by Nigel and Rachel Tween
Principal, Regents Theological College & National Director of Training
On one level we are all engaged with culture, albeit often on an unconscious and routine level. This engagement is demonstrated in our every day lives in the following ways: dress; language; customs; food; music; media, etc. On the whole we negotiate this engagement with little difficulty as we are able to make choices and have control. However cultural engagement that changes lives is about much more than the food we eat or the clothes we wear. It is about how we relate Christ meaningfully and effectively to a post Christian world.
There is no doubt our culture has shifted substantially away from it’s Christian heritage over the past 40 years and many of those who shape it and influence it have very different values and morals to our own. However it is important not to overstate this. A close look through history reveals that while our culture has often had a veneer of Christianity and respectability, beneath the surface lurked a very different reality. We have only to think of the world the Booths faced in the eighteen hundreds to appreciate this. It’s helpful and encouraging to remember that conflict between culture and Christianity is nothing new.
What is new is the challenge we face in that whereas previously Christianity was accepted as the recognised bench-mark, today it is only one of a number of ‘valid’ options on offer.
How then do we enable Christians to live out their faith in the context of a dominant culture that is often at odds with their faith? Firstly as leaders we need an understanding of what cultural engagement means. In his book “Christ and Culture” the Theologian H Richard Niebuhr suggests several alternatives. The two dominant stances being Christ against Culture and Christ of Culture.
Christ against Culture is typified by largely retreating into Christian ghetto where the world is kept at a safe distance and you immerse yourself in all things Christian. Some of us where brought up with this mentality. Contact with the world was to be kept to a minimum and often seen as potentially harmful and contaminating. Even if we no longer espouse this view it is easy to revert to it by default. We may no longer hold rigid views about what is and isn’t worldly, but still remain within a ‘modernised’ Christian ghetto with limited meaningful interaction with the world around us. This in turn can prompt our congregations into dividing their world into two parallel universes: the Sunday universe and the Monday to Saturday universe.
The Christ of Culture option isn’t found within our tradition as in reality it means that Christians values and morals are so watered down to accommodate the prevailing culture that in effect they are rendered meaningless and indistinct. The problem with the Christ against Culture view is that the salt is kept in its shaker and in the latter view, the Christ of Culture, the salt has lost its flavour and so on both counts is ineffective and redundant.
However, Niebuhr explores a further way of relating to culture, namely, engagement in a biblically-committed way. This is no easy task as instead of the flight or fit-in response it challenges us to grapple with the issues and conflicts our cultures presents and formulate a Christian response. It can be messy and difficult and yet if we are to be salt and light do we in reality have any other option?
Biblically-committed engagement impacts leadership on four levels.
1. How do we help our people engage?
Are we aware of the bank employee in our congregation who while not being asked to do something illegal feels compromised, or the sales person who is under enormous pressure to reach sales targets by fair means or foul? It is easy to offer simplistic solutions from a distance but often as leaders we live in our own ghetto and have limited contact with the world outside the four walls of our buildings. Without meaning to, it is easy to give the impression that what we as leaders value is church attendance and that what is of real importance is what is done in church and for church. This is largely the result of the ‘Greek world-view’ which so pervades western thinking and has bought about the notion of the sacred and secular divide. This view is at odds with the biblical perspective of life which sees every part of it as sacred and of significance to God.
If we are to help believers engage meaningfully with the people or world around them we need to be convinced that their work and daily engagement matter. It matters to us and more importantly it matters to God, and is of eternal significance.
In his book The Spirit of Disciplines, Dallas Willard says “There is truly no division between sacred and secular except what we have created. That is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and secular does incalculable damage to our individual lives and the cause of Christ. Holy people must stop going into church work as their natural course of action and take up holy orders in farming, industry, law, education, banking and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism or to pastoral and missionary work.”
During my time as a Pastor I regularly spent time with people in their work place meeting for example finance directors, market traders, and full-time carers. Spending time with people in this way helped me to understand the tensions and issues they faced and it also communicated value and significance to an area of life that has until recently been largely neglected by the church.
