“the great omission” or the “enduring problem”? bruce l. guenther, ph.d mennonite brethren...

““The Great Omission”The Great Omission”

or theor the

“Enduring Problem”? “Enduring Problem”?

Bruce L. Guenther, Ph.DBruce L. Guenther, Ph.DMennonite Brethren Biblical Mennonite Brethren Biblical SeminarySeminaryACTS SeminariesACTS Seminaries

IntroductionIntroduction

1. Tertullian (c. 160-c. 225) versus Justin Martyr (c. 100-165)

2. H. Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962) and the “enduring problem”

3. Evangelical Protestant responses to culture in the 19th & 20th centuries – from withdrawal to indiscriminate consumption

4. Life in “exponential times”

The “Great Omission”The “Great Omission”

Contributing factors to an historic reticenceContributing factors to an historic reticence

1. Influence of fundamentalism1. Influence of fundamentalism

2. Immigration / ethnic minority experience2. Immigration / ethnic minority experience

3. Influence of dispensational premillennialism3. Influence of dispensational premillennialism

4. Various theological imbalances4. Various theological imbalances- Careless dualism between spiritual and secular- Careless dualism between spiritual and secular- Exclusive priority given to the “Great Commission”- Exclusive priority given to the “Great Commission”- Priority given to doctrines of salvation and scripture - Priority given to doctrines of salvation and scripture over doctrines of creation and incarnationover doctrines of creation and incarnation- Over emphasis on certain ecclessiological models- Over emphasis on certain ecclessiological models

Defining CultureDefining Culture

1. Originally a noun referring to cultivation, tillage - Later the word came to be associated with human development

2. Associated with excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training; acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from less sophisticated vocational and technical skills

Defining CultureDefining Culture

The Broad Sense – “The Life of a People”

“The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon humanity’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; (b) the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; (c) the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation” (Dictionary)

Defining CultureDefining CultureThe Broad Sense – The life of a peopleThe Broad Sense – The life of a people

“That total process of human activity and that total result of that activity to which now the name culture, now the name civilization, is applied in common speech” (Niebuhr)

“Any human effort or labour expended upon the cosmos, to unearth its treasures and its riches and bring them into the service of humanity for the enrichment of human existence” (van Til)

“TThe total structure of shared concepts and behaviour patterns in which a group of people live”

Defining CultureDefining CultureThe Narrow Sense – The “heartbeat” of a peopleThe Narrow Sense – The “heartbeat” of a people

“Culture is the world of human meaning, the sum total of a people’s works that express in objective form their highest beliefs, values, and hopes - in short, their vision of what it is to be fully human. Culture is a text that calls for interpretation” (Vanhoozer)

““the system of concepts and behaviours that embodies what a group values most and holds tightest”

a “web of significance,” an interconnected system of meaningful signs that cry out for interpretation and understanding (Geertz)

““the lens through which a vision of life and social order is the lens through which a vision of life and social order is expressed, experienced, and explored: it is a lived expressed, experienced, and explored: it is a lived worldview” (Vanhoozer)worldview” (Vanhoozer)

What does the Bible say What does the Bible say about culture?about culture?

A. “The World” in the Bible (Part A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 1)1)

Psalm 24:1; Nahum 1:5; Acts 17:24; 1 Peter 1:20

Creation or nature God’s “Earth-making”



John 3:16-17; John 12:46John 16:28; John 17:18; John 1:9-10

All peoples and what they have done in and with creation

Humanity’s “World-making”



1 John 2:15-17; John 15:18-19John 16:33; John 17:14; 1 John 5:4;

Romans 12:2

Opposition to God and His purposes“Worldliness”


Defining and understanding “worldliness”Defining and understanding “worldliness”

1. P1. Persons who live with loyalties that vie for the allegiance, attachment, priority and commitment that belongs only to Christ

2. Avoid defining worldliness only on the basis of 2. Avoid defining worldliness only on the basis of participation in specific cultural activitiesparticipation in specific cultural activities

3. Cannot be avoided by geographical isolation 3. Cannot be avoided by geographical isolation or attempts at cultural separationor attempts at cultural separation


A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 4)A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 4)

Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8; John 17:6-19

The legitimacy of our calling to be in the world

“The Creation or Cultural Mandate”


1. Differentiate clearly between earth (creation), world (culture/society), and worldliness

2. TheThe capacity and inclination for world-making is a result of being made in God’s image

3. The calling to be involved in culture is not annulled by a commitment to being a disciple of Jesus

4. Recognize that all human beings including Christians are inextricably embedded in culture

5. 5. Avoid perpetuating confusion about culture through the careless use of language

6. Identify genuine worldliness and adopt appropriate strategies for avoiding it

Testing your postureTesting your postureRank in order of priority (1 = most important)

the following considerations when thinking about the relationship between culture and the church:

___ Prophetically identifying and challenging those aspects of contemporary culture that need to be resisted or replaced by Christians.

