By Ralph Cullen July 1998
The Church in New Zealand, and much of the west, has lost it's way.
Bold words you say - but read on and think, those who can see beyond today, and who have a hope and desire to see the Kingdom of God come on earth. Recently statistics indicate that church attendance and membership is down... way down. Some denominations, once very prominent in the sight of the community, have recorded nearly as much as a 25% decrease in membership over the past five years. In terms of influence on the society, and especially children and young people, the church is now rated as bottom of the list, after peers, the media (including music, television, and movies) education and family.
Why has the church lost it's influence? What should the church be doing to restore it? But more than that: What really sets the church apart from the world around it? All would agree: Unless the church is radically different from the world around it, it can no longer lead or impact that world to effect the mandate with which it is called. In fact, if the "church" and the "world" are one, then either one of two conclusions must be made
To address this most important of all issues is the subject of this brief article.
In 317 A.D., Emperor Constantine of Rome attacked and won a battle over Maxentius, his major rival in the west. He believed that he had won because of the help of Christ. This move convinced him to make Christianity the official and state religion. Persecution, which up unto that time had been strong against the followers of Jesus, ceased. The principles and practices of the Christian Church then became the accepted "norm" for the Roman society - and from that, the culture of the west, as "civilisation" spread throughout Europe, England and on into the New World. A word, framed in the vernacular, which described this state of society is "Christendom" This word defines the impact of Christianity on the world, in which the laws of our land and the "norms" as judged by society in general, line up - (more or less) with what the church considers to be right. Right is therefore right, and wrong is wrong. The Westminster Government, and the very throne of England have all considered their authority and right to rule as coming from God. The ten commandments have formed the basis of our law. The church in a "Christian society" acts as the model society within the larger society, espousing the virtues that are held by all and (hopefully) expressing them in a way which brings honour from the society. The Church acts as a conscience in that society, and sets the benchmark for behaviour in the legal sense, and a doorway to righteousness, by presenting the Saviour, for we all know, in a "Christian Society", that we are sinners, and in need of a Saviour.
Society has now shifted away from being a "Christian Society" and this shift has happened quickly and relatively recently. So fast has been the change, that the Church has been caught unawares and unprepared for its changing role in the nation. The Church is simply not equipped to handle its new status in what is now plainly evident as a Post Christian era. In New Zealand, Homosexual law reform, Human rights legislation, Feminism, and Political Correctness that de-genderizes everyone, all work against the Lord. New Age mentality, which has been promoted through the education system, the media, and the church training centres, has also effectively created a whole new way of viewing life, the world and society. So radical and complete has been this change that "Christian norms" are no longer seen as normal!. Marriage, and the traditional family are especially under attack. It is as common as not, to hear of "partners" instead of spouses, and in our own locality a very large number of children come from one parent families. Divorce is rampant, abortions account for over 15,000 deaths a year in New Zealand, and all of this is viewed as "normal"
In a Christian Society, we would say that we live in an "immoral" world. Not any longer. For when the law said it was wrong - there was room and chance to be corrected. No, now we are in a new age, one in which the very basis of right and wrong is challenged. No longer is the world able to receive that they are wrong, for the cry is now "who says its wrong?" The immoral world of the sixties and seventies is now the amoral world of the nineties.
This new environment has caught the church off guard, and her very identity is being challenged. The burning question is now: where do we go from here? and What is, or should be special about the church? What separates, makes the church different and seperates it from the world?
Never in the history of our land has the church been in such disarray. This is not to say that there are not wonderful oases' of refreshing and very evident growth and community influence, but by and large the church is in a state of frustration and is heart sick for the longed for revival so cherished and so promised.
What we perceive as special for the church, will be the course we pursue in restoring the place we see for the church. What then make the church different from the world. Wherein does her strength and therefore her effectiveness lie?
When I was young, I read lots of books - mainly written by Southern Baptists who spelled out how a Christian should live. I was "hot on holiness" Holiness to me then involved temperance. No Christian should ever smoke. No Christian should ever drink alcohol... No Christian should ever be seen in a picture theatre... these were places of the devil! In other words, what made me different had to be a distinct level of holiness. Works of integrity..... Does this set the church apart? In other words, should we be pursuing temperance and "holiness" to see the church again take its role of leadership in the world. My answer now is No. I am not saying that Christians shouldn't be holy or temperate. They should. But this does not set the church apart! Many influences exist in the world today that make temperance a most popular lifestyle. Vegetarianism, Eastern religions, aestheticism abounds everywhere. In fact around the same time the government Ok'd homosexual behaviour, it set out to ban smoking tobacco in public places! Temperance does not set the church apart.