A recent survey by the Institute for Contemporary Christianity found, not surprisingly, that people faced the greatest challenge to faith not in the church but in everyday living. I have used congregational questionnaires to inform my teaching and preaching and encouraged feedback and comment. This communicated that I was taking peoples everyday lives seriously and helped them to make connections between Sunday and the rest of their week. Regularly inviting church members to become living sermon illustrations by sharing their stories of engagement, challenges, provokes and encourages other believers to have confidence that God can be at work in their world too. If we focus on equipping people to engage in their everyday world then it will, I suggest, radically change the content and delivery of our preaching and teaching. Maybe there should be more dialogue with our members about how we could best equip them. Maybe we should provide more forums for people to share their joys, successes, failures and frustrations as they seek to be salt and light. Maybe we should do church or some aspects of church differently, be more flexible and responsive to the needs of our congregations.
In terms of teaching it is interesting to explore how Paul writes to the Philippians. He seeks to help them understand their faith in relation to the beliefs systems of the day. When Paul addresses their thinking in chapter 4:8 he includes the words commendable and pleasing. These Greek words are not found else where in scripture but are commonly used in secular ethics in the first century. Paul goes on to say he is self sufficient (the translation content does not adequately reflect the meaning) the idea of self sufficiency was part of the stoic secular philosophy of the time. Paul acknowledges the idea but puts it into a Christian context. His self sufficiency’s rooted in Christ. Furthermore more in verse 12 Paul informs the Philippians he has ‘learned the secret’ of living in poverty or plenty. Here Paul intentionally uses the language of pagan religion whilst rejecting their fundamental appeal to secrecy.
Paul demonstrated to the Philippians that some ideas from their culture could be incorporated into their faith whereas others needed to be re-interpreted or simply rejected.
This is a helpful model as it encourages us as leaders to be conversant with the language ideas and beliefs within our culture. This approach will ensure believers have the tools to navigate the post-Christian world that surrounds them with greater confidence and understanding.
2. How are we to engage with our communities?
I recently visited Pastor John and Debbie Bullock’s church in Porth. They have set up a creative strategy to transform the Rhondda by engaging with every school child through the medium of sport. I am regularly encouraged and excited as I travel around the country and see how local churches are seeking to be salt and light. A common thread throughout is that leaders identify a key need within their locality and then develop a long-term strategy of how it can be meaningfully met. Many of us overestimate what we can achieve in a year but underestimate what we can achieve in five.
Involvement can also mean working with other churches to pool resources, money and expertise. The street-pastors initiative in Birmingham is an example of this. It can also mean working alongside other voluntary and statutory agencies that are on the whole much more open to working with faith communities than they have ever been. I believe every church leader should actively seek to connect with the statutory and voluntary bodies in their communities. I have written to the Chief Executive of many an institution, introducing myself and my church. I would simply say that we are a local church seeking to serve the community and that I would value a meeting with them to explore how we may partner with them. Invariably a useful meeting followed. On one occasion we held an Emergency Services Appreciation Weekend. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Chief of Police, Chief Fire Officer and a Cabinet Minister were in attendance.
In order to engage meaningfully we need to maintain a servant heart; a willingness to listen to our community; to build bridges; to respond sensitively and appropriately; to be willing to earn the right to be heard. If we are to be salt and light it is imperative that we hear God’s heart for our community and then act upon it.
3. How are we to be church in our communities?
Personally I am disturbed by the current trend to bash the church. I still believe the local church demonstrating the life of Christ to their communities is the hope of the world and that the need for welcoming, relevant, vibrant churches of all sizes is vital for the evangelisation of the UK.
As we now live in a culture, made up of a diverse range of sub-cultures maybe the time has come for us to explore new ways of being church. In his article New Paradigms for a New Era, Peter Corney suggests that leaders of medium to large churches encourage the development of alternative and experimental models of church to serve the mosaic of cultures that now exist. So, for example, it could be argued that Ethiopians are best suited to reach other Ethiopians. Young Christian adults understand how to communicate to other young adults in a way I don’t and their way of being church will be different to the one I am familiar with. What is vital is that it is culturally relevant; it talks the same language and communicates in ways which makes sense.
Peter Corney goes on to suggest that both the established congregation and the alternative congregation can learn and benefit from each other. The alternative congregation brings creativity, has a strong desire to be culturally relevant, a willingness to take risks and challenge old paradigms and ways of doing things. On the other hand the established congregation and its leaders can bring support, resources, maturity, wisdom, experience and guidance to the alternative congregation and its leaders.
