Ron Rienstra of Fuller Theological Seminary had a post on his blog regarding two worship services that both were problematic for worship that all preachers should keep in mind. In this and the next post we will discuss these worship errors that Rienstra found.
The first problem was that the Christian life was totally framed within transational language. In this version we give God prayer, adoration, etc. And God gives us eternal life. It is only a short jump to God also giving us all the riches down here that many of the Prosperity preachers are presenting as the gospel.
Is this what the Christian life is? Do we do this and God does that? What does this mean to those who end up hurting? What does this say to the one who finds out about Cancer and the doctor says that only a miracle will save?
Rienstra states that "It's salvation as understood by a community shaped by consumerist values." The big question becomes what Can we as preachers do to change this "world" that we find ourselves in? In Short, we as preachers must call into question the consumerism that is at the foundation of our society rather than merely using it as some kind of sermon illustration.
Thanks for pointing us to Rienstra's blog and this great post. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest captivities of the church today. Examining it critically is like asking a fish to examine the water he's swimming in. We must find ways to evoke a different imagination among God's people about what a relationship with God is like. In reality, we live in transactional relationships with our friends, our spouses, our children, our neighbors. Small groups normally boils down to this same thing. So-called "community" for the sake of "what's in it for me." We often talk about this as the commodification of everything. When everything is a commodity, everything is for sale and nothing is sacred.
ReplyDeleteRyan,
ReplyDeleteYes we as preachers have to be understood within the culture we find ourself, but we cannot give in to the assumptions of the culture...it can be a fine line to walk, but it is the calling of the preacher to walk it....