About this time last May, I was on a plane headed to East Asia to serve the Lord doing mission work.  One of the towns that we were in was a large city that had little knowledge of the gospel.  One day, we went to a model display of the city to pray that God would open doors in that city so that people could be drawn to Christ.  This week, I was looking through my journal from the trip and came across one of the reflections that I had while praying over the city:

“Satan blinds [city name] with darkness that blocks out the Light while Satan blinds the United States with religion that is used as a weaker substitute for the Light because the Light is too strong and radical to fit within the American dream.”

May the Light of the gospel shine in both the darkness of East Asia and in the darkness of America’s cultural religion.

This is a modern day adaptation of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.  I wrote this to incorporate in a message for my middle school students and thought I would pass it along.

There once were two brothers who lived on the rich side of town.  Whatever there was to be had, they had it.  They were the first to get the newest video games, the most expensive Mac computers, and the most coveted car in the high school parking lot.  They had it all.

One day, the younger son got to thinking about how much money his dad really had.  He began to imagine what he could do with not just the little trinkets that his dad had given him but with his whole half.  He knew that one-day down the road when his dad finally died he would end up with half of the family money.  So he got to thinking, “Maybe, I could work my way into the money now.  It is mine anyway so I should have it when I want it.  It is my right.”

So the younger son went to see his dad.  He angrily told his father: “I know that when you finally die and are out of my life that I will get half of your fortune.  I know that you only give me small trinkets of what is truly mine because you hate me and do not want me to have all the stuff and fun that I am entitled to.  So, I want you to fork it over now since you are not looking like you are going to pass away anytime soon.”

The father was shocked and amazed at his son’s greed and hatred, but he decided to give in.  After going to the bank and getting some things together, the father reluctantly gave his son his half.  This caused the father not just financial hardship but also personal pain and loss over the son who had abandoned him and taken his acts of love on him and saw them as acts of hatred.  He mourned the loss of his son so much more than the loss of his money.

The son immediately took off and began living the high life.  He built himself a huge house, many cars, and gained many “friends.”  He became a celebrity just because of his wealth and the crazy ways that he spent it.  When MTV’s “Cribs” showed up at his door, the son knew that he had made it big.  The life that his father had robbed him of had finally become his.  He was who he was entitled to be.

Like many overnight celebrities, however, the son’s empire came crashing down.  He had spent money so quickly that he had lost count of it.  His credit cards became completely filled up along with his closets, garages, and house.  When the bank came to collect, the son realized that he was out.   What the son quickly found out is that his dream was over.

He now found himself out on the streets in the city that he once was the king of.  He was now a poor beggar with nothing but the clothes on his back.  His friends had quickly found someone else with money and connections to hang out with.  He tried to get a job but because the economy was so bad there were no jobs to be found except that of a garbage man.

The son now found himself doing the smelliest job that he could have ever imagined.  He was so snowed under in the money that he owed the bank that he could not afford to pay for food or a place to live.  He began to scrummage through the bags, which he was paid so little to pick up.  He would find random half eaten fruits and every once in a while some week-old leftovers.

The son quickly began to think.  His dream of riches, fame, and popularity had quickly turned into a situation that was so bad that he could not have even imagined it.  His life had become this way because of his hatred and rebellion against his father.  He began to see the brokenness in his life and he began to mourn.  He knew that he was a horrible son and that he had treated his father in a very hurtful and mean way.

As the son began to think about his father, he wondered what life was like at home.  He could imagine his older brother sitting around the table with his mom and dad having a warm home-cooked dinner.  He began to be able to taste the flavor of his favorite cookies that his mom used to make him.  He began to long for home.

He wondered if he could ever come back to the table as a part of the family again.  He knew that if he had been in his dad’s place that he could never have him back.  He began to wonder.  Was there any hope to be found?  Maybe, he could just ask for the week-old leftovers before they hit the trash.

The son decided to drag himself home to see if there was any hope of some leftovers.  He quit his job and walked to the interstate and stuck out his finger towards home.

