{"id":4670,"date":"2017-09-04T10:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T18:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=4670"},"modified":"2017-09-01T12:32:54","modified_gmt":"2017-09-01T20:32:54","slug":"to-change-the-world-week-eleven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/09\/04\/to-change-the-world-week-eleven","title":{"rendered":"To Change The World, Week Eleven"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"To
To Change The World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty in the Late Mod\u00adern World by James Davi\u00adson Hunter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all tagged sum\u00admer-read\u00ading-project-2017<\/a>. The read\u00ading sched\u00adule is online at https:\/\/xastanford.org\/summer-reading<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I found chap\u00adter three much more engag\u00ading than chap\u00adter two. If you\u2019re get\u00adting bogged down, it gets bet\u00adter.<\/p>\n

Chapter Two: Old Cultural Wineskins<\/h3>\n

If sin\u00adcer\u00adi\u00adty were the same thing as faith\u00adful\u00adness, then all would be well, for Chris\u00adtians, as a rule, are noth\u00ading if not sincere\u2014not least in their desire to be \u201cfaith\u00adful in their own gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion.\u201d But if I am even par\u00adtial\u00adly cor\u00adrect about the nature and pro\u00adfun\u00addi\u00adty of the changes of late moder\u00adni\u00adty, then against these sin\u00adcer\u00adi\u00adty could nev\u00ader be enough by itself. At least a frag\u00adment of wis\u00addom would be required as well. (page 213)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a Protes\u00adtant, I tru\u00adly believe in sola fide (faith alone). But very often I find Chris\u00adtians in our cul\u00adture treat\u00ading faith as if it were a feel\u00ading or some mere sen\u00adti\u00adment. Faith encom\u00adpass\u00ades so much more than that! Faith that lacks faith\u00adful\u00adness is not the faith God requires \u2014 and faith\u00adful\u00adness is a mat\u00adter that springs from the con\u00advic\u00adtions we have cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00aded and the habits we have devel\u00adoped far more than it does from the emo\u00adtion\u00adal impuls\u00ades we expe\u00adri\u00adence.<\/p>\n

Chapter Three: The Groundwork for an Alternative Way<\/h3>\n

In a milieu where the church and its peo\u00adple are so quick\u00adly and round\u00adly crit\u00adi\u00adcized for their short\u00adcom\u00adings, it is easy to over\u00adlook a cen\u00adtral the\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal truth; that is, that how\u00adev\u00ader inad\u00ade\u00adquate or piti\u00adful the church may seem at times (and may, in fact, be), where the scrip\u00adture is pro\u00adclaimed, the sacra\u00adments admin\u00adis\u00adtered, and the peo\u00adple of God con\u00adtin\u00adue to seek to fol\u00adlow God in word and deed, God is at work; the Holy Spir\u00adit is still very much active. (page 225)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If I could have one truth tat\u00adtooed on your gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion\u2019s arm, some\u00adthing like the above would be a strong con\u00adtender. Always remem\u00adber that you are not mere\u00adly invit\u00ading peo\u00adple to fol\u00adlow Christ, you are invit\u00ading them to become part of the Body of Christ. You should love it and invite oth\u00aders to love it along\u00adside you. Sad\u00adly, the Body of Christ is often slan\u00addered by believ\u00aders who think only of her faults (often with shock\u00ading inac\u00adcu\u00adra\u00adcy) and lit\u00adtle of her strengths.<\/p>\n

