The Ministry of the Gospel In Our Ever-Changing Culture

Rev. Matthew Richard

Several Sources for this Material: -Lead On Initiative: (CLB) -Elder and Pastor Training in Williston, ND: Dr. Gene Boe (LBS) -Church Next – Eddie Gibbs: Book recommended by CLB President Joel Egge -The Famine of the Word by Rev. Terry Forke

Purpose of this Presentation:

-Understand Our Post-Christian Culture

-Understand Our Post-Modern Culture

-Moving Towards A Biblical Culture

The following picture, , represents handouts that accompany the presentation. There will be a dot in the hand to correspond

to the appropriate color coded handout.

Section 1: Understand Our Post-

Christian Culture

-1st Minority Period

-Majority Period

-2nd Minority Period

32 AD 313 AD 1962 AD 2009 AD

Minority Period

Majority Period

Minority Period

Crucifixion of Christ

Beginning of NT Church

Edict of Milan: End of Christian Persecution

Prayer Removed

from School Present Day

32 AD 313 AD 1962 AD 2009 AD

Minority Period

Majority Period

Minority Period

Crucifixion of Christ

Beginning of NT Church

Edict of Milan: End of Christian Persecution

Prayer Removed

from School Present Day

32 AD Marks the Birth of the New Testament Church.

Characteristics of the Church -Church was in a minority in culture -Church was persecuted -Church was not respected -Church existed in diverse pagan society -Church had relatively no influence in the culture

Examples: -Before killing the Christians, Nero used them to amuse the people. Some were dressed in furs, to be killed by dogs. Others were crucified. Still others were set on fire early in the night, so that they might illuminate it.

-Christian worship was conducted in private homes, cemeteries and Roman catacombs.

(Gonzalez: The Story of Christianity)

32 AD 313 AD 1962 AD 2009 AD

Minority Period

Majority Period

Minority Period

Crucifixion of Christ

Beginning of NT Church

Edict of Milan: End of Christian Persecution

Prayer Removed

from School Present Day

32 AD Marks the Birth of the New Testament Church.

In 313 AD the Edict of Milan was released prohibiting the persecution of Christians

Characteristics of the Church -Church was in a majority in culture -Church was supported -Church was respected -Church took a leadership role in culture -Church was relatively influential in society -Culture was uniform -Church existed in a Christian friendly society

Early Examples: -Emperor Constantine appointed a number of Christians to high positions in government.

-All Roman soldiers were ordered to worship God on the 1st day of the week.

-Churches were built and constructed for worship

-Christianity declared official religion of the state (Story of Christianity: Gonzalez)

313 AD to 1962 AD ~ Period of Majority During this time period the Christian church was in a cultural

majority; the church was very influential in society; and the church was embraced and supported by culture. This resulted in a society that understood the basics of the Christian story. Words like ‘grace

and atonement’ were understood in a biblical context. In Evangelism, many understood the basics of Christianity which granted a common platform of language and context for the gospel to be delivered. People would seek out the pastor for

assistance and input in life’s issues. Overall there was a uniform and common foundation for understanding life. Francis Shaeffer comments on this period in history saying, “…in evangelism, in

spiritual matters, and in Christian education, you can begin with the certainty that your audience understands you.”

(Richard: We Are Not In Kansas Anymore)

32 AD 313 AD 1962 AD 2009 AD

Minority Period

Majority Period

Minority Period

Crucifixion of Christ

Beginning of NT Church

Edict of Milan: End of Christian Persecution

Prayer Removed

from School Present Day

Beginning of the NT Church: 32 AD Marks the Birth of the New Testament Church into a large culture.

Beginning of Majority Period: In 313 AD the Edict of Milan was released prohibiting the persecution of Christians

End of Majority Period and Beginning of 2nd Minority Period: In 1962 AD prayer was removed from school. Scholars point to this date as time where the church’s majority position came to a close.

32 AD 313 AD 1962 AD 2009 AD

Minority Period

Majority Period

Minority Period

Crucifixion of Christ

Beginning of NT Church

Edict of Milan: End of Christian Persecution

Prayer Removed

from School Present Day

End of Majority Period and Beginning of 2nd Minority Period: In 1962 AD prayer was removed from school. Scholars point to this date as time where the church’s majority position came to a close.