Through the kindness of several truckers, he made his way back to his hometown.  He walked from the interstate exit near his house to the neighborhood.  After convincing the gatekeeper to the neighborhood that he was not a criminal, he began to make his way down the familiar neighborhood streets.

He finally arrived at the street where he had lived for so many years in a time that seemed so long ago.  He could begin to see the big tree in the front yard that he and his brother used to play in as children towering in its place at the end of the cul-de-sac.  He was getting closer.

The house slowly came into view.  The son’s legs felt like they were about to snap in two as he got closer to the house.  Part of him wanted to stop and rest but he knew that he had to know what would happen.

As the son got closer to the house, he saw his dad in his usual chair in front of the plasma TV in the living room.  Just as he glanced into the window, his dad looked up from the TV and caught a glimpse of his son.   The father immediately got up from his chair.

Many things began to run through the son’s mind.  He is going to get his gun to shoot me for taking advantage of him.  He is going to go get the paddle that he used to use on me as a child.  He is going to grab the phone and call the cops to get this trespasser off of the property.  But before these thoughts could finish running through the son’s head, the front door swung open.

He saw his father with arms wide open running out to hug his son.  The prodigal son had returned and found that his father was there to love him and welcome him back into the family even before he could get out the words “I am sorry.”

The Resurgence had an interesting article about engaging culture:

In a recent interview, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright surprisingly remarked: “We’re so obsessed about debunking Bush in this country that we don’t spend time on any other subjects. That’s a little depressing.” Wainwright’s point is that many Americans neglect a whole range of cultural issues, often neglecting political engagement for finger-pointing.

What’s more depressing is that many Christians are just as guilty of this charge as non-Christians. As a result, there are few citizens who think through cultural issues critically, and even fewer who think them throughredemptively. Here are six ways to promote critical and redemptive engagement with culture.

1. Engage culture prayerfully. I’m not suggesting that we should actually bow our heads and recite a prayer before reading a newspaper or book, watching TV or a movie, or going shopping, though that certainly wouldn’t hurt. Instead, we are to live life and engage culture in a spirit of dependence upon God; we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We should approach culture just as we should approach all things: prayerfully.

   What should we pray? We should thank God for the gift of culture, confessing that all cultures contain truth, beauty, and virtue, asking Him to help us recognize and rejoice in these good gifts, which come down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Alternatively, all cultures also disdain truth, beauty, and virtue. Thus, we are dependent upon God to enable us to recognize and reject those things that are harmfully false, ugly, and immoral. By asking God to give us the perspective of His Spirit, “the Spirit who searches out all things, even the depths of God” (1 Cor. 2:10), we can begin to discern between the things which are true, beautiful, and good and the things that are false, ugly, and evil.




2. Engage culture carefully. When approaching any given issue, from parenting to politics, we all have our biases. In order to engage culture well, we must strive to avoid the paths of both the sectarian and the secularist, of both blind rejection and uncritical acceptance. This will require careful investigation into the issues we face, taking the opposing view seriously and weighing its merits. Make a habit of hearing both sides of an issue before you baptize your opinions. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19).




3. Engage culture biblically-theologically. Why hyphenate biblical and theological? Why not just say “think biblically”? Well, the plain fact is that the Bible does not explicitly address most cultural issues. It does not tell you who to vote for, which school to go to, what movies to watch, whether or not you should date, whether or not to abort your baby, or how to respond to cloning. Instead, the Bible offers theological principles which we can appropriate in order to form opinions and convictions about cultural issues. For instance, there is no verse in the Bible that reads: “Thou shalt not have an abortion.” However, the Bible does inform us that God is the author of life and that to take human life is murder, which is prohibited by God. The circumstances surrounding abortion can be complex. A mother’s life may be threatened if the life of the baby is not taken. The Bible does not say, “Preserve the mother’s life.” However, there are principles and practices in Scripture that can help us make wise decisions about cultural and ethical dilemmas.

