The million dollar question...

I had the privilege of being in class last week with Dr. Michael Horton. He was here at RTS teaching a course titled 'Ministry in the Postmodern Context'. I have to be honest, the course title was a bit misleading. This was definitely not a practical theology class. It was more like an historical philosophy/theology class. I have to admit I got lost a few times in our whirlwind tour from Plato to Ricouer, but I learned quite a bit.

On Tuesday morning, before we launched on the whirlwind philosophical tour, he lectured a bit about technology and its influence on our culture. Undoubtedly our society moves at a rapid pace and things change all the time. Every month there is a new gadget that everyone just has to have. Songs become popular and then 6-8 weeks later something else comes along and replaces them. Television shows come and go. Fashion trends change yearly. We are clearly a data-driven society. Information flows fast and freely and the tides of life are now changing faster than ever.

Then comes Dr. Horton's million dollar question: "How can a culture of perpetual innovation serve a religion in which the God of this religion says “I will be a God to you and your children and your children's children after you?"

I have been thinking a lot about this since last week. Obviously we cannot change things in just one generation. It's not like we can just flip a switch and everything will slow down. But I do think we need to stop and see how this society has affected the Church. Have we not become market driven? As one example, consider how swiftly we introduce new songs and then sweep them out the back door once they aren't "cool" anymore. It's quite striking if you think about it.

One thing I like about Dr. Horton's quote above is that he recognizes that ultimately the culture serves the Church. The logic of mass popular culture cannot be the culture of the church. Rather the Church should strive to stand out while among the culture. Our commitment to the timeless, unchanging principles of the Church should be a beacon of light in this present evil age that we live in. I'm not saying that we cannot introduce anything new and innovative in the church (i.e. songs or technology), but we need to stop and reassess just how much we have capitulated to the culture. Not only for our sake now, but for the sake of the generations to come.