Two Steps Forward
The 2nd in a series on culture and our stance within it
This is the second (of four?) in a series on culture and our stance (and the stance of Christians in particular) in it. As a result, this one - and maybe the next couple - might be a little more “bibley”. In making this case to those within the church, there isn’t another way to do it.
Take
A couple of dispatches ago, I was critical of John MacArthur for his “culture war” response to what should have been a non-controversy involving advice to a grandmother. I don’t have a fixation on Dr. MacArthur, but he provides another illustration for this series. In apparent celebration of black history month …
… in February comments more widely circulated this month, California pastor and theologian John MacArthur called King “not a Christian at all,” “a nonbeliever who misrepresented everything about Christ and the gospel.” He also called The Gospel Coalition (TGC) “woke” for honoring King in its MLK50 conference in 2018, implying this signaled the end of TGC’s faithfulness and orthodoxy.
I want to state what I would hope doesn’t need to be stated: I disagree with pastor MacArthur on all the statements he is making here. That disclaimer aside, I note these comments not to stake my claim but because they are an example of the shrinking circles of who is ‘approved’ and the expanding circles of the banished, disfavored, and disapproved. I am using a conservative Christian evangelical as an example, but the phenomenon exists everywhere, it seems. It is something we are becoming enculturated to. The definition of orthodoxy of any and all types shrinks in our culture, if we do not resist the shrinking. A deviation in one small aspect disqualifies the newly designated heretic forever - they are no longer one of us.
View
There is a principle that those within the Christian church have claimed for centuries: In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. There are essentials, but there aren’t very many of them. In Christianity, maybe ten, maybe a dozen - not more. Even the reformation creeds, generally much longer, are broken into a similar number of chapters. The Westminster Confession of Faith - the preeminent protestant creed in the English language, is broken into nine sections, normally. (The WCF is long on paper, because most every page is more than half covered by the scriptural footnotes.) When we create dozens or hundreds of qualifying points of orthodoxy, the result is shrinking and dividing … and, to the point I hope to make soon, withdrawing. We withdraw deeper into our own shrinking groups, and we grow farther away from everyone else.
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.
In fact, the trend in our culture is that growing farther and farther away from the “bad” people is good and that has become a baseline assumption for many in the church - even a baseline marker of virtue. This is wrong on two fronts. First in the drawing of these circles of condemnation in the first place, and second in moving away from those within them. The movement relationally the bible is most interested in is in the other direction. This trend of the drawing of these circles and moving away from is a misunderstanding, but it has a long history in our culture, and across many cultures - it appears to be a common human instinct. Of course, biblical religion - really almost all religion - seeks often to redirect some of these common instincts. An example of such a redirection is found in Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, alongside a longer explanation of what movement in the opposite direction might look like.
In this letter, Paul seeks to clear up a misunderstanding in an earlier instruction he has given to this church. He had taught them earlier how to handle a situation of sexual immorality in the church. Some had apparently misunderstood and began to judge those outside the church who were living according to a different sexual ethic and belief structure. The biblical instruction for the church is to tend to our own immoral, hypocritical … etc. behavior.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world … What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? (1 Corinthians 5:9-10, 12)
The example in the opening seems to be a disagreement within the church - except MacArthur apparently sees it differently. But even within the church - unity, liberty, charity. I think I have mentioned before that Dr. King’s theological understanding is different from mine. But it isn’t my job to throw him (or anyone) out of the church. Just for the record, it is my belief that he belongs in it. But I am not the standard bearer or the bouncer or the mall cop of the church - and neither is Dr. MacArthur or anyone else you may or may not have encountered on social media. It is fair to point out if there are disagreements in the essentials - but that is where we can leave it, if that is necessary to communicate - which for the sake of theological clarity, it may sometimes be. But the larger cultural trend includes all of us - within the church and without.
Who am I to judge those outside …? Exactly, but we do it all the time. The point I am making relates to the circle drawing and retreating that we do when we look out at our culture - at ‘those’ people. When we look into our own house, we are to look with clarity and with charity. When we look out toward those who live and believe differently, it is to be with curiosity, connection, grace, and a demonstration of the hope we are called to have. We must not retreat into our own circle. We must instead step forward, in fact, we should take two steps forward - in the face of cultural resistance. It seems we forget that Jesus did this - going to the homes of tax collectors and prostitutes for dinner. Or we put Him in a different class … yes, but that’s Jesus … except He serves as a picture of God’s character, mission, and message. A picture we are to emulate. Granted, that is pretty difficult, but it is still our calling.
But here we will use Paul as our example - as he emulates Jesus/ It is later in this same letter to this same troubled and disunified church:
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
Sometimes there is a biblical passage that completely fits our priors, so we talk about it all the time - to the extent even of taking it out of context and twisting it farther toward our priors. And sometimes there is a biblical passage that does not fit our priors, or that we don’t really know what to do with - so we kind of ignore it. In my long experience in the church, this is one of those passages for lots of people. When I am talking to a group in a church about culture and use this passage, I lose a few people here. To be fair, we don’t know exactly what it means to “become like”. And it may sound scary to some church people that we should “become like” those outside the church. But there it is. It isn’t going anywhere.
We may not know exactly what it means, but we can say a few things about it. The purpose of “becoming like” here is the same purpose Jesus had - to represent the love, truth, grace of the kingdom in this environment where this kingdom demonstration is rare or non-existent. So it does not mean dissolving into the culture around us, it involves a meaningful representation of the kingdom - translated into a setting in a way it can be understood, seen. It means adapting culturally without betraying this kingdom representation. I’m not saying I am good at it, but that is what it is.
It means moving towards. It requires taking a step forward - maybe two steps forward. One of the reasons I write this little newsletter is to say something in the world that is at least a bit of a movement outward. I may not say much, but I am trying to say it in a way that various people in various circles can see it and understand it and perhaps relate to it - shedding all the unnecessary cultural tripwires that may get in the way. Moving toward the professionals, the young, the anxious, the educated, the working, the neighbors and friends and family members, the red and the blue, the successful and those limping along - two steps forward, toward. And while stepping, we are to listen, learn, adapt, develop curiosity, humility … while we demonstrate the fruit of God’s work in us. Toward them is toward Him. Away from them isn’t.
Links
Gnats and Camels - The Embassy
Why John MacArthur Is Wrong About MLK - Justin Giboney - Christianity Today - March 8, 2024
John MacArthur says MLK was not a Christian and The Gospel Coalition is ‘woke’ - Mark Wingfield - Baptist News - March 3, 2024
Evangelical Free Church of America Statement of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith
