It just recently hit me that values are basically things that are core to your being. You may have a lot of values, but only a select few, probably 3-5, reside very deep and are basically your core. Whether it’s survival, or personal expression, or cleanliness, or sacrifice, or greater good, or even pursuit of happiness, certain things speak louder to your deepest part than do others. You can’t help but to be passionate about it…whatever they are.
Just last weekend I was part of a church planting conference and this hit me hard when we were discussing a church’s mission, vision, strategy, and values. The section before this discussion we had overviewed world views and church models, and how they interact. The presenter obviously has Unity of the church as a deeply embedded value, because he was teaching every model and view as valid and ok, even though I don’t really believe that he believed that completely himself.
Anyway, certain models and examples of church plants really made me sick to my stomach, and all I could think about is how it seemed to me that what they were doing was not what God would condone. Million dollar facilities and production staff, and marketing campaigns with much of the Body around the world homeless and starving. Gee-wiz, I mean if that’s what God wanted to do wouldn’t he have modeled that? Wouldn’t he have started a really cool Jewish campaign. Made it all slick and professional, or at least made himself appealing to cultural elite to get them to help his movement grow big and strong….no? ummm, that’s not what this blog is about though, so let me keep to the topic. So, I was like “no way, that cannot be the heart of God”, someone needs to challenge them and tell them they are wrong.
Then when we discussed values I realized that my values line up completely with a post-modern world view, almost exactly. And to finally identify with that was the first huge revelation. Then I fit all the pieces I’ve learned before together with the topic at hand. For instance, I know that secular and non-secular world view fits into my pattern of thought, and worldwide my world view views modern life as just plain wrong, God or no God.
So it was really difficult to swallow the deeply entrenched convictions that I believe God has taught me, and hold them in a light that shows them as simply values routed in a world view/framework. Ugh. Are my convictions to be held lighter than I have had them? Should I reach back to the past world, modern man/church, and say, hey, there is something worth keeping from your defining actions? I don’t see any if I’m going to be honest. I know that sounds obtuse and arrogant, but it’s not like I don’t see good things from traditional world views or even medieval ones, and I definitely see good in the first church, I just feel like the modern church is so far off course it’s repulsive. I guess they’re attempt to reach beyond the traditional borders of church was good…..mmmm.
My favorable take on more ancient views is once again a hallmark of my world. That’s so frustrating….
Something I want to wrestle with is this: in past worldview shifts - like medieval to enlightened, or traditional to modern, or modern to post-modern – did the new churches routed in these new worlds ever look back at their predecessors and say “wait, that view is of value to some and should continue on”, or “let’s stay in dialogue”… something like that? If there are books they’d probably be titled something like “little one, listen to me, I am old and wise and you shouldn’t disregard my ways”. I’ve read books from a modern world view explaining post-modern thought and it’s benefits, but none vise versa….. I feel like each progressive shift led to a new distinction of the church, often new denominations. I don’t see anyone looking at the change and asking what it means from the perspective of those who are living in the change.
The big question I see at hand is this…. Is God slowly refining His bride back to what it should be? If so, I would think that means that we should press the church hard and head steadfast toward the practices of church we condone, and stay away from those we are disgusted with. Or if this is not the case, then perhaps we are just another expression of the bride meeting a new world view where it’s at. The past views and functioning are still good for those who live in them, but we must be faithful to act in what we have been given by God and reach this world view, and be church in it, and hope that as God uses all men He is working in, we will be a light to the whole world for the cause of the Gospel, to both the churched and unchurched.
AHHHHHHH! I got some prayin to do
Peace out
