The church in America, and particularly the preachers, have gotten something of a black eye in the last twenty years or so with scandals of different varieties. In particular, there's rarely much good coverage in mainstream media of an institution seen by so many as elitist and "non-tolerant." Certainly, not much is said about the effective preaching of the Gospel and the positive, life-changing impact it can have in people's lives.
With this in mind, I read two articles in the New York Times over the past few months with quite a bit of interest. First of all, check out this article about the booming "gigachurch" of Joel Osteen (don't feel like doing the free registration? Check out BugMeNot). While I haven't done much independent research on his church and ministry, it is certainly not portrayed in the most positive light here, with the emphasis on material prosperity and the lack of emphasis on the Gospel as a life- and soul-changing message that may not change your monetary status.
Contrast with this article about Tim Keller and Redeemer Church in Manhattan (PDF file). Also in the New York Times, there seems to be less of a cynical tone to the article, acknowledging the church's charity work and the impact that Keller's preaching is having on the city, particularly right after 9/11. Perhaps most impressive of all, it focuses on the mission statement to enter the culture, challenge it, and show the relevance of Jesus in every aspect: "You need to enter into a person's worldview, challenge it, and retell the story based on the Gospel. The problem is, evangelicals have always started with challenging the worldview. We don't have any credibility."
The difference between the two is startling, and I think it provides food for thought on how Christians can best "shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life" (Phil 3:15-16).
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2 comments:
I couldn't read the Joel Osteen article bu the Redeemer article was excellent, and in particular like the point you make about having the courage to move out into the non-Christian world/worldview and connecting Jesus' story to it.
It's a good lesson as I interact with my non-Christian peers, to apporach then in a spirit of love, acceptance, and charity. To use a more secular phrase, "don't shoot from the hip".
oo! BugMeNot's great!!! :)
i tend to agree with your comments on the articles. i especially like Dr. Keller's quote: "if you seek power before service, you'll neither get power, nor serve. If you seek to serve people more than gain power, you will not only serve poeple, you will gain influence. That's very much the way Jesus did it." so true.
Osteen's popularity worries me cuz it feels like he's saying God's like a genie who wants to grant your every wish. But that's definitely not how it works. So when ppl in his congregation don't get what they pray for, then wat?
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