A saying has been circulating of late that says something like, "People in our society really like our Jesus. They just don't much like Christians." What is wrong with how Christians (the Church) go about trying to make a meaningful impact on society? Or, as a friend recently remarked, "How do Christians 'contend' without being 'contentious?'"
I was reading recently from Devotional Classics by Richard Foster. In that book he highlights various believers who have impacted our world. William Temple (1881-1944) is one of those individuals. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942-1944. He was a "tireless church reformer and leader of Christian social movements." This is what Temple says needs to happen if the church expects to make an impact on society.
IF THE CHURCH EXPECTS TO IMPACT SOCIETY SHE MUST…
- Possess some understanding of the needs she wants to address and then offer practical ideas to bring the “existing order” closer to her “Christian Principles.”
- Stand in a Christ-like tension between reform and status-quo. She must continue to influence and permeate both sides (the influencers and the complacent).
- Keep God and not self at the center of the solutions so that His love and compassion is clearly seen.
- Use “Christian Principles” to guide her solutions to reform, to supply clear principles upon which to build a better world.
- Be obedient to God’s laws. All thinking starts with God and moves from the temporal to the eternal.
- Understand that the true value (dignity) of man is in the eye of “The Beloved” beholder. All of our lives should be ordered with this dignity in view.
- Reflect the glory of the lord – This is her destiny. Her social life (the lives of believers) should be ordered with that destiny in view.
This is sound advice for those who desire to contend for the faith without being contentious; for those who expect to impact our culture. Think about it.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT YOUR THOUGHTS?
