Heart & Soul
January 1, 1998
Is it possible to turn this bucket of water
upside down without spilling any?" our science teacher asked. We junior highers thought we knew the answer. Nope. Not without a lid. But when the teacher grabbed the pail by the handle and swung it like a windmill,
we saw the bucket upside down at the height of its orbit, and not a drop
spilled out. Students, meet centrifugal force. Last summer I co-taught a D.Min. class of pastors from China, Korea, Australia,
the Philippines, and the United States, each student from a different
denomination. Yet every one had experienced conflict over worship styles.
Some had seen their churches split. Students, meet another kind of centrifugal
force. In this case, the force causes things to fly apart, not stay in the bucket.
Today's consumer culture threatens
to pull our churches apart.
It's not just worship styles that fragment churches. That's but one evidence
of a larger centrifugal force—today's consumer culture, with its incessant
choices—that threatens to pull our churches apart. Traditional Christian virtues of obedience and submission have to be reengineered
in a culture that provides options for everything from restaurant seating
(smoking or nonsmoking) to Bible translations (inclusive language or
gender-specific language). Every pastor knows the challenge of ministry in
a world in which each individual selects a church (and may choose to leave
tomorrow) not only on the basis of doctrine, but also: - Toward what preaching voice they incline their ear—fellow struggler or confident
authority, inspirational or informational, emphasis on unconditional acceptance
or emphasis on responsible behavior?
- What social sensibilities are tolerable—wine or Welch's, egalitarian or
male-led, Broadway plays or bowling league, politically active or not so?
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