Monday, April 17, 2006
Boredom
Young Life's founder once said "It's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel." Young Life's official history book is entitled It's A Sin To Bore A Kid. So when Ligon Duncan writing at the T4G blog said this talking about consumerism and the local church, my ears perked up.
Jim Rayburn's (Young Life's founder) real wisdom lay in his understanding of that fact, and thus that wonderful and pithy statement was born. If you find people being bored with the gospel you present, may I suggest that instead of looking at multi-media, or music, or drama, or architecture, or programs, or plans, you look at yourself and find your knees and ask God to forgive you of your sin. The gospel you present will not stay boring for long.
Related Tags: gospel, Young Life, bordom, sin, confession, Christianity
There are a number of positive things about the congregation's emphasis noted in the article: high view of the importance of the local church, desire for evangelism, desire to serve others. But the very name of the event facility, coupled with their advertising mailer, which emphasizes that those who attend Easter Services "won't be bored" are parabolic of the continuity of our situation with the nineteenth century, aren't they?I so love the mission of Young Life and I honestly do believe it is a sin to bore anyone with the gospel, but there is something vitally important to remember - there is nothing boring about the gospel. If the gospel appears boring it is because we don't get it. That's where the sin part comes in - our sinfulness makes it boring, not the presentation, the theology, or the charisma, or lack thereof, on the part of the presenter.
Jim Rayburn's (Young Life's founder) real wisdom lay in his understanding of that fact, and thus that wonderful and pithy statement was born. If you find people being bored with the gospel you present, may I suggest that instead of looking at multi-media, or music, or drama, or architecture, or programs, or plans, you look at yourself and find your knees and ask God to forgive you of your sin. The gospel you present will not stay boring for long.
Related Tags: gospel, Young Life, bordom, sin, confession, Christianity