Characteristics of the Church -Church has been entering into a minority position in culture -Church is seeing signs of persecution -Church is no longer respected among culture -Church has lost its influence in culture -Church is beginning to operate in a pagan/secular society

Examples of 2nd Minority:

-Prayer removed from public school in 1962 -Devotional Bible Reading removed from public schools in 1963 -Teaching of Evolution in Public Schools -Attempts to remove the name of ‘God’ from ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ -Removal of 10 Commandments from Courthouses -Talk about removing ‘in God we trust from money’ -Diminishing understanding of the Basic Christian Story

1962 AD to Present ~ Minority Period In the last several decades we have seen a dramatic changes as prayer has been removed from school, the Ten Commandments removed from courthouses and the name of God stricken. Right before our eyes, the church has shifted into a cultural minority position resulting in less cultural support and a Christian voice that is often not heard, sought out nor respected. Furthermore, the Christian story has been lost in our culture and words like ‘grace and atonement’ conjure up thoughts of ‘perfume’ and a recent ‘Academy Award winning movie.’ We not only see this shift in the church’s place in society, but we also see a shift in the way that people think and process the world and understand truth. We have entered into a new period and a new culture.

End of Majority Period and Beginning of 2nd Minority

Period?

James Dobson Farewell Speech to Focus on the Family Staff:

"We tried to defend the unborn child, the dignity of the family, but it

was a holding action," he said. "We are awash in evil and the battle is still to be waged. We are right now

in the most discouraging period of that long conflict. Humanly speaking,

we can say we have lost all those battles, but God is in control and we are not going to give up now, right?”

(April 10, 2009)

End of Majority Period and Beginning of 2nd Minority

Period?

Pastor Gregory Boyd… …as America becomes

increasingly pluralistic and secularized, the civil religion of Christianity is losing its force…

Main Struggle for the Local Church

-Churches in North America must recognize that they face a missionary challenge that is more urgent and radical

than it has been for many generation. (Gibbs)

-The shifts in ministering ‘to’ and ‘in’ this new generation (1962-Present) can result in churches becoming paralyzed

in the midst of shock waves. (Gibbs)

-Churches can become so traumatized by their internal problems that they fail to notice that society at large is in the midst of a cultural shift of seismic proportions, which

affect every area of society. (Gibbs)

-The average age of people who attend mainline churches is twenty years older than the general

population. (Gibbs)

-60% of all existing Christian Congregations in America will disappear before the year 2050. (Gibbs)

Section 2: Understanding Post-Modernism

• Video: Ladonna Witmer “This Is Who I Am.”

• Handout: Pithy Thoughts on Modernism and Post-Modernism

Section 3: Moving Towards A Biblical Culture

So how has the church responded to the decline in church attendance in America? Rev. Terry Forke has just released an excellent article titled, "A Famine of the Word.“ In his article he expounds on three movements within American Christianity to combat the problem of declining church attendance.

Response 1:

Rev. Forke shares that the first response happened in the 1960's with Dr. James Kennedy's Evangelism Explosion.

Response 2: Following the efforts of

Evangelism Explosion, Forke identifies the Church Growth

Movement as emerging in the 70's and continuing up to the 90's. As

most of us know, the Church Growth Movement brought us all sorts of sociological and scientific methodological principles in order

to help the church increase in attendance. The movement

brought forth books like, "Purpose Driven Church," by Rick Warren

and "Becoming a Contagious Christian," by Bill Hybels.

Response 3: Following the Church Growth Movement, Forke identifies another movement called the Emergent Church. He shares that the Emergent Church Movement was in response to the failures of the Church Growth Movement to turn around declining numbers. The Emergent Church Movement shifted from trying to attract people to come to the church to getting the church to go to the people. It was a shift from an attractional model to a missional model.

Has This All Worked? So the question arises for us now in 2012, after 50-60 years of trying to turn around declining numbers, has all of this worked? Forke comments on this in his article in respect to his own church denomination saying, "Has the work of these three efforts on behalf of the Church caused a mass movement of the people of this nation to return to the Lord? The statistics previously quoted demonstrate that the Christian Church in the United States of America continues to decline in membership and attendance to this day. The cold hard truth is that, statistically speaking, the Evangelistic, Church Growth, and Emerging Missional movements have had little impact on the attendance and membership numbers of the Church."

Collateral Damage While the church has been ambitiously trying to turn the trends of declining church attendance something more disturbing has subtly emerged. Christian Smith and Melinda Denton state, "We have come with some confidence to believe that a significant part of Christianity in the United States is actually only tenuously Christian in any sense that it is seriously connected to the actual historical tradition... It is not so much that U.S. Christianity is being secularized. Rather, more subtly, Christianity is either degenerating into a pathetic version of itself or, more significantly, Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by quite a different religious faith." Quoted in Kenda Creasy Dean's book, "Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church." (Oxford Press, 2010), 3. In response to the National Study of Youth and Religion conducted from July 2002 to March 2003.