   The problem, however, is that we often start with culturalassumptions about what is right, beautiful, and good and go to the Bible to prove them. Instead, we need to bring cultural questionsabout what is true, good, and beautiful to the Bible, reflect on them theologically and then prayerfully, and carefully form our opinions. Don’t begin with cultural convictions and end with biblical proof-texts; end with cultural wisdom by beginning with biblical-theological reflection. Start with the biblical text and reflect theologically on cultural issues. Move from Text to Theology to Culture, not the other way around.




4. Engage culture redemptively. Strive to connect your theological reflections regarding culture to redemption. We can redemptively engage culture in two ways: practically and positionally. To practically redeem, identify what is broken, what is in need of redemption, and take restorative action. Ask yourself questions like “How can I bring the gospel to bear on this issue?” or “How can I restore, forgive, or reconcile in this situation?” For example, if you come to the conviction that abortion is ugly and immoral, think about how you can help those who are suffering from the devastating affects of abortion. Don’t just debate others. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Learn how to counsel mothers. Don’t become self-righteous and inactive; practice your cultural convictions. Live them out redemptively.

   Our practice should flow from our position in Christ. Our actions ought to reveal our redeemed identity, not form our identity. Consider the danger of mistaking your newly-formed habits for who you are. For instance, do you think of yourself now as an environmentalist or as a citizen of Zion with an environmental conscience? Do you draw significance from being a “pro-lifer” or from being new creation in Christ Jesus? Ask yourself, “Am I confusing my practice with my position?” or “Am I finding my significance in what I do instead of who I am in Christ?” Guard yourself from subtly allowing cultural convictions to take the place of your identity in Christ. Ground your identity in the gospel and your practice will be more redemptive and more honoring to the Lord.




5. Engage culture humbly. Recognize that you have much to learn from a given culture. Read, converse, and reflect on cultural issues with a teachable heart. Ask God to shape your convictions through whomever or whatever He wills. Avoid proud dogmatism and cultivate humble conviction. Don’t put others down who believe differently from you. Consider others more important than yourself without surrendering your convictions. Yet, be willing to revise your opinions through a process of Text-Theology-Culture.




6. Engage culture selectively. Realize and embrace the limitations of your own time, experience, and interests. Spend your time wisely. Don’t sacrifice time with God, church, or family in order to become more culturally savvy. Everyone has been created differently, to live a unique life. Make the most of your experience by redemptively engaging culture, but try to avoid making the experience of others your own. There are too many issues in the world for you to become an overnight expert on Christ and culture. Be selective about what you engage.

Summarizing the Six Ways

When engaging culture prayerfully, we depend on the wisdom that comes from the Spirit who searches out all cultures, who can enable us to recognize and rejoice in what is true, beautiful, and good, and reject or redeem what is false, ugly, and immoral. As a result, engaging culture can become an act of communion with God. Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit will also mean careful investigation of cultural issues, being critical of our own biases while maintaining an open ear to the arguments of others. However, we’re not left to navigate the turbulent waters of our culture with only prayer and reason. God has given us his Word, a divine and authoritative Text from which we can glean wisdom and theological principles to engage culture.

When wrestling with issues, we must be careful to bring questions, not assumptions, from our culture to the Word, following a pattern of Text-Theology-Culture. This biblical-theological engagement with culture should always lead to redemptive action, restoring what is ugly and immoral from our position as accepted children of God, citizens of Zion. In turn, we can engage culture humbly and selectively, recognizing our limitations and rejoicing in our unique opportunities to engage the world around us.

Finally, try to practice these six ways of engaging culture not just as an individual but in community. To put a spin on Rufus Wainwright’s words: Only when the Church in this country becomes obsessed with glorifying God in all things will we critically and redemptively engage our culture on all kinds of subjects.

JD Greer, the pastor of Summit Church, had some interesting insights on his blog today from Mark Driscoll, Greg Surratt, and Larry Osborne that were very insightful.  Enjoy!

