11-03-2008 00:49

We are more on the same page than you are acting. 
 
Is God still using the Church? Absolutely. Will the church in America totally die out? Probably not. I say probably because I do feel that the church will have a form that is so totally different in the next generation that we today would not even recognize it. 
 
But I still go back to my original premise. If you were a missionary sent to, let's say, Tibet. A good, responsible, sober-minded missionary would tell you that you first need to understand the culture you are going into. You need to know what they value, worship, despise, etc. You need to learn about how they communicate, love, hate, play. You need to know how they structure their community, who has authority, etc. This is all what goes into being a responsible missionary. You would not use the same approach of sharing the Gospel to reach a rural Tibetan village that you would in suburban America. D.A. Carson has stated accurately that "there is no truth that can be communicated in a culture transcending way, but that does not mean that the truth thus articulated does not transcend culture". My sentiments exactly. 
 
That is all we are doing. We believe (as do many nations) that America is a mission field. We need to study the culture in order make sure that the Gospel message is not "Lost in Translation" Therefore, we need to realize that our culture has no clue what Jesus is about. We have three families who have been saved in our church in the last 4 months who are in their mid-20's, lived in urban Seattle, and had never heard anything about Jesus their whole cognizant life unless it was as a cuss word. That alone should give us pause and realize that the world has changed and our methods for communicating the gospel must adapt as well, without changing the core truths. 
 
We also can't forget that this concept of "incarnating" the Gospel was modeled by Jesus. He entered history not as a Republican, not as a European white male, etc. He came as a 1st C Jewish male, working class, and spent the first 30 years of His life living in the culture He came to before embarking on His mission. That is our model. "As the Father has sent me, so now I send you". 
 
While I agree that the "utilitarian" concept can be destructive, (don't have my Bible in front of me) I remeber that Paul was talking about how some were preaching the gospel for selfish gain, yet he rejoiced becuase for selfish reasons or not, the Gospel was moving forward. 
 
Blessings, 
 
matt

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