(Wasn't he a magician??? That must be a different Doug Wilson, this one is a pastor, in Idaho, or Montana, or one of those states, I'm too lazy to check.)
While lounging at the Bloomington pool (one of my favorite summer activities), I have been re-reading (or to be honest maybe the "re" should be taken off the reading since the first "read" was more of a "skim"), Above All Earthly Powers by David Wells. He spoke at the Postmodern conference done by the Desiring God (aka John Piper's peeps) last fall. Anyhoo, or is it anywho, the quote from the Doug Wilson article (which I will get to in a minute) fits in with the message of the Wells book.
The lesson I am learning is: You know that seeker church idea? Bad idea.
Why would I say that, you ask? Don't you think the seeker church is just a way of "contextualizing" the Gospel? Shouldn't we be "missional"? (I hate those newly made up terms so I threw them in for fun). Now, back to the "conversation".
Here's part of the Wilson article:
While speaking of the true calling of the preacher, A.W. Tozer once said, "We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum." Of course, some might object to quoting a writer like Tozer, a man outside the Reformed tradition, but we live in confused times. Men like Tozer might be worth half a dozen of our contemporary pretty boys, men who subscribe to the Westminster Confession because they think they might have read it once.
The point of preaching is never to make Christ acceptable. But in a man-centered era, this is automatically thought to be the task of the preacher -- how to make God acceptable to man? The problem which confronts us in the Bible is actually quite different. The real problem is one of sin, and how to make sinful man acceptable to a holy God. With this as the true problem, the solution, one which made holy angels stop their mouths, was the Incarnation, Cross, and Resurrection. That is how sinners are made acceptable to God. And how do they hear of it? The word must be preached, and preached to every creature.
But reverse "the problem," as we have, and we discover that "the solution" is necessarily reversed as well. And when the solution is reversed, we discover at the end of the day that we still have the gospel in our hands, but it is backwards and upside down. If we try to make God acceptable to sinners, we find that we are busily engaged in altering the faith once delivered to the saints. We should be preaching in such a way that sinners are altered, not accommodated. We should be preaching in such a way that the truth is adorned, not draped in tinsel.
I will end by repeating the point that hit me the most, and what I believe is wrong with the seeker church. Wilson writes:
The point of preaching is never to make Christ acceptable. But in a man-centered era, this is automatically thought to be the task of the preacher -- how to make God acceptable to man? The problem which confronts us in the Bible is actually quite different. The real problem is one of sin, and how to make sinful man acceptable to a holy God. With this as the true problem, the solution, one which made holy angels stop their mouths, was the Incarnation, Cross, and Resurrection.That is how sinners are made acceptable to God. And how do they hear of it? The word must be preached, and preached to every creature.
It's not my job to make Christ attractive to people. In fact, what arrogance to think that I could do something to make Him more acceptable to the world. He's done everything. The problem with fallen people is that they are not attractive to God and there is only one way for them to be accepted by Him, turning from their life of sin (repentance) and putting faith in His Son who bore their sin in His body on a tree.
Don't we need to help people see this? Isn't that the Gospel? Forget the cool clothes, or cool music, or messages on how to have a more successful family or business. Just preach the Gospel.
2 comments:
Not to go agaisnt the grain but I have to disagree with this particular point. I wish it was as easy as just preaching the gospel. As a former sinful hardened agnostic, if it wasn't for a 'seeker' presentation that made me think, made me wonder, who God is, and why I should believe the bible, I may have never come to put my faith in Christ. Maybe I would have, I don't know. Was it making Christ attractive? I am not sure I would call it that but then I couldn't argue it either. I think it's all semantics. Is Christ attractive to satan?
When I was a slave to sin I was blinded that I needed a savior. The church or "Religion" I knew actually made Christ look unattractive to me. Bringing me into an environment where I was captivated to listen, to let my heart soften, and begin questioning is this real or not is what challenged me and ultimately led me to Christ. Some people arrive to this point different ways and this is one way. I would question it but I can't knock it.
The real question should be, what is the seeker oriented or any church for that matter doing to challenge the new believer to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ and not just another statistical "sunday christian"? I see more harm coming from a church of mostly agnostic christians like the catholic church I grew up in. Just my 2 cents.
Happy Anniversary! LD + TD = True Love! You guys rock!
Thanks for the anniversary wishes, Mike.
I think really we are saying the same thing. To tell the Gospel message in a manner that is kind, organized, clear, and thought provoking isn't what I meant by seeker church.
What I think of is Rick Warren on Dateline a few years back telling the interviewer that he never preaches on abortion or homosexuality because there might be someone in the audience who has had an abortion or is gay and he doesn't want to offend them. It seems to me that a big part of the gospel is to demonstrate to people their need for a forgiveness. And, really, isn't it a kind thing to let people know their sins can be forgiven?
To just ask people to come to Christ because their life will be "better" somehow if they do and they will go to heaven when they die, is, at best, a watered down Gospel and, at worst, not the Gospel at all.
I agree that the Church needs to "be the church" and equip the saints as it says in Ephesians. We should go to church to avail ourselves of gifted teaching to prepare us for "works of service".
Sometimes I think the "seeker" type churches are all about unsaved people when really, the church in it's most simple form is the gathering of believers for prayer, teaching, and fellowship.
Post a Comment