Oct
28
2009
No Utopia Now
(I’ve been preaching on the subject of outreach and thought it might help to post a short excerpt from Unfashionable on what Christians can realistically expect as they engage culture.)
Contrary to what some have concluded, a transformational approach to culture does not assume an unrealistic optimism about what’s possible in our fallen world. Because the world will remain sinful until Christ returns, we know we can never achieve any utopia here and now. “Heaven on earth” will become a universal reality only when Christ comes back.
In this regard, it’s been helpful for me to understand the distinction Abraham Kuyper made between “persuasion” and “coercion.” For Kuyper, persuasion is the Christian’s role and responsibility toward culture here and now—seeking to influence every sphere of society (such as the family, government, education) for Christ and bringing the standards of God’s Word to bear on every dimension of human culture. Coercion, on the other hand, is the role and responsibility of Christ, not Christians. Jesus alone possesses the right and power to “coerce,” or force, culture in a Godward direction, and this is a right he will fully exercise only when he returns to make “all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Understanding the difference between persuasion and coercion—between our role and Christ’s role—helps us serve God with realistic expectations.
Of course there has always been considerable (and somewhat distracting) debate on whether, before Christ returns, things will get markedly worse, get markedly better, or just go on about the same. The answer to that is God’s business, not ours. We’re told to plant and water; God alone controls the results.
Our task as faithful disciples is proclaimed by the Welsh poet Ethelwyn Wetherald:
My orders are to fight;
Then if I bleed, or fail,
Or strongly win, what matters it?
God only doth prevail.
The servant craveth naught
Except to serve with might.
I was not told to win or lose—
My orders are to fight.
What we do know is that many Christians throughout the ages have sought cultural transformation, and in so doing they’ve had a huge impact on the world. One of them was the English politician William Wilberforce, whose conversion to Christianity impelled him to fight against the slave trade throughout the British Empire. He did this for decades, paving the way for the abolition of slavery and the reformation of morals in England. He was truly a man who changed his times. When Christians take the cultural mandate seriously, real change for the better can and has happened. No Christian has ever “turned earth into heaven, or the world into the church,” says John Frame. “And sometimes they have made tragic mistakes. But they have also done a great deal of good.”
The good news is that Christ not only began the process but also will complete it. And by his Spirit, he now empowers us to carry on his work. Led by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we thus have all we need for our present task. In saving us, God has fully equipped us to carry out the cultural mandate he originally entrusted to us.
13 Comments
I agree that it is God’s business. However with just a bit of discernment, one can obviously see that things are, and have been, getting worse. Look at the world, look at the condition of our country, look at the condition of the church. God is being purged out of one arena after another throughout the world, but in particular this country, and the church is standing by and letting it happen as it makes itself feel good. I can’t imagine that Jesus will wait much longer!
Pastor Tullian
I remember this part of the book, excellant thought. I am a first generation born-again Christian, I am the first person in my familty on both sides who openly took a stand to believe. My Father my six brothers and sisters were all eventully were brought into the Kingdom. Mom prayed the sinners prayer on her death bed. I am the fourth out of seven. And being the oldest son put some responsibility on my life. I believe that before the return of Christ we will see many more come into the Kingdom of God. I am believing, praying, watching, waiting, and working toward that end. We can all be fully equiped to reach the lost wherever we are.
God bless
I agree…it’s similiar to my response to other Christians once they realize I believe in predestination. One of the first things they’ll say is, “Well then, why do you bother to evangelize if everyone has already been chosen”, which leads me to reply, “Because my Saviour has commissioned me too”.
RE: Craig’s thought about God being purged out is interesting, because if we do worship a sovereign God then He is sovereign even over the purging. Nothing is able to happen without his understanding and yes permissive will being accomplished. Even as the USA seems to be waning in Christian fervor, the Gospel is going forth in other parts of the world.
We I believe tend to be very introspective as Americans. Gods view is not only a world view, but an eternal view. Praise Him for all that He is doing in building His Kingdom. .
Very similar to Margaret Thatcher’s admonition during the Ireland conflict: “That which cannot be accomplished through persuasion must not be accomplished through force”. Yes, I believe this is true for today’s Christians as well.
Jim is right, God as we know, is indeed Sovereign over all things. So all this degenerating of societies, countries, churches, etc. is all according to His Sovereign plan that He is carrying out. My reply was to address the part of Unfashionable that refers to debate on whether things will get better or not before Christ comes back. I am convinced that things will not get better at all, but in the deterioration, God’s plan is Sovereignly being carried out by Him. He is working all things for good according to His purpose, for our good and His glory.
What we do know is that many Christians throughout the ages have sought cultural transformation, and in so doing they’ve had a huge impact on the world.
“As Obama said in a 2004 speech: “Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King — indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history — were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. To say that men and women should not inject their ‘personal morality’ into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.” Obama is absolutely right. Every issue by its nature has a moral dimension. ”
Link to the quoted article by writer George Marlin
I can’t believe that I’m quoting Obama though
Yes, I think that it is too easy to get caught up in trying to interpret what will happen in the future instead of learning to trust Christ, obey Him and look forward to His return. Whatever our escatological view, we can agree that we must learn to impact our culture for Christ. How one does this however is also a matter of opinion that often leads us to follow singular rabbit trails. Some take the political path and try to transform the culture through political means alone. Some try the social path and try only social means. In our society, we as Christians tend to identify these two in terms of conservative and liberal agendas. But let us not lose sight of Christ’s mandate to not parcel up our civic involvement. We are called to take a stand in the political forum as well as the social forum. One should not just support the unprotected “un-born”, but the mother who has no substantial form of income who has been abandoned by her boyfriend. One should not just support the “poor” but those who are readily identifiable as having financial need within their community of faith. When Jesus said, “the poor, you will always have”, He wasn’t referring just to some group of people who live in the inner city but those who live in our midst who have need, great or small.