What about enthusiasm? Again, when I was a bit younger that I am now, I was noted for enthusiasm. (now I'm just tired) I believed that Christians should be "enthusiastic" and certainly committed to the point of laying down their lives. This enthusiasm was interpreted from the Greek as being "In or en God" If God was in you, you HAD to be enthusiastic. The church was different because we were enthusiastic. In fact so convinced we were, that all churches that did not display loud, enthusiastic praise and commitment to 6am prayer meetings were at the best asleep and at the worst not even churches! Is the church set apart by enthusiasm? No. There are enthusiast people all over the world today. They are enthusiastic about everything from Network marketing to Rugby. They are even enthusiastic about UFO's and all manner of New Age concepts. Islam, which is gaining incredible grounds internationally, even in the west, is marked for it's enthusiasm and zeal. That zeal is often lethal! Enthusiasm does not mark the church as being any different from the world. This is even though the church - in love with Jesus, will be enthusiastic.
In earlier years, to be spiritual - or to be conscious of the spirit realm, meant to be Christian. Not so today. In the late sixties, eastern cults began appearing in our land and worship of demon gods became open in our streets. Today it is very fashionable to be spiritual. Principles of prayer are taught in books that do not acknowledge Jesus Christ or even God as a supreme being. In fact the New Age movement is strong on "the god that is in you" and "discovering yourself" This emphasis is so pervading our society that even in the church, new age methods and terminology are being accepted as OK. No, although prayer and spirituality will be a major part of the Christian life, and are vital for the will of God to be done on the earth, prayer and spirituality do not set the church apart from the world.
In the early to mid seventies there was a great deal of interest in "Community" By this we mean that many Christians saw that to have all things in common was a mark of the New Testament Church, and that it would be a great display of love and commitment to one another. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples" Some very significant expressions of community sprung up in the United States as well as other parts of the world. In fact, as much as people rush to Toronto and Pensicola today, they were rushing to visit these marvellous expressions of "New Testament Christianity" People would sell all they had and give the possessions or the funds to the common fold. Even children became cared for and watched over by all adults in the greater family. I remember well how community would be the greatest sign of God's presence in his people. But does community set the church apart from the world? or in other words, is community, and the accompanying care for the poor and mutual love unique. My answer is NO. To a large extent, levels of community are governed more by culture and need than by anything else. As well as this, the type of community I have referred to was very much a part of the sixties and seventies reaction to earlier perceived excesses in a very materialistic society. Community not only appeared in Christianity, but was evident in the "hippie" subculture, (as it was called) and very strong in the drug scene. Today there still remain strong extended family style communities, and in our normal day to day living we are all conscious of the need for more interdependence. From Neighbourhood Watch, to Buying Groups, we are all involved in "community" to a more or lesser extent. No, there is nothing special about community, though without a doubt the church will be a giving and sharing group of committed people.
Lets dig a little deeper now. There is a current and growing desire to see the miraculous power of God manifested in the church. We all long to see the Lord heal and bless his people. Many believe this will be the key to "put the church back on the map" as it were. A man came to me when I was pastoring a church, and he said "when we have people falling down under the power of the Holy Ghost in the services, people will flock into the church" Though he was straight to the point, which I appreciated very much, there were many more who felt the same, but never said it. The overall pressure created by people's expectations was a strong temptation to "make something happen" or at least pretend, so that people would be excited. What a terrible trap! We all long to see God move, but if we believe that the presence of the miraculous is special to the church, - is THE difference from the world, then woe betide us if the power isn't there - or at least is not manifest as some expect it to be. Is the presence of miracles the thing that will set the church apart from the world? I believe the answer is NO, though it is true, that God's power will be manifest in his people in sometimes spectacular ways. As this aspect of Christianity is the current "hot topic" I will comment further: Jesus made it very clear when he said these words:
(Matthew 24:4) Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Now, I used to think that Jesus was saying that many would come and say "I am Christ" and draw many after them. If someone came and said that, we would probably laugh them to scorn. These kind of claims are generally made in the more eastern and "new age" cults. But I believe he meant something else. He said many would come in his name saying that He is Christ, but would deceive many. In other words, their entrance would be as preachers of, and acknowledging that, Jesus is in fact the Christ - the Messiah - the anointed of God. (There are no commas in the Greek) They would be orthodox, yet would deceive many...
