The following is an excerpt from Cities and Salt: Counter-Cultures for the Common Good by Tim Keller, which can be found in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne.

The Kingdom Both Rich and Sharp. Keller describes a polarity of ideas about the kingdom:

• On the one hand, the gospel can be reduced to an individualistic message that helps people get to heaven – a “get out of jail free” card with no transformation.
• Against this, another idea of the kingdom has become very popular, in which Jesus’ death doesn’t so much assuage God’s wrath for sin as it absorbs the world’s evil and violence. Jesus’ life is exemplary, showing the way of non-violence and service. Jesus now, according to this version of the kingdom, calls us to work for peace and justice in the world. Basically, the gospel is reduced to a call to “repent of living for yourself and join Jesus’ kingdom program.” This may be, as one author put it, “all call and no grace.” Keller says that this can amount to just one more legalism.

According to Keller, both of these are extremes to avoid. We need to see that the gospel is sharp; that is, dealing with atonement for sin and justification by grace. But the gospel is also rich; that is, it equips us to pursue justice and cultural renewal.

This may be a faulty observation, but it seems that many of the mainline traditional denominations (who happen to be very modernist) have very elaborate doctrinal statements and often fall into the first category, while many of the more liberal and newer church movements (who happen to be very postmodern) fall into the second. Coincidence? I think not. What do you think?

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2009 is a year of uncertainty. Many evangelicals seem to be extremely worried about President-elect Obama and the morally erosive “change” he promises to bring. Others are worrying about the state of the economy and if we are on the verge of another Great Depression. Still more are troubled at all of the wars and recent natural disasters, wondering if perhaps the end of the world is at hand. All of these are valid and important concerns, yet the real question is how the Church will respond to all of this. This is important because how the Church responds will determine how it witnesses Christ to a new age.

We really have entered into a new age. No, I’m not talking astrologically, such as Horus or Aquarius. I’m talking about the death of the modern era. Postmodernism really is the new age in which we live. The Church has done a great job pointing out its dangers, such as its corrosive effect on the notion of absolute truth and it’s existentialist thrust that asks us to accept cognitive dissonance as the norm in religion, politics, and in our relationships. But it has done very little to address it other than to point out its faults. The game is up — postmodernism has won this generation and all subsequent ones (until the next age is ushered in, probably in a century or so).

The real question is, will the church continue battling the philosophical platform of postmodernism, or will the Church embrace its adherents? Maybe it can do both. The bottom line is, the Emerging Church has taught us a valuable lesson about reaching the postmodern generation. The Church can continue to critique its early mistakes, or it can learn from its experiences and growing success.

Recently I ran across the website of a church that has figured this out and has decided to embrace the postmodern generation. The reason this website struck me as so profound was because of the way they are doing it, and because of the denomination to which they belong. It’s not a new church plant with a fancy title like “Remnant” or “Scum of the Earth,” nor is it being run by a group of 20-somethings. This church has found a way to reach three generations: the traditional modernists, the Baby Boomers who embraced the seeker-sensitive “Jesus Movement” of the 60′s and 70′s, and the postmodern generation. Of course a person’s age has nothing to do with which generation they identify with, I know folks in their 20′s who belong in the traditional crowd and folks in their 60′s who belong in the postmodern category. Check out this church’s worship schedule before I tell you who it is:

As I’m sure you’ve mostly deduced from the bottom of the image, this is an LCMS Lutheran church located in Carrollton, Texas. Wow. Now I must admit my bias towards the LCMS at this point and rescind it. The LCMS (Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod) is well known for its hard-line patriarchy and ultra-traditional and liturgical adherence. Yet this Lutheran church has found a way to reach all of these generations harmoniously, as is beautifully expressed in the top portion of the image: “three different styles all worshiping the one true God.” What else stood out at me was the title and words they used to describe each “style” of worship:

• Classic: traditional hymns, organ, choir, liturgy
• Praise: contemporary, band, video screens, high energy
• Epic: experiential, participatory, image driven, community

These were carefully chosen words. At surface level, they may appear to simply describe each style. But these words say much more, particularly in the postmodern “Epic” worship style. These words are values. Experiential, participatory, image driven, community. All of these words are value statements that ripple through the soul of my generation. After reading those four values, I want to attend that service. If Chicago wasn’t so far from Texas, I would.

Kudos to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and Pastor Luke Biggs for becoming part of the solution, rather than simply critiquing the problem.

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
        – Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

God bless you in 2009!

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