Continued from yesterday. (I got to spend the last 3 days in a small group with 3 great church leaders–Mark Driscoll, Greg Surratt [of Seacoast Church and one of the multi-site pioneers] and Larry Osborne [an ex-hippie of the Jesus movement, now pastor of 8000 attender North Coast Church of San Diego and truly one of the most insightful thinkers I've ever been around]. My time with them left me swimming with new ideas about innovation in ministry.

• The American idea to “achieve your potential” is a tyrannical goddess. It tells us that whatever we are doing is not good enough, because we have “more potential.” We should be living higher with more power. Potential is not a biblical concept, but an American one. “Calling” is the biblical concept, and often “calling” is simply taking the form of a servant (Phil 2:6-11) and not achieving your potential. 

• Most pastors turn ministry into a functional savior. When the ministry is going well, they feel closer to God; when it is going poorly, they feel farther away from God.
• To pastors who say: “I don’t count people.” Do you count money? Is money more important to you than someone’s soul? 

• In a rapidly multiplying church, we often have to settle for “good enough” rather than perfect. While we realize that we should do all things excellently to the glory of God, excellence can become an inhibiter to real ministry when it monopolizes our resources and keeps them from doing things that would increase our capacity to multiply. As we learn on the mission field, reproducibility is a crucial dimension of church planting. 

• The pastoral office includes “prophet, priest and king.” Kings are leaders. Prophets are guys who think about what the Bible says and it burns inside them to tell others. Priests care about people.” Whichever you’re not the strongest on, hire someone to do. (Mark Driscoll). (p.s. He asked me what each of us was… he then looked at me and said, “I know what you are. You’re freakin’ ‘open the Bible and yell at everyone’ guy.” Exact quote. He meant this as a compliment.) 

• Larry Osborne to me: “I’ve been at North Coast (a congregation of about 8000) for 28 years. The thing I am most grateful for is EVERY child of staff member has grown up to follow Jesus.” He went on to explain to me some things he’s learned about that. Of particular interest was his statement that one of the most important lessons to learn was that exuberance in the faith in the parent often works against the kid. What he meant was that often the ministry parent wanted their kid to feel the passion that they did for Jesus, evangelism, etc, and they often forced the child into situations hoping that would grow. Instead, it embarrassed the child and turned them off. The passions of the heart for Jesus must develop ‘naturally,’ by faith, and not be imposed from outside on the child. We expect our kids to grow up too quickly.”
• In Seattle we have a “Canadian arsonist nudist colony.’ I’m going to go ahead and tell you, unless they repent, they’re going to hell, but what a fun way to go. Getting naked and burning stuff down.” (Mark Driscoll) To note: comments such as this one do not reflect the opinions of jdgreear.com or its affiliates. Opinions are solely those of the ones being quoted).

Taking the idea of the sovereignty of God to politics. God will reign on the throne tonight as Lord no matter who is the next president. I am a Christ-follower before I am an American.  My confidence in the future is not based on a future here and now. When trials and troubles come, they remind us that eternity is what matters. Our home, if we believe in Jesus, is not here on American soil but in heaven with Jesus Christ. My confidence is not in a government, political party, system of economics, or a president. My confidence and future are founded on the sovereignty of Almighty God and the substitutionary death and atonement bought for me by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. That is why in the midst of the economic crisis, political debates, and uncertainty of the future of America, I will sleep well tonight knowing that nothing is beyond the sovereign will and design of Almighty God!

This week we have seen four different misplaced priorities that can creep into the lives of Christians and cause them to project a brand and image of Christianity that is clearly unbiblical and is not Christ centered.  Today, I want to share a story of a brother in Christ who was willing to live His faith and reflect Jesus Christ in a way that brought much glory to God through his sacrifice:

Sebastian walked through the halls of the palace daily. He had worked hard to get to this position in the royal guard, but once he had gotten to Rome, he restrained himself from the idolatrous lifestyle of imperial Rome. He only wanted to serve Christ wholeheartedly.

