ii. Discerning our cultural context

iii. Reacting to our culture i. Why Glenabbey is not a ‘cool’ church

Why Glenabbey is not a cool church #2
4th August 2008

Not long after some video of Glenabbey’s U2 outreach night was posted on youtube, we had some comments posted suggesting that we had compromised on the gospel by using such ‘worldly’ music. Now, before we too quickly dismiss such comments as ‘reactionary’ (and before we fall into the sin of self-righteousness), we should pause to reflect on what our critics see as the dangers inherent in using aspects of our contemporary culture to reach out into our contemporary culture. Because, whether or not we agree with the conclusions drawn by our critics (and I don’t), the fundamental issue remains: every culture has at its heart values which are opposed to the gospel; so how do we avoid the risk of worldliness while using the 'things of the world' to reach out people?

Not a simple issue
How the church should relate to the culture it finds itself in is not a simple issue. In fact, through out church history it has been debated as Christians sought how to strike the balance between ‘being in the world but not of it.’ The challenge for those of us who frequently use contemporary cultural references and media in our corporate worship services is how we might use culturally relevant means to reach out to people while not ending up simply reinforcing the twisted truths and lies that are embedded in that culture. In short, how can we be culturally contextualised while remaining counter-cultural?

Paul’s tour of Athens
I want to take us back to Acts 17 to explore again how Paul managed to strike this balance as he reached out to the Greeks in Athens. Last time we looked briefly at how Paul used references to Greek poets as a springboard to connect the truths of the gospel to the philosophers he was addressing. In this blog, we’ll take a step back in the story to when Paul first arrived in Athens, what he saw there and the challenge it brings to us to be aware of the culture around us as we seek to proclaim the gospel.

What Paul saw
Acts 17 tells us that Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him. While he was there, he was obviously wandering around the city, taking in its spectacular sights, its beautiful architecture, the splendour of its culture and wisdom.

But what struck him more than all of this was the rampant idolatry evident throughout the city. Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” In fact, the word translated ‘full’ conveys the sense of being overrun with something; we could translate this verse ‘the city was submerged with idols’. One Roman satirist quipped that it was easier to find a god there than a man.

What do we see around us?
Our culture is full of idols too. They might not be covered in gold and elevated on street corners, but they are there, all the same. Whether it’s materialism, or individualism, or freedom of expression, or the pursuit of pleasure – or whether it’s ‘good things that become god things’, such as respectability, reputation, the family. All around us there are things and values that people are following, building their lives around and sacrificing for.

We should follow Paul’s example and become aware of the idols being worshipped by culture around us. If we are to speak prophetically into culture, we must grapple with and know the culture we’re speaking into. What values determine the attitudes and the choices of the people we meet and those who may visit our church services? We are the standards that are ruling their lives? Paul discerned that the Athenians were ‘very religious’ (v22); what does it say about the people around us when we are so easily ruled by materialism? When we’ll put ourselves so readily into debt in order to posses more, what is it we are searching for? What is missing from our lives that we seek to fill them with more stuff?

The discerning evangelist will ask these questions and seek God for the answers. And those of us who have the privilege of planning and leading corporate worship services that will present the truth of the gospel need to be grappling with these issues too. This is a challenge we want to take seriously in Glenabbey.

Think through these questions:- What things does our culture tend to idolise?
- How can we best discern these idols?
- How important is it for us to be aware of our culture as we seek to reach out into it?
- How should this awareness shape the way we plan and lead our corporate services?
Take a look at a previous blog on Mark Driscoll's sermon on idolatry if you haven't already seen it. It'll be a great help in considering these questions.

Next time
Of course, as we engage with culture, we run some serious risks. How can we remain uncontaminated by the very values of culture we’re studying? If we listen to the same music, watch the same movies, get exposed to the same advertising as everyone else around us, how can we avoid being sucked in by the lies embedded in them? How do we love the world without becoming worldly? We’ll look at this issue next time.

Alistair Hamill