me to finish off a little post I’ve had sitting in my file for several weeks. It’s about the same topic, but from the opposite side—not so much the praise and approval of man, but the fear of man. (more…)
This week’s blast from the past raises the issue of what models we look to as Christians. Enjoy.
Who are our models?
Who should Christians be looking to as models or examples of the Christian way of life? The following section provides a Bible search on the subject of modelling and imitation. You might like to work through it in a study group.
Why is it that some people seem so much happier than others? Why is it that different people, with seemingly identical lives, can have such diverse levels of happiness? (more…)
We’ve been reading the Sermon on the Mount around the dinner table over the last week or so, and it’s made for great discussion and interesting questions. (“Dad, why would someone want my tooth?”) A couple of nights ago, we were talking about the issues Jesus raises concerning loving your neighbours and praying for those who persecute you. The discussion went something like this:
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My youngest son went into hospital the other day for minor surgery. I spent the morning not quite being able to sit still, in spite of knowing that this sort of thing happens to hundreds of children around the world every day. As it turned out, everything went smoothly. He got his own television set to watch, and was given a lemonade iceblock, so all was right with the world. (more…)
The weekend before last I had the great privilege of spending a weekend away with a group of students from Cumberland College thinking about God’s mission for the world and looking at 1Corinthians 8-10. (I also spent the weekend with possibly the largest mosquito population that I have ever seen, but that’s a story for another time). Preaching through those chapters from Corinthians has left me breathless and challenged once again by the example of Jesus and his apostle. (more…)
What do you think is the best known verse in the Bible? Without a second thought, most of us would say John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. Almost every Christian knows this verse. There are organizations named after it. In the 1980s, there was a man named Rollen Stewart (aka Rainbow Man) who donned a rainbow wig, wrote the verse on a sign and held it up at various prominent American sporting events. (more…)