When Emperor Diocletian heard of his restraint, he had little interest in his service record. He confronted him and found out about his faith. At this, he ordered Sebastian taken outside the city and shot to death with arrows. The soldiers did their job and left his body to rot. Soon a group of Christians came to give his body a proper burial,

As they lifted him, one of them exclaimed, “He moves!”

“Shhh!” cautioned another. “Let us take him somewhere safe.”

Sebastian was taken to one of their homes where he was treated and recovered from his injuries. As soon as he was well enough, he placed himself before the emperor again. Once he had tasted the hope of heaven, the pleasures of this world had even less appeal for him.

The emperor was of course shocked to see Sebastian seemingly back from the dead. He ordered Sebastian seized and beaten to death and his body thrown into the sewer. His body was recovered again by Christians and buried in the catacombs.

This story of a faithful perseverance in following Jesus to the end comes from the Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog and ends with a challenge to each one of us to truly embrace a brand of Christianity that is all about Jesus.  The author continues with this challenge that sums up where we have been this week:

Sexual immorality. Unbecoming language. Stealing. Lying. Cheating. Too many Christians define themselves exclusively by what they do not do. Certainly, there is a whole host of activities that God forbids his people to practice. However, restraint is not profitable in and of itself. Sebastian was not martyred merely for his restraint—otherwise he would have been killed for simply being a good person. He was martyred for his forthright faith. Likewise, we must restrain or hold back from evil in order to fully embrace God’s commands. Obey. Worship. Love. Serve. Define your faith by what you do, not simply that which you do not. Are you known for merely being a good person or for being a good person with an outspoken faith?

My hope and prayer is that God would make us radical followers of Jesus Christ who will not compromise and be unashamed to be known as Christians.  Not political, legalistic, cultural, or philosophy-driven Christians, but Christians who will follow Jesus even if it costs us our lives.

The fourth and final misplaced priority of Christians that can reflect negatively on the image and brand of Christianity is philosophy-driven Christians.  Philosophy-driven Christians are people who ascribe to Christianity is merely an academic pursuit.  They see Christianity as a great philosophy to be observed, studied, and debated.  It is not a bad thing to study the Bible or Christianity academically.  The problem arises when the academic pursuit becomes such a priority that it causes you to miss the relationship with Jesus Christ that the Bible is all about.  This is embracing the thoughts of Christianity without embracing the core – Jesus Christ.

The problem with the Christian brand that philosophy-driven Christians present is that they present an academic, knowledge-driven Christianity that can be completely void of any relationship with Jesus Christ.  You can know the Bible and know a lot of academic knowledge about Jesus but not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord.  Philosophy-driven Christians need to see Jesus Christ as the core of their Christian studies and come to him for a relationship in which Jesus transforms them into His image.  Then they need to continue to pursue their academic studies driven by worship and reverence for a God who that cannot wrap their minds around.

The third false priorities of Christians that reflect negatively on the image and brand of Christianity are cultural Christians.  Cultural Christians are very similar to the legalistic Christians that we looked at yesterday in only one point.  Both the cultural Christians and the legalistic Christians have never embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and become Christians.  They are merely impostors who are playing Christian games merely because they think that it will bring some benefit to them.  Cultural Christians are people who are Christians only to the fact that they have no true religious affiliation and live in a nation like the United States that chooses to embrace Christianity.

These are people who celebrate Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas without having the relationship with Jesus Christ to embrace the full meaning.  They may also go to church, as I heard a pastor once say, as CEOs – Christmas and Easter only.  This minimal church attendance is only to make them feel like good people for going on the special days.  

These cultural Christians may also use there religion to benefit them.  By claiming to be a Christian, cultural Christians may be able to avoid conversations about faith that may be uncomfortable because they have an answer and a church name, that they attend twice a year, to end the conversation.   Cultural Christianity is seen very frequently in politics.  Candidates will be quick to claim that they are Christians and get some good photo opportunities in some churches in order to become friends with the extremely political Christians that we explored on Tuesday.  

