First, Christian Sci-Fi isn’t much of “a thing”.
Christian culture seems to shy away from forecasting future events, unless that forecast ultimately consists of Christ returning and everything else being pointless. The church seems far more concerned with eschatology, and far less concerned with futurology. But the generation coming up in the Western World seems to have rejected the fairy-tales of the Left Behind era, in favor of dreams of self-driving cars, an internet of things, and the implications of 3D printing (or at least I have). For years now this has been perceived as a departure away from Christianity and toward the secular, but I would disagree.
To those Christians who still drive cars with faded NOTW stickers, I share this with you:
“The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem [read: heaven] to Babylon [read: earth]: Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you don’t dwindle away. Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.”
We may not be of this world, we may be exiles from some sort of heavenly paradise, but ultimately we are called to make this our home. And if we are to make this our home, then we should probably brace ourselves for the inevitable future. I say again, “Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.”
In that, I want to write about the second thing.
Maybe the tide has turned, and maybe all of us Northern Hemisphere, Western culture, Evangelical churches need to stop merely sending, and start receiving.
And here’s why - I knew an elder of a church who went on a 2-week trip to Africa. He was going with a group of Chiropractors, and was planning on sharing the Gospel while also “doing some alignments.” When he came back, I saw him in his office. I asked “how was Africa?” and he responded “it’s better now.”
There are two types of people in the world. The type that hear that and nod politely, and the type that cringe as if the sound of the words are like nails on a chalkboard. I think we should be the latter. Because the whole thing reeks of ignorance and pride. It says, “God sent me to fix them, and I did. Thank God I’m so awesome.”
I’d rather be Jonah, who is dragged kicking and screaming to a place that I think is undeserving of the Gospel, and ultimately, in my disobedience, still be used to share God’s grace, than to be a person who says stuff like that. Because here’s the thing - Southern Africa is MORE Christian than we are. And though Northern Africa is predominantly Muslim, there is still a large Christian presence literally right next door. There is a huge battle going on in Africa right now, and it is a battle fought daily by martyrs of the Christian faith who actually live there. And I seriously doubt anything the American church is providing is doing that much good to a place like Southern Africa. I mean, think about the millions of dollars made by a film like “God’s Not Dead”, and imagine bringing that movie over to Africa, in one of those middle-nations that is currently in the midst of a deep-rooted and bloody religious battle, and saying “well, you’re better now. You’re welcome.”
Maybe, just maybe - the people who brought the movie in the first place would leave a little changed, a little more humble, and little more aware of what’s truly at stake. But I don’t pretend like my little blog posts are somehow helping the world in some greater way, I know all they are is a shout into the void, but they help me in my relationship with God, they help me grow, so maybe that’s worth it. And maybe those short term missions trips have a really huge impact on the people who go, but please stop pretending like we’re making them better. They are making you better - and if not, then you’re doing it wrong.
Now, I’m not so delusional as to think that my church has everything figured out, but this is one area where I believe the heart of my church is in the right place. This Sunday we’re having a Missions presentation from some missionaries we have sent and support in their long term missions. The reason we’ve invited these people to speak isn’t because we want updates on where our money is going, or because we want to pat ourselves on the back because of how we are helping, but because we want to learn from the people we have sent. The art of receiving is a humble one that suggests that we can be changed by people who venture out into other cultures. We can be changed by the bravery, and perseverance of those who followed the call to “go.” The ultimate goal with supporting missions and churches in other areas is to humbly recognize that we are part of a mission, and that our church is to be a light in the culture we are in. Missionaries remind us that we are called to the same level of bravery, and the same level of perseverance in our context.
This isn’t a post to add to the long list of critiques on missions. I love missions. Short-term, long-term, overseas, here at home. Mission defines faith. This post is to encourage us to wonder what it means to be the church of tomorrow.
So, let’s wonder together what the future of the American church will look like - and let’s take eschatology out of the equation for a moment. Let’s table the pre- post- and pan- millennial conversation, and debates as to whether or not we’ll suddenly be in a room filled with empty piles of clothes covered in tattoo ink and fillings, and let’s really talk about the future of where we are at, “because your future depends on [the world’s] welfare.”
What does it look like to be a church that receives missionaries, from countries where the Christian faith is thriving - places like South America, and Southern Africa? What does it look like when the Western World is no longer defining the faith, but instead is being influenced by other cultures? What would it look like to see a mega-church in South America put out a shirt that reads “Ore por América” (Pray for America)? How will we be changed, and our children, and their children?
Let’s put the pride away for a second, stop building up empty churches, and take some time to learn from those who are growing a depth of faith that is a long faded memory in the American church. Let’s be a church that invests the future - not in technology, or wealth, but in faith.
|| Posted by Alex ||
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