We (I) need to be a people who seek first our own transformation then the transformation of the Church and then the transformation of the world. Utopia exists in none of those categories until Christ makes death bow the knee. We struggle against the sin within our own hearts, as much as the sin in our churches and our world. What they all have in common though is the application of the gospel. How needy we are?
How we need Christ individually! How the Church needs Christ!! How the lost world needs Christ!!! We must cry out as Isaiah did in the 64th chapter of his book, “rend the heavens”. It might better be understood, “rend our hearts”. We must confess our sins and cry out for His mercy in our own hearts. We need to acknowledge the wickedness of our hearts in regard to family life (whether as father, husband, mother, wife or child). We must cry out against the sin of our own hearts in regard to Church life (whether as pastor, elder, deacon or those under authority) and lean on His Spirit to work in our hearts what is pleasing in His sight. And, while we must attend to the needs of the local body, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in chains throughout the world where in many places Christians suffer for their profession of Jesus. Lastly, we must not only seek opportunity in the general world through missions, but also in “our own worlds” locally, to witness to the resurrection however God leads. We have much opportunity at the grocery store, at work, in our neighborhoods, not only to share the gospel but our very lives with the lost God has placed in our everyday routine paths. These people are not obstacles but needy ones who need to have the gospel sown or watered in their lives, not just in admonition to believe but also in demonstration of the love and power of Christ in broken, sin worn and yet victorious children of God.
I love the last two verses of the poem Tullian quoted:
I was not told to win or lose—
My orders are to fight.
Ultimately, it is Christ who triumphs for His is the glory.
May we seek
I would say whether things are getting better or getting worse is all dependent on when you live and where. If I was a Christian before the Roman persecution of Nero or Diocletian, I might say things were getting better. People are coming to Christ in hordes. If during the period of persecution, I might say the opposite. Christians are being martyred left and right. If I was a believer during the time of Constantine when the “church” grew in power and authority, I might say better. If during the collapse of the Roman empire, I might say the opposite. If I lived during the Reformation, I might say better. If during the counter reformation, the opposite. If during the founding of “a city upon a hill”, I might say better. If during the height of the Enlightenment, during the French Revolution or reign of terror, than worse. History teaches us that God is sovereign over all its events, both promising and discouraging, and that it is not really an indicator of God’s favor or closeness of His return.
Let’s make this a little more contemporary and relevant to our current day. If we lived during early days of the 20th century (the roaring 20′s), we would say better. If during the crash of 1929 until the end of World War II, we’d say worse. If during the prosperity and economic boom of the 50′s, 60′s and early 70′s, we’d say better, if during Vietnam and the oil embargo of the late 70′s when we stood in line for gas (remember the lines, and even and odd numbered license plates dictating when you could get gas?), we’d say worse. If during the hay day of the Moral Majority, Reclaiming America, and Gingrich’s “contract with America” (the promotion of the sanctity of life and the importance of the nuclear family in legislation) in the 80′s and 90′s then better. If during the last election cycle, some would say worse. Now if we consider geographic location, we’d also come to some different conclusions. If we lived in present day America or Canada, we’d say worse. If we lived in Cuba, we’d say better. If we lived in Sudan, we’d say worse. If we lived in Eastern Europe or other former communist nations (Hungary, East Germany, or the Czech republic), we’d say better. If we lived in the Middle East (especially Pakistan, Egypt, or Iran), we’d say worse.
So what do you think? Are we doing better or worse? This is why I am a(n) …millenialist : )
David
since you asked. From my perspective I’d say we as a society are getting worse. It seems that we are moving away from God.
I enjoy history and we can learn a lot from it. we need to study it to learn from it.
For instance, in the old testament, the prophet Jeremiah tried to warn Judah of judgement coming from God. But the people listened to false prophets who gave the people a false hope.
Regardless of what we feel about the future God is in control. And as pastor Tullian said above, we need to be busy working on building Gods Kingdom. I enjoy reading what you think David.
God bless
This has been a very timely encouragement for me!
I see that persuasion and grace can easily coexist and cooperate. On the other hand, coercion and legalism seem to have much in common. Praise God for the liberty and joy that come from resting (and working) within the timeline, the circumstances, the culture, the political climate, and even the boundaries that He sovereignly purposes and ordains!
Oh, the sweet ache of living with “the already but not yet!” Thank you for the times you have reminded me to have realistic expectations while we live together as His people in this part of reality.
What a great excerpt, Pastor. It really captures the essence of our responsibilities derived from the cultural mandate. I love the poem from Ethelwyn Wetherald. Inspiring words. Sometimes it’s easy for Christians to get discouraged after they see no visible fruits from their labor. However, as you remind us, we do not have to “win” the fight, we just have to fight!
An illustration I’ve used to make the same point is from the movie Braveheart. At the beginning of the movie several Scottish noblemen are ambushed, captured and hanged by the English forces. William Wallace’s father and others debate about what to do, if anything, in retaliation. As the debate rages, several Scots wish to do nothing because they know they cannot “win.” After one such lament, Wallace’s father slams his fist on the table and booms, “We don’t have to win, we just have to fight!”
The Son Of Heaven…
…a good post over at . . ….