___ Exerting influence and pursuing partnerships within contemporary culture so that it becomes more consistent with Christian values and standards.

___ Encouraging Christians to find places of beauty and refuge in order to endure faithfully the difficulties and challenges they face in contemporary culture.

___ Redeeming aspects of contemporary culture by helping Christians evangelize and influence their individual spheres.

Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling

(2008)Differentiating between “postures” and “gestures”

1. Condemning Culture: Fundamentalist Withdrawal

2. Critiquing Culture: Evangelical Engagement

3. Copying Culture: The Jesus Movement and CCM

4. Consuming Culture: Evangelicalism’s Present Tense

5. Should be “Cultivating”

6. Should be “Creating”

H. Richard Niebuhr’s H. Richard Niebuhr’s TypologyTypology

Christ Against Culture - rejection or opposition to culture

Christ of Culture - harmonization of Christ and the greatest human achievements and aspirationsChrist Above Culture - Christ fulfills all

human aspirations by is also moreChrist and Culture in Paradox - conflictChrist Transforming Culture - change

Howard Snyder’s TypologyHoward Snyder’s Typology

Snyder’s Eight Models of the Kingdom 1. as a Future Hope2. as an Inner Spiritual Experience3. as Mystical Communion of Saints4. as Institutional Church5. as a Counter-system6. as a Political State7. as Christianized Culture8. as an Earthly Utopia

Public/Social

Heavenly

Present

Future

Sudden

Gradual

Human Action

DivineAction

Earthly

Individual Private

The Kingdom of God & Responding to Culture

Not the Church

Through the Church

Avery Dulles, Models of the Church (1988)

1. Church as Institution

2. Church as Community

3. The Church as Sacrament

4. Church as Herald

5. Church as Servant

6. Church as Community of Disciples

Models of Church/World Models of Church/World EngagementEngagement

(Adapted from Os Guinness, (Adapted from Os Guinness, The The CallCall))

ModelModel OrientationOrientation EvaluationEvaluation ExamplExamplee

Danger of Compromising Jesus’ Way – Over-engagementDanger of Compromising Jesus’ Way – Over-engagement

AbdicationAbdication The church is the The church is the world. There is no world. There is no distinction distinction between the between the values and values and methods usedmethods used

Church has nothing to Church has nothing to offer; God works offer; God works through peoplethrough people

Shelby, Shelby, SpongSpong

Political Political ActivismActivism

Force is God’s Force is God’s method for method for bringing about bringing about conformityconformity

Champions godly Champions godly laws; coercing laws; coercing conformity is conformity is counterproductivecounterproductive

Roman Roman Emperor Emperor ConstantineConstantine

Individual Individual ConversionistConversionist

Faith is a private Faith is a private matter; living in matter; living in two different two different kingdoms with kingdoms with two two

Respect for private Respect for private conscience; does not conscience; does not challenge societal challenge societal structures or ethicsstructures or ethics

Martin Martin LutherLuther

Models of Church/World Models of Church/World EngagementEngagement

(Adapted from Os Guinness, (Adapted from Os Guinness, The The CallCall))

ModelModel OrientationOrientation EvaluationEvaluation ExamplExamplee

TransformativTransformativee

Persuasion, Persuasion, gradual change, gradual change, redemptive use of redemptive use of forceforce

Challenges societal Challenges societal structures to change; structures to change; may compromise may compromise Jesus’ wayJesus’ way

John CalvinJohn Calvin

Confessing Confessing Church as Church as Alternative Alternative CommunityCommunity

Exemplify God’s Exemplify God’s community, Jesus’ community, Jesus’ way of life, way of life, overcome evil overcome evil with goodwith good

Jesus is the model for Jesus is the model for all life; danger of all life; danger of isolation and lack of isolation and lack of engagementengagement

AnabaptistsAnabaptists

Isolationist Isolationist (reclusive)(reclusive)

Develop a Develop a community within community within a restricted a restricted geographical geographical regionregion

Concrete expression Concrete expression of God’s community; of God’s community; isolation and lack of isolation and lack of engagementengagement

Dutch Dutch ProtestantsProtestants

Danger of Withdrawal – Under-engagementDanger of Withdrawal – Under-engagement

Craig Carter,Rethinking Christ and Culture (2006)

Three Christendom types that accept violent coercionChrist legitimizing culture (e.g., the German Christians)

Christ humanizing culture (e.g., Luther, Billy Graham)

Christ transforming culture (e.g., Augustine, Cromwell)

Three non-Christendom types that reject violent coercionChrist transforming culture (e.g., William Penn, Martin L. King, Jr.)

