Thursday, December 21, 2006
Christian Success
Bonnie on Intellectuele via iMonk is ranting a bit about what passes for Christian cinema. They are right and it points to a very deep problem.
Becoming a Christian is not a means to an end. It is not a way of achieving what we want. Being a Christian IS the end, completely recalibrating what we want. Of course, it takes a while for any Christian to grow into that understanding, but my issue is why do we "sell" the baby steps instead of the whole package?
I think it is a tad bit deceptive to sell personal gratification when what we are offering is personal transformation. That such happens cannot be doubted - what else explains the revolving door that is so many ministries? What else explains how many go to church, but how few are active in church? What else explains the countless that went through a Christian "phase"?
I think the "why's" are pretty straightforward. Actually, it is just one "why." We do not understand the depth and radicalness of what we have a hold of much more than the people we are trying to give it to. What else can explain why we measure the success of ministry on worldly terms, not God's?
Consider, we are afraid that if we told people completely and fully up front what they were signing up for, they would respond negatively. Is that because we ask too much of them? I don't think so, lot's of institutions ask everything from people and often get it.
Nope, it's because we ourselves do not appreciate the glory of what we have sufficiently to present that glory to others. We focus on our suffering instead of our salvation. "We can't tell then about that - then they'd wouldn't think we are perfect."
I wrote a while back that Ted Haggard does not need to be restored to ministry, that his failing and how he deals with them WAS ministry. He has the potential to be the most effective minister in God's name history has ever seen, precisely because of his brokenness.
Haggard now has the chance to model the true nature of the gospel, not the "good times, get rich, feel good about yourself" gospel, but the gospel of remaking the fallen man.
We all have the chance to model that true gospel, provided we claim it for ourselves.
Related Tags: gospel, broken, media, truth, suffering, pain
Becoming a Christian is not a means to an end. It is not a way of achieving what we want. Being a Christian IS the end, completely recalibrating what we want. Of course, it takes a while for any Christian to grow into that understanding, but my issue is why do we "sell" the baby steps instead of the whole package?
I think it is a tad bit deceptive to sell personal gratification when what we are offering is personal transformation. That such happens cannot be doubted - what else explains the revolving door that is so many ministries? What else explains how many go to church, but how few are active in church? What else explains the countless that went through a Christian "phase"?
I think the "why's" are pretty straightforward. Actually, it is just one "why." We do not understand the depth and radicalness of what we have a hold of much more than the people we are trying to give it to. What else can explain why we measure the success of ministry on worldly terms, not God's?
Consider, we are afraid that if we told people completely and fully up front what they were signing up for, they would respond negatively. Is that because we ask too much of them? I don't think so, lot's of institutions ask everything from people and often get it.
Nope, it's because we ourselves do not appreciate the glory of what we have sufficiently to present that glory to others. We focus on our suffering instead of our salvation. "We can't tell then about that - then they'd wouldn't think we are perfect."
I wrote a while back that Ted Haggard does not need to be restored to ministry, that his failing and how he deals with them WAS ministry. He has the potential to be the most effective minister in God's name history has ever seen, precisely because of his brokenness.
Haggard now has the chance to model the true nature of the gospel, not the "good times, get rich, feel good about yourself" gospel, but the gospel of remaking the fallen man.
We all have the chance to model that true gospel, provided we claim it for ourselves.
Related Tags: gospel, broken, media, truth, suffering, pain
