“There are perils in the clamant demand for relevance. If we become exclusively preoccupied with answering the questions people are asking, we may overlook the fact that they often ask the wrong questions and need to be helped to ask the right ones. If we acquiesce uncritically in the world’s own self-understanding, we may find ourselves the servants rather of fashion than of God. So, in order to avoid the snare of being a “populist” or a modern false prophet, the type of bridge to be built must be determined more by the biblical revelation than by the zeitgeist or spirit of the age. The Church’s calling is to challenge secularism, not to surrender to it. Nevertheless, there is a great need for more understanding of, and sensitivity to, the modern world around us” (John R.W. Stott, Between Two Worlds, pp. 139-40).
Stott highlights the delicate, and sometimes precarious, balance between relevance and revelation. To emphasize one to the exclusion of the other hinders our efforts to advance God’s kingdom. How do we find the proper balance? As always, the answer is found in the life and work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was the most relevant person who ever lived. Now that doesn’t mean that he was the most popular person in every crowd or that he catered to every whim of his culture. He didn’t get too wrapped up in the “spirit of the age” around him. But he did meet people at the point of their need. He connected on their level and engaged them in the midst of their reality. That is true relevance.
But Jesus was also fully committed to the word of his Father. While he did serve at “street level,” he always ended up applying God’s timeless truths to the struggle of everyday reality. While he said things in different ways and used a variety of illustrations, the core message never varied.
Our call as disciples is to serve our culture as Jesus served his. May our efforts to be relevant never compromise our commitment to revelation.
Stott highlights the delicate, and sometimes precarious, balance between relevance and revelation. To emphasize one to the exclusion of the other hinders our efforts to advance God’s kingdom. How do we find the proper balance? As always, the answer is found in the life and work of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was the most relevant person who ever lived. Now that doesn’t mean that he was the most popular person in every crowd or that he catered to every whim of his culture. He didn’t get too wrapped up in the “spirit of the age” around him. But he did meet people at the point of their need. He connected on their level and engaged them in the midst of their reality. That is true relevance.
But Jesus was also fully committed to the word of his Father. While he did serve at “street level,” he always ended up applying God’s timeless truths to the struggle of everyday reality. While he said things in different ways and used a variety of illustrations, the core message never varied.
Our call as disciples is to serve our culture as Jesus served his. May our efforts to be relevant never compromise our commitment to revelation.
God loves you!
Mike
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