Friday, August 19, 2011
Setting Not Following
This is the post Blogger ate - I hope I can rewrite it as well as I did the first time.
Carl Trueman writes of trendiness:
Which leads me to "trends" in evangelism and worship style. Do they lead to genuine commitment to Christ? They certainly lead to exposure to Christ, but do they lead to discipleship?
This I know, they cannot unless there is more to it than just those trends. IS there study, are their mentors, is there accountability? Those things are good as far as they go, but without the WHOLE church - sacrament, study, discipleship - they are just another fad.
Jesus Christ is not a fad. I don;t know many people that have died to start fads, let alone be resurrected.
Carl Trueman writes of trendiness:
A student recently asked why I hate trendiness so much. From my taste in music to my choice of shoes, I go for what I regard as the timeless (classic rock and brogues) rather than the contemporary (i.e. anything recorded or designed since about 1985).He then goes on to write about the fact that there is concern that the current resurgence in interest in reformed theology is about a fad and not serious depth. He lists characteristics of what would be "real" interest. I think the term "real" is the key. The implication is that if we are following a fad, even if the fad is about something good and true, then we are not really following or interested in the underlying thing.
I answered that we live a large part of our lives before the age of 25. By then, tastes are fixed. Further, the Lord has delivered me from the need to dress like a scruffy dropout, talking in embarrassingly fake street jargon to pretend that I can still connect with `the youth.’ I am, after all, an Orthodox Presbyterian minister. It is hard to imagine a less trendy or more culturally inept calling. Plus, anyone who has heard any rock music produced in the last twenty years knows what an utter insult it generally is to the genre.
Which leads me to "trends" in evangelism and worship style. Do they lead to genuine commitment to Christ? They certainly lead to exposure to Christ, but do they lead to discipleship?
This I know, they cannot unless there is more to it than just those trends. IS there study, are their mentors, is there accountability? Those things are good as far as they go, but without the WHOLE church - sacrament, study, discipleship - they are just another fad.
Jesus Christ is not a fad. I don;t know many people that have died to start fads, let alone be resurrected.
Technorati Tags:fads, church
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator
