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A lady hung a plaque in her living room that said,
“Prayer changes things.” When she came home, her husband had taken it
down. “I took it down,” he explained, “because I like things just the
way they are.”
Some Christians see change as a threat to their faith. They mistakenly
believe that changes to their programs mean a rejection of what they
have done. They think that remodeling the sanctuary or taking down a
picture given by their great uncle indicates that the church has turned
its back on the older generation.
But the fact is, without change the Church will become irrelevant and
antiquated. For while the message of the Bible never changes, culture
and language continually change.
If Jesus were walking on earth today, I don’t think that he would use a
dialect from the early 1600’s. I think that he would speak in clear,
21st Century language. His aim, as it was 2000 years ago, would be to
communicate God’s message as clearly as possible.
One of the problems with tying Christianity to a certain translation of
the Bible is that word meanings change but God’s Word never changes.
For example, when I was a child the primary meaning of the word “gay”
was entirely different from what it is today. Fifty years ago if a
minister had said that God wants us to be gay and celebrate our new life
in Christ the congregation would have understood that we are to be happy
as Christians. But if he said the same thing today the meaning would
come across in a totally different way.
What is true about language is also true about music styles and
architecture. What appealed to people twenty years ago often doesn’t
appeal to people today. Since the Bible is relevant to all generations
it needs to be expressed in the cultural forms of all generations.
Today there are many up-to-date translations of the Bible and thousands
of worship songs and choruses. Churches often worship in multipurpose
gymnasiums where stained glass windows would never exist. Not everyone
likes the changes. That is okay – there are still many places to
worship in a more traditional way. God made us all different, and it is
okay that we have different likes and tastes.
There is nothing wrong with doing things in church as they have been
done for the last fifty years. Many people find a certain richness and
security with singing the same songs, hearing the same sermons, and
sitting in the same pews. However, if we want to reach today’s
generation we will have to use forms they understand. Music styles of
the young are not the same as those who are older. Technology has
changed how younger people learn. The Internet has become the main
source of communication. It is unrealistic to conduct church as we did
20 years ago and expect to reach unchurched people today.
Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I
have not come to call the righteous, but the sinner to repentance.”
(Luke 5:31-32) In other words, Jesus came to reach those outside the
established church. He expressed God’s truths in ways that common
people could understand. The mission of the Church is to share Jesus
with those outside the Church. To do that, we need to learn to speak
their language.
Some people complain that things are not as deep and spiritual as they
used to be. They complain that churches using new methods are growing
because they are watering down the expectations of the Bible. That is
usually not the case at all. Most churches that grow are full of
persons who are strongly committed to God. That’s because as the Word
becomes more relevant, we realize as never before what God expects from
us. The more we understand the Bible, the more we are convicted of what
we ought to be. Sometimes it is easier to hide behind our irrelevancies
and our traditions.
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
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