July 14, 2011 by Allen Coleman 0 comments

Posted in: Idolatry

Most of my experience has been with churches that were very clear on their need for relevance. This, admittedly, includes my own church. Even the many movements of the last two decades, seemed to voice this imperative. Their message was clear, from seeker sensitive to postmodern to emergent, we have heard the culture and are responding accordingly. This, however, makes an interesting assumption: that the culture wants Jesus.

We know the culture needs Jesus, but that is a different thing altogether. In fact, this is an essential doctrine in understanding human nature. Paul reminds us that God gives his followers ". . . a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your hearts enlightened . . ." (Ephesians 1:17-18). This is necessary because the ". . . heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick . . ." (Jeremiah 17:9). Ergo, to begin with the assumption that people want Jesus is a false one.

This false assumption has led to creating methods, marketing and programs based on a flawed understanding of culture. Please don't hear me wrong, I am not against any of the aforementioned. I am simply proposing that we may be feeding into a very real problem, often unintentionally. Paul notes the problem:

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:22-23). 

In other words, apart from Jesus, the heart doesn't want Jesus. Rather, people are pouring themselves out for created things, rather than the Creator God. This right understanding changes how we listen completely. We make the mistake of listening for ways to capitulate the Gospel according to people's insufficient idols. Instead, we should be listening for ways to speak the Gospel as an altogether and sufficient replacement for them. The reformer, John Calvin, reminds us:

". . . From this we may gather that man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols (fabricum idolarum) . . . the mind begets an idol; the hand gives its birth . . . "

In other words, people will have a sufficient supply of idols without us accessorizing them. Again, do not misunderstand me, I am very much for posing questions from the culture's perspective, insofar as to be able to speak the Gospel in a familiar language. Our goal is not, as some purport, to make the Gospel relevant. Instead, we must be faithful to showing the culture just how relevant the Gospel already is. The difference in these two views is the difference between syncretism [idolatry] and contextualization [worship]. When the church starts with the culture, instead of the Gospel, we very often craft sermons, songs and events that affirm the very idols people are clinging to. It sounds proposterous, I know! Carl R. Trueman, in his brilliant little book on Reformation, writes:

"Having said all this, however, what Generation X [or postmodernity] and the New Age movement are actually telling the church is that the human heart is ineradicably idolatrous . . ."

It's what they're saying when asking for more topical sermons. It's what they're saying when asking for more guitar driven worship. It's what they're saying when only attending church during the Easter iPod Giveaway (this actually happened at one notable church). It's what they're saying when only seen at your comedy event. It's what they're saying when seldom seen all year except for the Christmas program so heavily resourced.

The culture is screaming for an idol and we're hand carving them one under the pretense of relevance. Meanwhile, the Gospel suffers neglect from a lack of similar diligence. Precious doctrines are rarely defended, but instead held open handedly because we're afraid of taking away their idol. Why is this? When an idol is taken, much of the time people respond like an infant who has lost their pacificer. The tantrums that follow may come in the form of an angry email, withholding tithe, or leaving altogether. Trueman continues:

". . . let us listen to the world to see what questions it asks, what thoughts it has and what language it uses; but let us set all this within the context of human sinfulness and idolatry and beware of those who conceive . . . to put it technically, abolish the distinctions between special and common grace or, in more popular parlance, fail to address the depth of human idolatry."

The Bible tells us that the Gospel alone has the power to transform hearts and smash idols (Mark 16:14-16). Therefore, to consider the culture as Paul did, is to speak the Gospel as the glorious reversal of their misaligned worship. We are to understand their idols, so that we may communicate with a fluency that speaks to all issues of life that purport to be bigger than Jesus.

I propose that we start with the Gopsel first, not the culture. I propose we start with the assumption that people will exchange the glory of God for the idolatry of creation. I propose we assume what Paul did. That idolaters claim to be wise when, ironically, they are actually foolish and, therefore, make poor consistent guages for us to follow. Finally, we should not fear that starting with Gospel will turn us inward, by nature it cannot (1 Corinthians 9:16). A right understanding of the Gospel always leads to the culture (Matthew 16:15), but the Scriptures are clear, the culture does not lead to the Gospel (Ephesians 2:1-3).

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. " (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)