Understanding the Times

What I am about to write will be misunderstood by some people. There will almost certainly be people who do not read carefully and they will miss the finer nuance of what I want to say. In spite of this risk, I want to tackle the subject of Phil Robertson's comments and the church's reaction again. My earlier posts (Just Stop It! and Here Comes the Judge) have had wider than normal readership, so I suspect this is a topic "with legs" as they say in the news business. My third shot will be a response to a response.

Franklin Graham, son of the renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, has commented on the church's response by lamenting the failure of some people to support Robertson. Without being specific, Graham says some even condemned Robertson. He suggests that, "Some churches have fallen into the trap of being politically correct under the guise of tolerance." Conservatives of all types and Christians especially know that "tolerance" is merely a buzz word used by the left to identify a fraternity of like-minded individuals. The left cannot tolerate anyone who does not agree with their program.

I am not about to suggest that the church should "tolerate" sin. God forbid. However, the approach recommended by Graham is as intolerant as anything the left has come up with. He seems to be suggesting a return to hell-fire and brimstone preaching as the best course in our cultural context. With all due respect to Franklin Graham and his family heritage, I doubt that a Jonathon Edwards (or Billy Graham) message will resonate with today's unbelievers. They have lost the language to understand a proposition based on their sinfulness or separation from God. They don't believe in God, so how can a call to repent of their sin and seek divine favor ring any bells.

I am immersed in two books right now which together have begun to recast my thinking about how to reach the 21st century unbeliever. One is Center Church, by Timothy Keller, and the other is God Space, by Doug Pollock. One of Keller's recommendations for effective outreach is that the church must develop an appreciation of its cultural context. He does not mean that we partake or condone what culture encourages, rather that we understand where they are coming from. Pollock ask that Christians "wonder" their way into conversations; by this he means questioning how our target audience has come to the conclusions they have. If I understand him, he would have us meet them where they are.

This approach sounds suspiciously like the one used by Jesus, the friend of sinners. He went to parties; he hung out with riff-raff. He was accused of being a drunkard by his detractors. He understood the times, like the men of Issachar David chose to fight with him. Perhaps he was being all things to all people so that the chance to win some would occur. Franklin Graham is right about sin and right that many churches need to get a little closer to the Bible when they speak. But in this context where the pagan culture is watching us spar over what Phil Robertson said, thumping the Bible and sounding scary will just leave more people wondering what planet we came from.