Even though cultural Christians may play the Christian card to get ahead, they are the ones that really need Jesus.  They need to realize that claiming Christianity without knowing Jesus is not true Christianity.  They need to repent of their sin and Christian games and run to Jesus.  This will allow the name, brand, and image of Christians to be defined not by a buzz-word that gets personal benefits but rather a name that defines followers of Jesus Christ.

The second false priority of Christians that gives a negative brand to Christianity is legalistic Christians.  Before we begin, let me define legalism.  Legalism is not good moral living and following the commands and laws of scripture in order to live in a way that pleases God and seeks holiness.  Legalism is a life of embracing the rules for the only purpose of proving to the legalist and to others that the legalist is better than everyone else because the legalist keeps the rules and others do not.  The legalist loves to be seen doing good deeds and loves to point out others failures in doing good deeds.

This false priority of legalism leads to forgetting grace.  A legalist loves to follow the rules to the point where they feel like they do not need grace.  ”Why would Jesus have to die on the cross for them?” they think.  ”I am such a good person who follows all of the rules.  I will make heaven a better place just by my presence there.  I do not need Jesus because I am a good moral person with no real sin to speak of.”  The legalist does not stop with not needing grace personally but goes on to totally fail to extend any grace to others.  If someone else falls in their good works, the legalist will be the first to point out the flaw and make sure that everyone sees this great show of failure.  Then only to look for a place to note to others how good the legalist is at morality and how the legalist would never fall like that.

Legalism causes problems because it presents a picture of Christianity that does not need Jesus.  There is no reason to tell someone about Jesus because to the legalist Jesus is functionally a moral judge that the legalist is trying to impress rather than a rescuing Savior that the legalist is falling down in worship before.  The life of a legalist also projects that sin is not a personal problem that effects everyone.  Sin is something that “bad people” do in the mind of the legalist.  It is not something that everyone struggles with and needs to be rescued from.  

Legalist Christians need to realize that, if they truly believe that there morality sets them in right standing before God, they need to repent and run to Jesus and receive salvation.  The way that the life of a legalist is structured has no room for sin, repentance, and Jesus.  Christians who embrace legalism are not really Christians.  They are just copy-cats trying to act like Christians without truly embracing Jesus and coming to him to be their salvation.  These false Christians need to repent and stop putting a stain on the Christian name and brand that they copy in outward appearance but fail to embrace.

Since the presidential election is only a week away, I figured that we would begin with the first misplaced priority that has negatively reflected on the Christian brand in the eyes of many people.  Politics is something that many Christians have taken to become the core priority of their faith.  This is something that happens more unintentionally than they even realize.  There passion and desire for Jesus Christ that was at one time at the core of their faith and what defined them as a Christian seeps slowly into the background as they take up to fight for a government that legislates Christian morals and priorities.  

I am not saying that politics are a bad thing, or that you should not vote for candidates that you think reflect the values and priorities laid out in scripture.  The problem becomes when the American flag takes the place of the cross in our churches and the Battle Hymn of the Republic is played over Amazing Grace.  Our place of triumph, victory, and focus as Christians should be a hill called Calvary where Jesus Christ defeated death, hell, and sin not a battle field where our freedoms were won.  The second is definitely something to be remembered and celebrated but never at the expense of minimizing the cross and the gospel.  

We as Christians are called to be focused on another world.  We are to live as aliens focused on eternity.  When we make our Christianity focused entirely on politics and defending morals in America, we are living in a way that is so focused on now that we do not live a life focused on the temporary mission with eternal consequences called the Great Commission.  Our ability and opportunity to share Jesus with people can be greatly hindered if politics are the heart of our Christianity.  Politics stands between us and the person we are trying to introduce to Jesus as another point of division and debate.  

If your life is totally defined by and wrapped up in what happens next Tuesday, you need to pray for an eternal mindset and that God would open your eyes to see that no matter what happens next Tuesday He still sits on the throne as sovereign over all nations and rulers.  Let us not live in a way that defines our Christianity by our politics that are temporal decisions that can cause major divisions and take away from the gospel.