As the above ad shows, seeker-sensitivity can get out of hand. But sometimes in our efforts to denounce it we end up shredding up the good guys in the process, who are merely using cultural illustrations to teach the Gospel.
Today I read a great post by Charlie Lehmann dealing with the strengths and limits of media analogies. After writing a bible study using the recent Star Trek movie as a starting point for sharing the Gospel, he was accused of being “seeker-sensitive.” I loved his response:
I really don’t know anything about being seeker sensitive. I don’t know what that means because the whole approach to theology makes absolutely no sense to me. Further, I don’t care even a little bit about being seeker sensitive. The seeker is Jesus. I and the rest of humanity are the lost lambs that He is seeking out. . . . “Being relevant isn’t a sin.” More than that, being relevant isn’t even the point. . . . I’m not trying to be hip or cool. I’m neither (just ask my wife). What I’m doing is saying, “Hey, did you see that cool movie. It got me to thinking about Jesus and what He did for you on the cross.” I know that’s kinda redundant, but hey, just about everything makes me think about Jesus, so deal with it.
I think sometimes we get so bent out of shape trying to denounce all that is “seeker-sensitive” that it starts getting ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should make church a big entertainment show that is focused on the comfort of the people in the pews, but I also think we absolutely need to remember that God is seeker-sensitive, and He is the seeker! We are not the seekers! We do not need huge church buildings and fancy light shows to draw in crowds, we simply need to introduce people to the real Seeker, Jesus Christ Himself.
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