Many people in ministry devote a considerable portion of their time striving for "relevance." The quest for relevance often determines everything about the form and function of the contemporary North American church. Tragically, in striving to create a link between biblical truth and contemporary secular culture, some churches are going a bridge too far.
At issue is not the message. Most readily agree that the gospel is relevant for all people in all cultures. In churches committed to a biblical gospel, the issue of creating relevance centers instead on the messenger. For those pursuing relevance, the assumption seems to be that unless the messenger is just like the audience, they will not hear or accept the message.
I have found that one of the best ways to determine how a church addresses the issue of relevance is to take a look at the youth pastor. Because youth are the primary drivers of cultural change, it's only natural that ministry to youth and young adults would be the primary battleground over issues of relevance. While perusing church web sites, I found one from central Texas that was particularly disturbing to me. As with many church web sites, this one had a personal profile for each of the eleven staff members of the church. I opened the profile for the youth pastor and following a brief bio there appeared this list of favorites.
The following list was cut & pasted from a church web site youth pastor profile:
Movies: 300, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, American History X, Man on Fire, Snatch, Heat, Dogma, Good Will Hunting, As Good as it Get, Full Metal Jacket, Matrix Trilogy, Crash, Pride and Prejudice (the 6 hour version),The Passion of Christ, Wayne's World, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Dirty Harry or any old Clint Eastwood (even the spaghetti westerns)
Music: I'm very ecclectic. I listen to almost anything, but have an affinity for Led Zeppelin.
Books: The Bible, Desiring God by John Piper, The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll, The Celtic Way of Evangelism by Hunter, The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society by Newbigin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion by Calvin, Warranted Christian Belief by Plantinga, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Beyond Liberalism and Fundamentalism by Murphy, Some General stuff by N.T. Wright, The Book of God by Wangerin, The AntiChrist by Nietzsche...and a bunch of other stuff
Hobbies: getting into trouble with my kids, working on cars, writing, lifting weights
I believe that this is a perfect example of seeking to find relevance through commonality. I'll give the youth pastor and the church the benefit of the doubt and believe that they are motivated by a desire to make themselves appear open, honest, and normal - for the purpose of winning more to Christ. The youth pastor's ongoing appreciation of such worldly entertainment is not a sign of spiritual immaturity, but rather an advertisement of his effectiveness in ministry. You see that this youth pastor is just like your teenager - he can relate. The messenger is just like the audience, and therefore he and his message will be relevant to the youth.
There is a certain logic to the train of thought, but it has deep flaws.
During my years in seminary the classroom was often alive with debate on what relevant ministry looks like in the early 21st century. For those advocating a policy of relevance through commonality, the first line of defense was that "Jesus hung out with sinners." This is true - he came to serve those who were sick and in need of a physician. The incarnation shows clearly that God desired to enter the world of sinful man in a way that was immediately relevant and personal. Yet Jesus did not pursue relevance by becoming a sinner - quite the opposite. He was winsome because he was a perfect person who offered love and hope rather than condemnation. What makes the gospel relevant and enduring is that despite the myriad temptations he endured, Jesus was able to overcome them all and live a sinless life. He promises to his followers both forgiveness and the reality of overcoming sin (Heb. 4:15-16).
Even the best intentioned followers of Christ remain aware of their lifelong, daily struggle with sin. All humans are born into sin. When we are honest, we can all relate to one another regarding weakness in the face of temptation. Christians relate the gospel best not when they share their failures with sin, but when they share their triumphs over sin. My ability to relate as a man to other men does not require that I appear naked to prove my masculinity. The ability for the gospel to relate to sinners does not require the exposing of sin in the lives of those ministering.
The old Christian analogy of evangelism as "one beggar showing another beggar where to find food" captures most simply the fact that we are all sinners in need of a savior. A more accurate rendering might read "one well-fed beggar showing a starving beggar where to find food." If the food has not made a difference in the life of one beggar, why would it be of any interest to another? If my "Christian life" looks no different than the lives of the non-Christian, then I have stripped Christ of any life changing power or purpose. The relevance of the gospel lies in its power to lead us out of and away from sin. The relevance of the messenger lies in his or her ability to articulate and demonstrate the truth of that power.
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