Brad East, a professor of theology at Abilene Christian University, has become one of my favorite theologians. I value theologians, who I can trust to be scripture centered, but yet speak clearly, in a fresh, new way the “old story” of Jesus and his love. Recently he wrote an article for Mere Orthodoxy entitled, “Once more, church and culture.” He begins with this statement: “The West will always carry within it its Christian past – whether as a living wellspring, a lingering shadow, a haunting ghost, or an exorcised demon – but it is indisputable that whatever the West has become, it is not what it once was, Christendom is no more.”
East believes “there is no one ‘correct’ type, posture, or model” in engaging with our present day culture. “Instead, the church has four primary modes of faithful engagement with culture. They are inevitably overlapping and essentially non-competitive with one another. Which mode is called for depends entirely on context and content……..typically they are all at work simultaneously…….each mode applies in every possible historical and political context: premodern and postmodern, established and disestablished, privileged and persecuted.” Here are the four modes:
First, Resistance: The church is called to resist injustice and idolatry. Sometimes all that it takes is sheer perseverance, while on other occasions the cost is higher.
Second, Repentance: The church is always and everywhere called to repent of its sins, crimes, and failures. Judgement must begin at the house of God (I Peter 4:17). The credibility of the gospel is rarely threatened by the church’s failures as much as by its unwillingness to admit them.
Third, Reception: The church is always and everywhere called to receive from the world the many blessings bestowed upon it by God.
Fourth, Reform: The church is always and everywhere called to preach the gospel which is the word of God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. Another term for this task of proclamation is prophecy.
East then lists six benefits he sees using this fourfold model:
First, it does not privilege any one mode but takes for granted that context is everything.
Second, it does not prioritize work as the primary sphere in which the church encounters a culture or makes its presence known.
Third, it does not focus on any one class or persons within the church but instead on the community as a whole
Fourth, these modes are not necessarily measurable in terms of external and tangible impact. These forms of engagement are “modes” of life.
Fifth, there is no specific social arrangement or political regime either presupposed or generated by this proposal. It applies whether the church has power or has none.
Sixth, the proposal understands that the faithful presence of the church is a differentiated presence. The church’s witness is measured not only by its presence to the world but also by its difference from the world. That difference is called holiness.
East’s proposal is his attempt to speak about the church’s place in society after Christendom. As followers of Jesus, we each in our own context will continue to struggle with the question of Christ and culture. Each of East’s modes are always in play, that is, they naturally part of our lifestyle.
For men, this proposal helps remind us of simply wanting to be humble, loving followers of Jesus. Phil. 2:1-2 seems to fit East’s proposal, when it asks, “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. ”
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