It is easy to dismiss cultural relevance as simply being trendy and faddish. Remember Jim? Jim who shaved his head, dyed his hair, grew a long pigtail, changed his clothes, diet and learned the street language of his community all so that he could reach them with the gospel. The response of church leaders was not to celebrate or commend Jim, but rather to malign and misrepresent him. Jim didn’t live in down-town New York or inner city Birmingham; he is none other than the great father of missions James Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China in the late eighteen hundreds. Following the Apostle Paul he took risks to become all things to all people so that he may, by all means, save them. More importantly Hudson Taylor was following the example of the Incarnate Son of God.
4. The leadership mindset
I believe that leadership is the defining need of the Church if its mission is to be successful. Whilst personal devotion to God and Biblical Truth are the foundation of Christian ministry our thinking needs to be regularly challenged and stretched if we are to stay engaged with our ever changing culture. Often the Church is stuck in yesterday’s way of doing thing’s,” it worked then so it should work now” is a dangerous fallacy. Churches that are doing it like their grandparents are dying all over the world. Our minds must never become set. Our basic beliefs do not alter, but the way we ‘package’ them must. Listed below are principles I was given years ago. Principles that I believe will result in us keeping our thinking fresh, fluid and open.
a. Develop a childlike sense of wonder
Creative genius is recognising the uniqueness in the unimpressive. It is looking at a caterpillar, an ordinary egg and a selfish child and seeing a butterfly, an eagle, a saint.
Paul Macready, a 64 year old American, developed the first machine that could fly propelled by human effort for more than 2km. Why is he so creative? Nobel laureate physicist Murray Gell-Mann, a Pasadena neighbour and close friend says, “He approaches nature and daily life with an innocent sense of wonder. He approaches problems and learning about new things in the same way, without strongly held, preconceived notions.”
b. Curiosity and Imagination
For Plato curiosity was the mother of knowledge. The 3M Company encourage employees to spend up to 15% of their time in creative thinking. We Christians have creative ability because we are made in the image of a creator God. Creativity is working with rather than against, the creator. Alexander Fleming said, “I have been accused of inventing penicillin but that’s impossible. A mould has been making it for thousands of years. All I did was bring it to your notice!”
c. Be a risk taker
I believe in getting in hot water! It keeps you clean. Like mocking birds conformists are always echoing someone else’s song, fearful of going out on a limb with a tune of their own. Remember only a mediocre person is always at his best. Improvisation corrected by feedback was Franklin Roosevelt’s way, “The country needs bold, persistent experimentation”, he declared, “take a method and try it; if it fails, admit it and try another. But above all try something!
d. Understand the creative process
• PREPARATION – a concerted effort to solve the problem. Sometimes leads to frustration.
• INCUBATION – the problem is left alone.
• ILLUMINATION or INSIGHT – the answer comes.
• VERIFICATION – the new idea is tested.
e. Know your own mind
The left and right side of the brain are specialised in different types of mental function. The left seems to be good at logical, rational thinking, numeric, analysing language etc.
The right side of the brain is better at synthesizing ideas and visual-spatial tasks. Both sides are important in the creative process. If you are more one sided, as most are you will need to find a way to compensate.
f. Encourage mavericks
Capt. Grace Hopper (in 1993 she was the US Navy’s oldest serving officer – 76 years) had a clock in her office that ran anti-clockwise. It was there to remind people that things don’t have to always be done the conventional way.
A librarian had the job to move 60 tons of books. The authorities budgeted to pay the removal company. She wanted the money for more books. She published an article in the press to ask readers to take all their winter reading at once, and return the books in the spring – to the new library. The cost was drastically reduced.
g. Internalise hope
"Some see things as they are and ask “why?”
I see things as they never were and ask “why not?” "
In conclusion it is vital that as leaders we stay connected with our congregations and seek ways to connect meaningfully with our communities. The church is charged with the task of making the Christian message relevant and assessable. To help us achieve this objective we need to stay faithful to our core beliefs whilst intentionally building a mindset that is engaged with life and society.
Here is some brilliant news: The church is not here to be ignored. The church is to influence culture and bring about massive change.
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CAMPUS
