Thu 20 Nov, 2008
American Vision has posted two excellent articles on their blog [Good Trees and Bad Trees] and [As Far as the Curse if Found]. In them, blogger Eric Rauch highlights an important concept explained in Andy Crouch’s book Culture Making, the fact that cultural change is only possible through individual change and that change is only possible through the Gospel.
“Culture—making something of the world, moving the horizons of possibility and impossibility—is what human beings do and are meant to do. Transformed culture is at the heart of God’s mission in the world, and it is the call of God’s redeemed people. But changing the world is the one thing that we cannot do. As it turns out, fully embracing this paradoxical reality is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian culture maker. ” Crouch p. 189
What Crouch is saying is that God changes culture through the Gospel, not our circumstance, or our efforts in organizing boycotts, protests or political action. It starts in the heart of the individual. The Christian’s realization of that fact is key. For its through a Christian’s humility and response to the Gospel that “lasting” change is ultimately affected. This is exactly what Paul the Apostle was saying in 1 Corinthians 1:17-21 :
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”
This is why the idea of the multi-generational vision of faithfulness is so important. God’s command to Christians is to take dominion of the Earth, harnessing it for the glory of God. That can only happen if we have a right view of ourselves individually and corporately. Its not about the numbers, it’s about the individual’s heart. God, through Jesus, has called each Christian into His service with the command of being faithful to follow Him and to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) This process starts in the sphere that is closest to us, our family. A changed family is God’s “force multiplier”.
Cultural change does not happen by supporting a cause or movement but by responding to the Gospel and living by its grace each day.
"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect" John Owen, Puritan
