Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part III
I have appreciated the interaction with this topic thus far. I finally had a chance today to respond some to your comments in part II, so if you are engaging in this conversation, please check it out. If this is your first entry you are reading on this topic, you will probably benefit from read the intro and part II, prior to reading this one. Now for part III.
How Modernity Affects the Congregations I Serve and Visit
Those who live under the spell of modernity tend to view truth and reality in more black-and-white terms instead of color and often limit “the gospel” to the death of Christ, which gives them access to heaven. It is easy for those who live under the meta-narrative of modernity to slip into the idea that the gospel is a set of objective facts for an individual to “believe” and a sinner’s prayer for individual’s to pray, instead of an invitation to “switch stories” allowing God’s reality to re-shape them, so that they might partner with Him to bring more of heaven to earth.
The problem I have noticed in the congregations I serve and visit is that when individuals shaped by modernity limit the gospel and/or consider their understanding of the gospel to be the universal timeless “objective” truth, contextualization becomes unnecessary and the gospel becomes a proof text. The idea of “objective” truth has taken such a hold of some that their view of the gospel cannot be questioned or examined. The obvious implications for those who hold this viewpoint are that humility goes out the window and conversation is inessential. It it just a matter of sharing the “objective” truth. When this view is taken to an extreme, contextualization becomes demonized because the message is transcendent, and the incarnation is often forgotten.
This narrowing of the gospel tends to separate personal morality from social justice and justification from sanctification in such a way that the good news becomes irrelevant for this life and ineffectual for their own transformation. In other words, the gospel is not experienced as good news, so why share it with others? But modernity is not the only story affecting people’s view of conversion. In the next post, I want to take a look at how postmodernity has affected people’s view of conversion.
A lot of good things there JR. From what I’ve seen, one of the greatest tragedies of the “objectification” of the truth, is that truth has become upheld as the basis or foundation for faith.
I think that, combined with a modernist approach to the very concept of truth (knowledge based) has led many people to build houses on narrow sandbars. And the routine, often violent, lashing out & protectionist mentality that results isn’t unexpected in my view, because I think it’s a false foundation. I don’t think we should be building our faith on truth as a concept, but truth embodied. The loss of the incarnation there is tremendous, both in the historical & theological reality of Jesus’ and in our call to incarnate the Gospel. How can the message transcend without feet to carry it into new contexts? It defies experiential reality, and seems better at feeding judgmental attitudes & relational distance instead of fostering an engagement of the world.
The Gospel, and the truth found within its message, has to be found in the living God and the foundation of passionate & irrational love that he set for us… otherwise I don’t think we can even properly contextualize the truth we’ve been given and are to incarnate in the world around us. It seems to rapidly become a quest for knowledge and proper beliefs, rather than for a love relationship of hope & light for the world.
On the flip side of course, postmodernist attempts to eschew truth in the modern sense don’t seem provide a meaningful alternative. I think this is a sore spot of the church’s response right now.
Jason,
The theological richness and poetical beauty of what you wrote so resonates with me. I appreciate you taking the time to add to this conversation so meaningfully. I love phrases like “build houses on narrow sandbars.” I appreciate the contrast of truth as a concept vs. truth as embodied. And your phrase, “How can the message transcend without feet to carry it into new contexts?” is great. I agree with you that it is sad but real, that the truth as concept does indeed feed judgmental attitudes and relational distance, just the opposite of what we are called to incarnate.
I also appreciate how you turn conceptual foundationalism on its head and make our foundation the living God, and how when that happens our quest becomes the living God and hope for the world instead of proper knowledge and belief. Great stuff!! I look forward to your thoughts on the other posts.
Oh Jr this Jason is amazing for the way he adds to this subject.Especially when the two of you reflect together like a divine touch appointement.hmmm interesting.Its the image on a commentary made to a movie you can press to find more background information on and to place it in a different light.
I could follow this part well.
Especially the part “that humility goes out the window and conversation is inessential” is the past i grew up into and had left behind.The damage and scars are still there,but hope embodied these dead bones and breathed life in.It became one of my testimonies.Ezekiel 16:4-9
This part is soo true and actually sad at the same time:”This narrowing of the gospel tends tends to separate personal morality from social justice,justification from santification in such way that the good news becomes irrelevant for this life and ineffecttual for their own transformation…Why share it with others?
Like a swamp you slowly sink through deeper.
I always remember that Gods wisdom has many colors.You mention black and white and color.And for a fact the color is in between.
Sonja