Monday, July 11, 2005
Here I go...
...I gonna get it now. I took some heat a while back when I posted on how I loved the idea of a multi-cultrual church, but that I thought intentionality about it was problem. Adrian Warnock talked yesterday about how much he liked being in a "multi-cultural" church after the London bombings. I bet he did, and I wonder if the reason is that his "multi-cultural" church is of the kind I am about to talk about?
I heard a sermon yesterday that set me to thinking. Here is one of the texts quoted. Col 3:11 - a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (NAS) I think this passage hits precisely on the head why I am concerned about the idea of a "multi-cultural" church.
God calls us all -- of that I have no doubt. I will worship anywhere with anyone that calls on the name of Jesus, as circumstances provide, but I think this passage says the reason that works is because I share Christ with them, above all culture. When we focus on ethnicity or culture, we are not focusing on Jesus.
The objective for the church as Paul sets it in Colossians is for a church without distinction -- "multi-culturism" revels in distinction. That is what I mean when I say a multi-cultural church should not be intentional, it should happen as a result of our mutual focus on Christ, not because we set out to recognize everyone's culture.
I heard a sermon yesterday that set me to thinking. Here is one of the texts quoted. Col 3:11 - a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (NAS) I think this passage hits precisely on the head why I am concerned about the idea of a "multi-cultural" church.
God calls us all -- of that I have no doubt. I will worship anywhere with anyone that calls on the name of Jesus, as circumstances provide, but I think this passage says the reason that works is because I share Christ with them, above all culture. When we focus on ethnicity or culture, we are not focusing on Jesus.
The objective for the church as Paul sets it in Colossians is for a church without distinction -- "multi-culturism" revels in distinction. That is what I mean when I say a multi-cultural church should not be intentional, it should happen as a result of our mutual focus on Christ, not because we set out to recognize everyone's culture.
