Come On Into The 21st Century

by Rev. Mark E. Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

I know it’s hard for you, long time Christian friend. But when we finally recognize and accept that we live in a Post-Christian and even Post-Religious context, that’s when we are liberated from trying to recreate the past, with all its expectations of cultural privilege and place, Making The Shift into new, life-giving, robust, and beautiful expressions of Jesus followers and churches. So please, grieve it, rant and rave over an era gone by, do whatever you have to do… and then come join us on the other side. God’s pouring new wine into new wineskins as we speak, and there’s a glass waiting for you, friend.

Are you enjoying the Olympics? I am, too.

How about the aftermath of the Opening Ceremonies? The backlash in social media by some in the Christian movement was swift and ferocious. After a weekend of watching the ranting and railing, along with lots of “how dare they” sprinkled in, I’m weary with it all. Now that it’s Monday evening, with a little time to step back and breathe, two insights of concern are rising to the surface for me.

First, I thought more individuals and churches realized we are in a Post-modern, Post-Christian context. So many of us have written books, made presentations, and basically shouted this news from the rooftops for the last fifteen years or so. North America has moved out of the Modern Era, including the Age of Christendom, into a Post-nearly-everything culture.

But the reaction of so many Christ-followers to the Opening Ceremonies would suggest many still believe the world around us should think like we do. Not only that, the extreme defensiveness suggests many Christians believe we should be respected, occupying a place of privilege perhaps, by the culture around us.

I’m sorry, but this kind of thinking is leftover baggage from when American and Christian culture were intertwined, way before the year 2000. That was the era when Christianity had a seat at the cultural table, with the church serving as the central hub in many communities. Even more, our pastoral leaders were given places of prominence in communities, leading boards and organizations while cutting ribbons and offering prayers when new highways opened.

Evidently, that kind of prominence is hard to lay aside. Making The Shift to a faith and a church that doesn’t enjoy the secondary gains of cultural affirmation is difficult, so it appears.

The paragraph above in italics is from my Facebook page. I get it. Making The Shift to a new reality takes time, requiring patience from those who are already beyond that struggle. May God grant us all compassion for one another as we let go of a reality many preferred, moving into the next expression of God’s Church.

The second insight rising into my awareness is also a concern. It has to do with discipleship. The extreme reactivity of many Christians, allowing a secular society to rattle and shake us, growing irate… all of this suggests we aren’t as confident in our faith as we might hope. People react in the ways just described when they feel threatened.

How can our culture threaten us? How can those who are citizens of God’s kingdom through the grace of Jesus Christ be threatened by circumstances? When we are secure in Christ, no one can separate us from the love of God, removing fear. Perhaps another social media post from my page captures this insight:

Unoffendable

The more centered in Christ

The more sure of our salvation

The stronger in faith

The more mature as persons

The more connected to our faith community

The less we expect the world to conform to our expectations

The less offended we are

When centered in Christ

Unoffendable we grow

So, I’m hopeful more of us are ready to drop our expectations that the world will cater to us, dropping expectations that we will be given proper respect and cultural affirmation. I believe it was Jesus who predicted we would not enjoy these things on earth, since we are his followers and he saw none of them from the religious and political establishment of his day.

When we can get there, accepting the world as it is and centering our identities in Christ, we are liberated from outdated religious baggage. We can adjust our expectations… and discover that God continues to restore, redeem, and recreate through Jesus Christ. That’s when we rediscover that living in the Way of Jesus is beautiful and life-giving. That’s when we are open to following the Spirit, discovering fresh and emerging expressions of Church. That’s when the winsome Way of Jesus is far more likely to be incarnated by you and me and our church communities.

May it be so, this day and ever more.