Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1992

Of Horses and Buggies and Shining Lightse
J. P. Drost

Sometimes on a Sunday morning, on our way to a preaching assignment, my wife and I drive northwest from the city of Kitchener into Mennonite country. The sight that never ceases to fascinate us on these trips is that of horse-drawn carriages destined for Services of Worship at various meeting places.

The sight is unique because it is so out of character with the prevailing culture of which we are a part. However, when we watch the horse-drawn buggies carrying their passengers clad in black, we realize that there is a deliberation behind their way of life. Old Order Mennonites, in living as they do, make the unequivocal statement that they renounce the world and obey the Christ of the Holy Scriptures.

That brings me to the theme of the September issue: Christianity and Culture. The question that we have attempted to raise is how does the Christian and the Christian church respond to the world or to the culture of which they are a part. Unlike Old Order Mennonites who have chosen to live in almost every aspect apart from the world, we have chosen to live in the world and to interact with that world.

There is much in the world that is in opposition to the will and the purposes of God. When the Bible speaks of "the world" (as in I John 2:15,16) reference is made to that sphere of life where God's will and purposes are considered of no consequence or where in fact they are actively opposed. It is that sphere of life where man is considered "the measure of all things" or in which "man is a law unto himself'- he is not accountable to God.

It is here that the Christian and the Christian Church are liable to come in conflict with the world. By virtue of the new birth (John 3) originating in Christ's redemption and effected by the Holy Spirit, the Christian belongs to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is that "sphere" where God rules by His Word and Spirit, and where the Christian is called to live in obedience to that Word. That obedience is radical (Matthew 5:29) and cannot, therefore, tolerate conformity (Romans 12:1,2). The Church is the "sign" of the Kingdom of God. It is within its fellowship particularly that Christians manifest life under God's rule, although here too, we do not escape the taint of sin.

Even though there is much in the world that is opposed to God, it is nevertheless true that God is redemptively at work in the world; His saving and redeeming Presence is not absent but active. His love has not been withdrawn from the world (John 3:16). The whole creation groans in travail longing to be delivered! (Romans 8:22) The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt (John 16:8) - God is carrying out a redemptive cleansing. In all of this the Church is an instrument in God's Hand (Ephesians 1:22). Therefore, as much as the Church cannot affirm the world (world affirmation), neither can the Church renounce the world outrightly (world renunciation). Instead the Church must relate its faith to the world both critically and redemptively. Here are three suggestions as to how this may be done:

1. The Church must take a stand on issues that confront the world, society and culture. It must do that Biblically and responsibly. To quote a familiar text in this context: "she must work out her salvation in fear and trembling." The most serious mistake the Church can make is to oversimplify the issues and its answers to these issues.

2. The Church must make the Gospel relevant in the context in which it is presented both in the form of preaching and of presence. Several articles in this issue deal with that aspect. To make the Gospel relevant does not mean that the world is allowed to set the agenda; but it does mean, in the words of Francis Schaeffer "to bring together Biblical answers and existential questions."

3. The Church must demonstrate in its life and lifestyle a costly discipleship which takes seriously:

a. a commitment to the Truth concerning Father, Son and Holy Spirit as revealed in Holy Scriptures;

b. a commitment to the Gospel mandate to extend the Church beyond itself and "into the world";

c. a commitment to the Body of Christ to live out the new life into which the Church was born.

Thus shall our light be allowed to shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

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