The Times They Are A-Changing
I recently read a blog post from Brian McClaren , where he responds to the wide amounts of criticism that he has recently received. Mclaren, who is one of the leading thinkers in the emerging church and in postmodern culture, has done a fair share of speaking to people who don’t necessarily like his way of thinking. But time and time again, Mclaren has pushed his point that it’s not the “culture” that needs to change, that has already happened - it’s us.
This is not a change for the sake of correcting mistakes, or for fixing flaws (although that’s possible), but rather, this is a change where the Church says, “the world around us is changing, and so we need to find new and innovative ways to continue doing our work for the Lord”. However, some people here that message as this - “We need to change our way of doing things because our tradition sucks. So it’s now or never. It’s a sinking ship. Either you come with us, or you drowned with the old Church”.
While, I don’t think this change into a new way of doing things needs to be “deadly serious”, I do think that it is necessary. However, the argument that many traditionalists use is - God has called us to be Holy, to be “set-apart”. If we “conform” to culture, we are basically going against what God told us to do. What we need to do is stand firm on the way we do everything, even if the world around us changes. We need to be Christian, and we have already figured out how to do that, so there’s no need to “re-invent” anything.”
This is where McLaren comes back in. He reminded me of something that I read once from French philosopher/theologian named Jacques Ellul. His basic claim to fame was that he believed Christian living coincided with Anarchy. He was a man who lived a full christian life, and yet deeply despised the changing culture. And yet, while I don’t agree with all of his thoughts, I do agree with this quote:
“The yearning for holiness is not at odds with the desire for relevance. For while holiness sets us apart unto God, it is God who calls us into the world”.