Collateral Damage

Douglas John Hall comments on this saying,

"I am personally not very much worried about the reduction in numbers where Christianity...[is] concerned. I am far more concerned about the qualitative factor: what kind of Christianity... are we talking about?"

Quoted in Kenda Creasy Dean's book, "Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church." (Oxford Press, 2010), 3.

Section 3: Moving Towards A Biblical Culture

Words of Comfort:

-The Gospel of Jesus is powerful enough to work in the 2nd Minority Period just as it worked in the 1st Minority Period.

-We are called to preach the Word in season and out of season. The calling of the church does not change depending on the season. See: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Words of Comfort:

-Christ has promised to build the church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

-God has given us His Holy Spirit.

-God has given us the Means of Grace.

-God loves and died for the people of this 2nd Minority Period.

-Christ promises never to leave or forsake us, regardless of what cultural we find ourselves in.

Practically Speaking… The Word: • Keep in mind that the Word of God speaks

across cultures. Look at our missionaries in Africa and Asia, the Word of God convicts and creates faith there... and it will continue to do so here in America. The Word of God is not confined to a culture. Furthermore, keep in mind that the Epistles were written during the 1st Minority Period. “We may find that the most helpful insights into ministry may be drawn from the first 150 years of the church, when it began as a movement with neither political power nor social influence within a very pagan environment.” (E. Gibbs)

Practically Speaking… The Word:

• We can learn from the Epistles written in the 1st Century and how they responded to heresies such as Docetism, Gnosticism, Legalism, Idolatry, Paganism, etc…

• Bible Study Groups can glean a lot from studying 1 Corinthians, Colossians, 1 John and so forth.

Practically Speaking…

Doctrine:

Contrary to what church growth experts say, now is the time for the church to obtain a robust theology. We now live in a pluralistic culture that offers a plethora of ideologies, theologies, etc… We have the great privilege of being continually grounded in our theology, knowing what we believe and why.

Practically Speaking…

Doctrine:

• Consider forming a Confessional Reading Group to Study our Lutheran Confessions.

• Consider studying from the church fathers and how they understood the teachings of the faith in the 1st Minority period.

• Explore and study our historic creeds such as the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed.

Practically Speaking…

Law & Gospel Authenticity:

Law and Gospel are extremely profound in ministering to others. Law and Gospel are also great to reflect on with our own testimonies. Nothing connects more to a postmodern person than for them to hear your confession of sin as a result of God’s divine Law working on you. This authentic acknowledgement of your sin then opens the door for you to confess Christ as the atoner of your sins and their sin.

Practically Speaking…

Law & Gospel Authenticity:

Keep in mind that our Lutheran theology teaches that we are simultaneously sinner and saint. Therefore, we will always be confessing sins as the Law of God reveals them. We will always be confessing Christ as the one who forgives. We ‘are’ sinners saved by Grace. Our view of anthropology connects with the authentic plea of postmodernism. It also eliminates the cry of hypocrisy.

Practically Speaking…

History:

Keep in mind that we have a historic faith. Our Lutheran Brethren Statement of Faith contains documents that date back 1700 years. Furthermore, we have a heritage that dates back 100 years and another 500 years back to the Reformation. In other words, many postmodern individuals are lacking a substantial historical narrative.

Practically Speaking…

History:

We have a historical narrative that is connected to literally millions of people across time and space. A narrative that can provide a historical reference point to drifting postmodernists. It is a rich and profoundly deep narrative.

Practically Speaking…

Vocation:

Our Lutheran understanding of Vocation is a tremendous untapped gift. You and I have 4 types of callings. We are members of the church. We are a member of a family. We are members of a working context. We are finally citizens of a community.

Practically Speaking…

Vocation:

Through your vocations of church, family, work, and citizenship you rub shoulders with literally hundreds of people. You and I serve God not by some extraordinary act of mystical devotion, we serve our neighbors, family and church through ordinary relationships, the 9-lo-5 routine.

Practically Speaking…

Vocation:

It is through these “already established” relationships that you get to love, serve and confess the faith. Keep in mind that some 70-90% of people come to church through already established relationships (i.e. oikos)

Questions & Comments…

Much of the material from this presentation can be found on my personal blog titled, “PM Notes.”

www.pastormattrichard.com

Thanks for your time.

Grace and Peace to you in Jesus

name.