10.29.07 - Jesus in Prime Time, (cont. 2)
In the final 2 sessions of the conference the panelists addressed the deficiency of our culture’s understanding of Christianity in belief and practice. First was the issue of canonicity vs. theology and which derives the other – because the result of the conclusion will reveal the nature of scripture and its place in Christianity. Darrell Bock showed how orthodox Christian theology was present long before a closed canon. Found within the earliest Christian texts are the tenants of: Schooling, Singing, and Sacraments. Schooling stands for how the local churches in the 1st century regularly professed doctrinal statements such as 1 Cor. 8 and 15 or Romans 1. Singing reveals the regular hymns (found in Colossians 1 or Philippians 2), which the local church would sing that contained deep theological truths. Finally, the Sacraments show the rites and processes of the local church in practice – all of which reveal the core elements of orthodox Christian doctrine before a closed canon or ecclesiological creed.
Finally, the question was asked, “How are we to minister to a culture that determines truth upon “what we like” rather than “what is true.” Evidence would show that we have all the good arguments on our side, but good arguments are not going to win the heart. Thus, the answer must be not simply speaking the truth – but speaking the truth in love.
Evangelicalism has a long road ahead to undo that which has been presented as the face of Christianity by many of our leaders. The reality is that effectively revealing the gospel, so that it impacts the core of people’s lives, is not going to be done solely through the media or literature, rather it will be done in the lives and lifestyles of the people in the local churches as they are going day by day throughout a watching world that needs to both hear and see Christ.
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