Cool Church or Relevant Church?
OK, so I warned you that I’m a reader and a lot of the things I read get into my head and rattle around for a while.
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Strange book. I wanted to like it; there was some meat, but way too many bones. The quote you have in your post about relevance and the power of the Gospel is right on – almost sounds like something out of a David Wells book. However, his explanation of the Gospel a few pages later leaves a lot to be desired, if not, just totally avoided: “[The central message of Christ] is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescued out of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want…” (page 124).
The problem is, unregenerate man doesn’t “want to be rescued.” So, there is no “power” in the gospel he describes because it’s “another gospel.”
What a blessing to be in a church where the true, biblical, God-centered Gospel is preached, and a desperate relevance to culture is not sought.
Yeah, it is a strange book. I am reading it like a bit of a journal- this is like Miller’s spiritual journey, and we are reading about the various steps he is taking as he comes to better understand who God is and what it means to be a Christian. I like the freshness of his thoughts, and the honest challenges he offers re: authentic Christian living.
There are a couple (ok, several) theological points I would take up with him. But I deeply connect with his desire to live a genuine, deeply meaningful Christian life.
Let me also clarify- I am desperate to be relevant to culture. I’m just coming to understand that to be culturally relevant, the Church must offer understanding of the human condition and plight and a clear path to the Cross as our only hope. Being in and familiar with culture while being deeply committed to the whole effect of the Gospel is our only hope for being relevant.
It might cost us a large measure of our coolness and influence in traditional positions of power. I wonder if we’re all ready for that….