Verse 23 "....Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Now I must make it clear. I am not saying that genuine miracles will not take place at the hands of genuine men of God. I am saying, and I believe that Jesus is saying, that Miracles are not the exclusive property of the Church. The miraculous does not set the church apart, although miracles, signs and wonders will be and should be very much evident in the church.
What then does make the church different from the world?
What is the one thing above all others that sets the church apart or "sanctifies" it, and therefore renders it effective in the world to minister the gospel?
Before I answer this question, I wish to comment on another current and pervasive trend within the church This issue too, is the result of a deep desire to touch the world for Jesus. It is the view that rejects everything I have just postulated and declares that to be effective, the church must not be different, but in fact must be "comfortable" and / or "user friendly" for the world, so that people will feel able to come and be a part of the life of the church. On one extreme, this philosophy is manifest in a liberal view that is expressed by the word "inclusivism" Only last night I watched an interview between a commentator and a "spokesperson" in a large denomination. This person was presenting the view that the church must not discriminate against certain lifestyles or "orientations" This approach attempts to correct the perceived inaccessibility of the church and correct the way that the church has seemed to be judgmental against various sub groups within society. Unfortunately, history, both modern and ancient, teaches us that this kind of liberalism has always had the very opposite effect than desired, and drains the church of all of its authority and strength. At the conservative end of the scale, contemporary worship styles have been introduced to make the world feel at home. The use of contemporary music styles has always been present in the historic life of the church, but never to my knowledge in a specific attempt to make the church "relevant" In earlier years, the music and art of a culture grew out of the church. Why? Because the church was the foundation of the sacral society. We live in scary days, for now the world is influencing the church's style, not the other way around. These efforts to touch the world have mixed results. These results have brought a lot of confusion, because every one of these issues involve culture. Culture must always be the result and fruit of the gospel, not the other way around.
Much energy and effort has been invested in making the church user friendly and "relevant" Millions of Dollars have been spent in creating new and "easier to read" Bible Translations as well. This latter is another subject, but comes from the same basic misconception....
What then makes the church any different from the world in which it finds itself? For having found the answer, all possible effort must be invested in that pursuit. In doing so all other aspects of church life I have commented on here will fall into place.
In the late nineteenth century, the theories of evolution, and the corresponding works of Darwin, Marx and Huxley began to undermine the accepted truths of creation. The church reacted in two ways: (when I say "church" I am speaking in a general sense) On one side, textual criticism sought to modify the common view of verbal inspiration. From this and the rising rationalism came a liberalising of conservative Christianity. Only after a century can we now see the devastating results of this on western society. The Revised Versions of the Bible and the undermining of confidence in the scriptures has produced a vacuum of truth into which the New Age has jumped. On the other hand, a reaction began to rise, and an intense interest in Bible interpretation, especially of the dispensational school became increasingly popular. Because of what was happening in the liberal side of things, the second side developed a personal and individual view of Christianity that involved the following:
These two strong and opposing movements have robbed the church of it's power and calling. But then... I've strayed from my thesis..
There is one thing and one thing alone that makes the church different from the world, and that is the possession of the Word of God. But more than that... It is the privilege of walking in that Word as a final and complete authority. The issues that are burning up the liberal church at this present time are not issues of equality or human rights or fairness or opportunity. They are the very basic issue of the authority of the word of God.
Jesus said: (John 17:14) I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The clarity of this scripture is undisputed. One thing will set the church apart. It is the word of God.
That word will make enemies of the world.
The followers of Jesus were hated, not because they lived in community, or they had miracles happening among them or they didn't swear or go to the movies. They were hated because they lived by an authority that was above them, above the state, above the educators, above the politicians., and that word brought them LIFE! The same reason so many hated them, was the reason thousands and thousands joined them. The disciples understood it! When Jesus spoke of eating his flesh (his word) and so many were offended and left him, Peter and the disciples said... "Where shall we go? You have the WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE"!
What is at stake today is the very future of our nation. The church, worrying over whether it is "relevant" or "user friendly", thinking that the most important thing is to "include everybody" or the need to have contemporary music, and loud sound systems, has neglected it's authority, and in doing so it has no authority. It has a form of godliness, but it denies the power of that godliness. On the one hand the preaching of the Word of God is neglected or even discouraged, and at the other extreme it is deliberately opposed and actively resisted.
What makes the church different is the simple, powerful, and totally offensive, yet redeeming power of the preached word of God.
To be continued........