One of my memories growing up in the sixties was of the bomb shelter sign over the door of my school and the constant reminder of the defining conflict of our world at that time. We were raised amid the drama of the Cold War, where freedom, capitalism, and all that was good in life were pitted against communism, oppression, and all the evil that lurked behind the Iron Curtain. The Christian nation of the United States stood in firm opposition to the godless atheists of the Soviet Union. This drama defined us. When Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire his words reflected not only a political viewpoint, but a religious world view. In this world view, the drama of life is the ongoing conflict between the forces of good and evil.
Such a view is not new, it is only that with each generation we redefine those forces of good and evil to reflect our contemporary perspective. The Book of Revelation clearly understands this drama as being played out between the community of the faithful and the powers and principalities of this world, namely, the Roman Empire. It is a drama between the Church and the State, with the latter finally being destroyed by the Lamb. Likewise, Martin Luther reflected this world view as he wrote the great hymn “A Mighty Fortress”. Today, the battle has been redefined in our world view as a conflict between Christianity and Muslim terrorists, if not Islam as a whole (depending on who you are talking to and how honest they are being). Regardless how this conflict is defined by a given generation and culture, this world view will produce a deep yearning within the human heart for the “champion (who) comes to fight, whom God himself elected”. Who will destroy the powers of Evil in the world? Jesus is the answer.
One of the problems with this world view and our mission to be evangelists is that few of the unchurched see the world as a cosmic battleground between the forces of Good and Evil. And more pertinent still, is that many would understand religious fanaticism of any shape or variety as having caused more evil than just about anything else. For some outside of the Church, religion will never be able to save the world from evil, precisely because religion itself has caused so much evil. For those holding this world view the real conflict is between religious fanaticism and a reasonable, secular, and just world view.
Another historical understanding about the drama of life centers around “insiders and outsiders”. How that has been defined in any age varies: Jew and Gentile, Greco-Roman and Barbarian, Christian and Pagan, civilized and savage, etc. When this becomes our dominant world view a variety of responses emerge. The first is that of being ‘set apart’. The Jewish experience of setting themselves apart from the world around them is a classic example. The Jewish faith was not about conquest or conversion. It was about maintaining internal integrity over and against the world. Others such as the Greco-Roman/Barbarian were more about conquest and integration. Christianity focused on conversion of the pagan. And of course, the operating assumption of civilization is that it should be spread.
Often these lines become blurred. I remember in my childhood watching slide presentations of missionaries who had been serving in places like Africa. What was most striking is how the natives were dressed in traditional African clothes, and then those who had converted to Christianity were wearing western clothing. Evangelizing and civilization, or more specifically, the spread of Western Civilization, were often indistinguishable.
By definition, any world view built around the notion of insider and outsider is egocentric. My theme is this blog is to explore the questions that define our faith journey, and to specifically look at the questions that are part of our larger contemporary culture, and specifically on the hearts and minds of the unchurched. If our operative world view is that of insiders and outsiders, those on the inside will almost always devalue the experience of those outside. Either we separate ourselves, or engage in some form of conquest and conversion, bringing the outsider in. But rather than seeing the experience of the outsider, and the yearnings within their heart and existence as having value, this view seeks primarily to create a new world view that conforms to the view of those on the inside. If the world no longer asks the questions of faith that we are prepared to answer, that’s their problem. We need to teach them the truth so they know the appropriate questions to ask.
It also should be acknowledged that when we view the world through the lens of insider and outsider, the role of ‘gatekeeper’ becomes very pronounced. If the integration of the ‘outsider’ into the inner circle is the goal, most often this is a selective process. It is the nature of insiders to be protective about who they allow to become part of the group.
Finally, a major theme in the drama of life is played out in the arena of the “haves” and “have nots”. This is a social, political, economic, and religious dynamic that has no doubt been part of the human experience since the beginning of time. This struggle between the haves and have nots has fueled the flames of everything from the prophetic zeal of Old Testament prophets to the Marxist critique of capitalism. The disparity between the rich and the poor has always and will always be a driving force in the conflicts on the world stage. It fuels the partisanship present in our politics. And if we are honest, it is one of the most powerful driving forces in all of our lives. Those who have strive to keep, those who have not strive to obtain. In this drama Jesus as Savior may be seen as the key to the good and abundant life, or the prophetic voice calling for justice, equality, and God’s compassion for the poor. Some will take comfort in the prosperity of the elect. Others will hear the voices of the prophets, “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion!”
“Jesus is the Answer!” What is the question?
“Who will destroy the powers of Evil?”
“Who will gather all people from the four corners of the earth into the Kingdom?”
“Who will offer to us the abundant life in which all things are held in common, and each receives from the Lord’s hand according to one’s need?”
The questions we ask, and the questions that all people ask, are deeply shaped by our world view. How does the drama of life play out on the global stage?
What is the dominant social/political view of the drama of life in our country today? Is it still the primary conflict between Good and Evil that shaped our national psyche during the Cold War, only now the Soviet Union has been displaced by terrorists and the Muslim world? Is it all about insiders and outsiders (think about the border fence to the south)? Or is it about protecting our status as the wealthiest and most prosperous nation? And how does that world view shape our proclamation?
Most importantly, if our world view shapes the questions we ask and the message we proclaim, how can God’s world view transform who we are?
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