August 2017 - GOD IN WORK

Building His Church Out in the World

To say that our world is changing is an understatement. We have witnessed major shifts politically, technologically, religiously, economically and morally. It should lead us to ask how Christ is building His church in these days. At one time, Christianity influenced most of the western world. Some countries have the imprint of Christianity woven throughout their early history. The Christian faith was considered at the center of society, bringing an influence on local culture and national policy. The laws made in some of these countries reflected the belief in an infinite personal God who they saw as actively a part of their origin and national affairs. The church flourished under these conditions. It gained wealth and political weight, and at times it used these to build churches, schools for training, and benevolent organizations like hospitals and orphanages to help those in need. However, at times it also used these to build a power base to become a controlling force in society. There are some who saw this dominant persuasion as God’s means of building His church and kingdom in the world.

As power increased for the church, Christianity began to be identified more by culture and politics than by true authentic faith. It no longer was viewed as a faith common to all people of different nationalities and different cultures, but instead you were a Christian because of your birth and nationality. With its powerful influence, the (more…)

Facing our Differences

We live in a world where personal, cultural, religious, and political differences among people are being highlighted through the media daily. Most people agree that these differences exist, and that they create problems which set people at odds with one another. While various efforts are being made to address and try to solve these problems, it seems that two predominant models have developed and become the center of attention. I use the word model, because it represents a particular life style or traits that are being presented and reproduced within culture and seen as normative. First there is the model of the “Melting Pot,” and then there is the one of “Polarization.” The “Melting Pot Model” encourages people to have a dialog with one another about their differences in order to understand each other’s ideas and beliefs. Another way this can work is by coordinating people together under a common project that provides them an opportunity to work together. Both ways have the expectation that when people with differences work together at something, their differences will somehow dissolve. It often can, but for a short time. The problem is… people still hold to their ideas and beliefs, and these will usually surface and create new controversy when they are confronted within a given situation. The “Polarizing Model” seeks to present an over exaggerated and extreme contrast between people’s differences. We see this daily on the news…when people strongly disagree with someone else’s views and project the idea that… either you must totally agree with me or you must treat me as an enemy whom you hate. This only accentuates people’s differences and drives them further apart. The reality is… both models, in one degree or another, are asking people to ignore or deny their differences. (more…)