Be slow to assume you have a good read on how the church has act\u00aded in his\u00adto\u00adry. For that mat\u00adter, be slow to assume you have a good read on how the church is act\u00ading today. Have you heard that Joel Osteen\u2019s church has been cal\u00adlous dur\u00ading the flood\u00ading of Hous\u00adton? Red\u00addit, Twit\u00adter, and Face\u00adbook users sure got that impres\u00adsion. Before you apol\u00ado\u00adgize to your friends for Osteen\u2019s alleged hypocrisy, read these arti\u00adcles: Flood him with crit\u00adi\u00adcism: Let him who is with\u00adout sin cast the first stone at Joel Osteen and his church<\/a> (Bob\u00adby Ross, Jr, GetRe\u00adli\u00adgion), Was Joel Osteen\u2019s Hous\u00adton \u2018Megachurch\u2019 Affect\u00aded By Hur\u00adri\u00adcane Har\u00advey?<\/a> (Snopes), The Joel Osteen Fias\u00adco Says A Lot About Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty<\/a> (Lau\u00adra Turn\u00ader, Buz\u00adzfeed). Based on the evi\u00addence I\u2019ve seen, Lake\u00adwood Church not only act\u00aded defen\u00adsi\u00adbly  but actu\u00adal\u00adly act\u00aded wise\u00adly and help\u00adful\u00adly. Act\u00ading in a man\u00adner unfa\u00admil\u00adiar to some of their crit\u00adics, they were more con\u00adcerned with actu\u00adal\u00adly doing good than with mere\u00adly giv\u00ading the appear\u00adance of doing good.<\/p>\n

This, inci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly, is a use\u00adful reminder that the Bible isn\u2019t kid\u00adding when it tells us there will be those who \u201cthose who speak mali\u00adcious\u00adly against your good behav\u00adior in Christ\u201d (1 Peter 3:16, NIV). I often meet young Chris\u00adtians who believe that if we just act nice\u00adly enough that the world will love us. You\u2019re not going to be a bet\u00adter rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive of Jesus than Jesus Him\u00adself was, and He was tor\u00adtured to death. Tem\u00adper your expec\u00adta\u00adtions.<\/span><\/p>\n

I say all that to say this: if you hear a neg\u00ada\u00adtive report about a church, do your home\u00adwork before you assume the crit\u00adi\u00adcisms you are hear\u00ading are accu\u00adrate. A sur\u00adpris\u00ading amount of the time the crit\u00adi\u00adcism will be false or will be mis\u00adlead\u00ading\u00adly true.<\/p>\n

But when a crit\u00adi\u00adcism of the Church is true we need to take it seri\u00adous\u00adly.<\/p>\n

Nowhere is the task of crit\u00adi\u00adcal resis\u00adtance more urgent than in the church itself for the ways that it too has accom\u00admo\u00addat\u00aded to the spir\u00adit of the late mod\u00adern age. St. Peter is right to say, \u201cjudg\u00adment begins with the house\u00adhold of God\u201d (1 Pet. 4:17). Antithe\u00adsis, then, means that the church\u2019s own struc\u00adtures and its own engage\u00adment with the world must be con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly scru\u00adti\u00adnized. Here espe\u00adcial\u00adly, crit\u00adi\u00adcal resis\u00adtance must always be cre\u00adative and con\u00adstruc\u00adtive; guid\u00aded by devo\u00adtion to the beloved com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty. (page 236)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mov\u00ading on, Hunter iden\u00adti\u00adfies a prob\u00adlem that I think is par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly strong at Stan\u00adford:<\/p>\n

In con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary Amer\u00adi\u00adca, Chris\u00adtians have faith in God and, by and large, they believe and hold fast to the cen\u00adtral truths of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian tra\u00addi\u00adtion. But while they have faith, they have also been formed by the larg\u00ader post-Chris\u00adt\u00adian cul\u00adture, a cul\u00adture whose habits of life less and less resem\u00adble any\u00adthing like the vision of human flour\u00adish\u00ading pro\u00advid\u00aded by the life of Christ and wit\u00adness of scrip\u00adture. The prob\u00adlem, in oth\u00ader words, is that Chris\u00adtians have not been formed \u201cin all wis\u00addom\u201d that they might rise to the demands of faith\u00adful\u00adness in a time such as ours, \u201cbear\u00ading fruit in every good work.\u201d (page 227)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We need to rec\u00adog\u00adnize that our cul\u00adture is always try\u00ading to cre\u00adate unchris\u00adt\u00adian con\u00advic\u00adtions with\u00adin us. Stan\u00adford does it more aggres\u00adsive\u00adly than Amer\u00adi\u00adcan soci\u00adety because the cam\u00adpus is a much less free envi\u00adron\u00adment.<\/p>\n

But that does\u00adn\u2019t mean that we give up and reject our soci\u00adety. Far from it.<\/p>\n

When peo\u00adple are saved by God through faith in Christ they are not only being saved from their sins, they are saved in order to resume the tasks man\u00addat\u00aded at cre\u00adation, the task of car\u00ading for and cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00ading a world that hon\u00adors God and reflects his char\u00adac\u00adter and glo\u00adry. (page 236)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And so we par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in our soci\u00adety and seek to make it bet\u00adter, rec\u00adog\u00adniz\u00ading that there is good\u00adness every\u00adwhere because of God\u2019s com\u00admon grace. But even when we find an area of align\u00adment of our val\u00adues with soci\u00adety\u2019s, we rec\u00adog\u00adnize that there will be ten\u00adsion.<\/p>\n

It is impor\u00adtant to empha\u00adsize that the realm of \u201ccom\u00admon grace\u201d is, by no means, a neu\u00adtral space. It is God\u2019s grace after all\u2014it emanates from him and its pur\u00adpose is to give him glo\u00adry. To make strong and active affir\u00adma\u00adtions about the present world, then, in no way implies the auton\u00ado\u00admy of knowl\u00adedge, moral\u00adi\u00adty, desire, jus\u00adtice, or beau\u00adty. The idea that there are com\u00admon or objec\u00adtive stan\u00addards for these things inde\u00adpen\u00addent of the cre\u00adat\u00aded order is an illu\u00adsion. In the con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary world, neu\u00adtral\u00adi\u00adty is the pre\u00adtence of all sec\u00adu\u00adlar estab\u00adlish\u00adments; a myth con\u00adcealed by its hege\u00admo\u00adny. (page 233)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a result, we need to have a lev\u00adel of skep\u00adti\u00adcism about the struc\u00adtures of our fall\u00aden soci\u00adety.<\/p>\n

In the present his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal con\u00adtext, this means that Chris\u00adtians rec\u00adog\u00adnize that all social orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions exist as par\u00ado\u00addies of escha\u00adto\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal hope. And so it is that the city is a poor imi\u00adta\u00adtion of heav\u00aden\u00adly com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty; the mod\u00adern state, a deformed ver\u00adsion of the eccle\u00adsia; the mar\u00adket, a dis\u00adtor\u00adtion of con\u00adsum\u00adma\u00adtion; mod\u00adern enter\u00adtain\u00adment, a car\u00adi\u00adca\u00adture of joy; school\u00ading, a mis\u00adrep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion of true for\u00adma\u00adtion; lib\u00ader\u00adal\u00adism, a crass sim\u00adu\u00adlacrum of free\u00addom; and the sov\u00ader\u00adeign\u00adty we accord to the self, a par\u00ado\u00addy of God him\u00adself. As these insti\u00adtu\u00adtions and ideals become ends in them\u00adselves, they become the objects of idol\u00ada\u00adtry. (pages 234\u2013235)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now we\u2019re get\u00adting close to what I take to be Hunter\u2019s ulti\u00admate point: we don\u2019t par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in soci\u00adety pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly to change the world. We do it sim\u00adply to bless those around us.<\/p>\n

If there are benev\u00ado\u00adlent con\u00adse\u00adquences of our engage\u00adment with the world, in oth\u00ader words, it is pre\u00adcise\u00adly because it is not<\/b> root\u00aded in a desire to change the world for the bet\u00adter but rather because it is an expres\u00adsion of a desire to hon\u00ador the cre\u00adator of all good\u00adness, beau\u00adty, and truth, a man\u00adi\u00adfes\u00adta\u00adtion of our lov\u00ading obe\u00addi\u00adence to God, and a ful\u00adfill\u00adment of God\u2019s com\u00admand to love our neigh\u00adbor.<\/em> (page 234, the orig\u00adi\u00adnal has empha\u00adsis that I don\u2019t think is being repro\u00adduced here)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m eager to see where his argu\u00adment goes from here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty in the Late Mod\u00adern World by James Davi\u00adson Hunter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cTo Change The World, Week Eleven\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[209,210],"class_list":["post-4670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources-reviews","tag-summer-reading-project-2017","tag-to-change-the-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1dk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4670"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4677,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670\/revisions\/4677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}