“Lints explains why we cannot stop with our
doctrinal foundation but must also look at our setting—our historical moment
and our cultural location:
“Having
recognized the source of the conversation [God], we must then take into account
those with whom he speaks. God does not speak in a vacuum but to and through
people, and in and through history. The speech of God…is addressed to people
across different cultural histories, and for this reason (among others), it is
often misunderstood and misinterpreted…
Nicodemus
and the Pharisees stood in a tradition, were conditioned by a culture, and
applied certain principles of rationality to their own conversations with
Jesus. We do the same today. It is…[critical that] the people of God [come] to
the awareness of their historical, cultural and rational filters so that they
will not be ruled by them.”[2]
This reveals, I believe, one (among others) of the
key reasons for failures in fruitfulness. We must discern where and how the
culture can be challenged and affirmed. The answers to these questions have
enormous impact on how we preach, evangelize, organize, lead, disciple, and
shepherd people.
“A
theological vision allows [people] to see their culture in a way different than
they had ever been able to see it before…Those who are empowered by the
theological vision do not simply stand against the mainstream impulses of the
culture but take the initiative both to understand and speak to that culture
from the framework of the scriptures…The modern theological vision must seek to
bring the entire counsel of God into the world of its time in order that its
time might be transformed.”[3]
Keller, then responds the Lints. “I propose a
similar but slightly more specific set of questions for the development of a
theological vision. As we answer these questions, a theological vision will
emerge:
·
What is the gospel, and how do we
bring it to bear on the hearts of people today?
·
What is this culture like, and how can
we both connect to it and challenge it in our communication?
·
Where are we located—city, suburb,
town, rural area—and how does this affect our ministry?
·
To what degree and how should
Christians be involved in civic life and cultural production?
·
How do the various ministries in a
church—word and deed, community and instruction—relate to one another?
·
How innovative will our church be and
how traditional?
·
How will our church relate to other
churches in our city and region?
·
How will we make our case to the
culture about the truth of Christianity?”[4]
“This concept of a theological vision
explains how, for example, our
conservative Presbyterian denomination, in which all churches share the same
detailed doctrinal foundation (Westminster Confession of Faith) can be deeply
divided over ministry expressions and methods, such as music, preaching styles,
approach to organization and leadership, forms of outreach, and so on. The
reason is that churches with the same basic doctrines are shaped by different
theological visions because they are answering these questions about culture,
tradition, and rationality differently.”[5]
The framework Keller is developing here is
presented to provide the local church, no matter where it is located, with a
theological basis for ministry in what I call, “complex culture.” I whole-heartedly
recommend this book.
[1] Keller,
Timothy. Center Church: Doing Balanced Gospel-Centered
Ministry in Your City. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 2012.
[2] Lints,
Richard. A Fabric of Theology: A
Prolegomenon to Evangelical Theology. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 1993, p.
83.
[3] Ibid. p. 316-17.
[4] Keller,
Timothy. Center Church: Doing Balanced Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City.
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 2012, p. 18.
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