Christ humanizing culture (e.g., Mother Teresa, Mennonite Central Committee)

Christ separating from culture (e.g., St. Benedict, the Amish)

KEY INSIGHTKEY INSIGHT

“Virtually every Christian group expressed in one way or another all five of the motifs. With respect to one cultural activity, they may typically express one motif, with respect to another they may characteristically adopt quite a different stance. Even with respect to a particular category of cultural activities, as regarding learning, the state, the arts, contemporary values, popular culture, business, leisure and so forth. Christians are likely to manifest something of all five of the attitudes” (George Marsden)

KEY INSIGHTKEY INSIGHT

Some elements of culture the church categorically Some elements of culture the church categorically rejects (pornography, tyranny, cultic idolatry). Other rejects (pornography, tyranny, cultic idolatry). Other dimensions of culture it accepts within clear limits dimensions of culture it accepts within clear limits (economic production, commerce, the graphic arts, (economic production, commerce, the graphic arts, paying taxes for peacetime civil government). To still paying taxes for peacetime civil government). To still other dimensions of culture Christian faith gives a new other dimensions of culture Christian faith gives a new motivation and coherence (agriculture, family life, motivation and coherence (agriculture, family life, literacy, conflict resolution, empowerment). Still others literacy, conflict resolution, empowerment). Still others it strips of their claims to possess autonomous truth and it strips of their claims to possess autonomous truth and value, and uses them as vehicles of communication value, and uses them as vehicles of communication (philosophy, language. Old Testament ritual, music). Still (philosophy, language. Old Testament ritual, music). Still other forms of culture are created by the Christian other forms of culture are created by the Christian churches (hospitals, service of the poor, generalized churches (hospitals, service of the poor, generalized education) (John Howard Yoder)education) (John Howard Yoder)

Aspects of CultureAspects of Culture

A. Metaphysical and Epistemological Beliefs

What is real, plausible, knowable? Is there a spiritual dimension to reality? Who or what is being

worshiped?


B. B. Moral principles

What is right? What is good? How should things be? What does the

“good life” look like?


C. Aesthetic Values

What is preferable, desirable? What is beautiful? What is attractive?

What is deemed to be excellent?


D. Skills and Knowledge

What kind of information, skills, technologies have been

accumulated or developed or used? How are people informed

about or taught these skills? Who is taught?


E. Relationship categories and structures

How are people arranged or organized into groups? Are arrangements voluntary or

compulsory? How do people relate to each other? Who lives together? Under what conditions? How close? What is the nature of community?What is the nature of community?


F. Societal Infrastructures

What makes it possible for a society to function? To survive? How is safety

insured? How are people educated? How is food distributed? How are decisions

made? Where is power/authority located? How is housing provided? How do people

travel? How is wealth and resources distributed? How are sick/elderly cared

for?


G. Means of Self-expression

How do people communicate? Through what means do people

express ideas and feelings?

Functions of CultureFunctions of Culture

1. Culture Communicates1. Culture Communicates- Constantly communicates messages, both overt

and covert, that express various human concerns. Taken together these messages communicate a vision of the meaning of life

- Communicates via form (packaging) as much as by their content (e.g., “the medium is the message”)

2. Culture Orients2. Culture Orients- Creates a framework for interpreting everyday life,

and which gives people a sense of direction

Functions of CultureFunctions of Culture

3. Culture Reproduces3. Culture Reproduces- Culture spreads beliefs, values, ideas,

fashions and practices through proximity or contact (“memes,” an element of culture that may be considered to be passed on by non-genetic means, e.g., clothing fashion, religious belief, popular song, etc)

4. Culture Cultivates4. Culture Cultivates- Culture cultivates the human spirit, i.e.,

character and spiritual formation (or dehumanizes in some cases)

Levels of Cultural AnalysisLevels of Cultural Analysis

1. Description / Information

2. Identification of those aspects that are problematic and those that offer opportunities

3. Naming the deep-level idolatries

4. Navigating acceptable pathways and compromises (Contextualization)

“the great omission” or the “enduring problem”? bruce l. guenther, ph.d mennonite brethren...

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