If we are not careful, truths we hold as obvious become truths we take for granted. Though we may regularly acknowledge them as true in our creeds and liturgies, they lose their influence and impact in our thinking and through our manner of living. This matter of sacramental cast – the recognition of the omnipresence of God in all of life, and the desire of God to make all of life joyful and rewarding – falls into this category.
In Part One, we raised Harry Blamires concern (and our own) for the lack of christianly thinking on this important subject, and the damage and destruction such a deficiency has allowed. Blamires focuses on the passions of youth and the Sexual Revolution to make his point (Blamires,1963):
But, as for the meaning of youth’s keen responsiveness to beauty and love, in this matter the Church has too handed over the young to be instructed by materialistic psychologists and amoral aesthetes.
Because there is no living Christian mind to interpret this hunger and to show how it may be fed, the young are led astray.
We added, as a challenge to our ability to turn the tide, the condition of our hypocrisy – not only in regards to lust, but to the other six “deadly sins”: pride, greed, wrath, envy, gluttony, and sloth. As we intimated in Part One, the first step must be humble, honest, and transparent repentance. Addressing our hypocrisy will reestablish our position of holiness before God and give us testimony to both God’s justice and His merciful forgiveness.
The Solution
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1Corinthians 6:9-11
With the plank out of our own eye, we must be careful not to return to pious prohibition, rules, and regulations. This is left hemisphere, utilitarian thinking. Such thinking and approach to change have proven ineffectual over many, many decades. Those called to lead their communities in the reestablishment of christianly thinking must instead take on the hard work of transformation, by the renewing of our minds.
Blamires (1963) articulates this well:
Because youth is romantic, an articulate Christian Romanticism must be made available for them. A living Christian mind would elucidate for the young a finely articulated Christian sacramentalism which would make sense of, and give value to, the adolescent’s cravings… towards the opposite sex.
Unsatisfied longings must be nourished in us, and the elusive dream of fulfilment dangled before us, or we should never know that we are not here, on earth, in our proper resting-place. The Christian mind makes sense of passionate youthful longings and dissatisfactions as pointers to the divine creation of man and the fact that he is called to glory.
The Christian mind sees the lover and the beloved as a person of value, created in the image of God, calling men and women alike to the transcendence of love, and giving reason for other-consciousness, self-restraint, and self-sacrifice. The Christian mind knows these virtues to be beautiful, good, and true and therefore have the power to draw attention and stir the heart’s desire for the transcendent over the utilitarian values of want and need.
Turning the minds of the young to the higher Christian values – goodness, beauty, and truth – accomplishes a redirection of attention toward the sacred. There they will find every answer to the crises facing them: hope, identity, purpose, community, etc.
It is not hard to imagine the sudden dramatic shift in attention that will occur when those created in God’s image are allowed to see and experience the contrast between the utility of want and need to the love expressed in God’s created goodness, beauty, and truth. The return on our investment – cleaning ourselves up and sacrificing for their sanity and spiritual security – is exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.
Indeed, what first appears to be an incredibly difficult endeavor will prove to be a light burden and joyful adventure, simply because it is the desire of God’s heart – that His lost and wandering children return their attention to Him in appreciation for the good, beauty, and truth He offers.
Practical Steps
Dr. Jim Denison has written an interesting and insightful book entitled The Coming Tsunami (2022). In it, he addresses four storms currently raging against Christianity in the West:
- The rise of a “post-truth” culture.
- The rise of the sexual revolution.
- The rise of Critical Theory.
- The rise of secular religion.
The convergence of these developments adds to the chaos we are experiencing in society, while also posing a new, real, and serious threat to Christianity and Christians.
In the recent past, Christians have been allowed to watch these post-modernity influences from a distance, while continuing to enjoy a neutrally respectful relationship with their adherents. Those days are quickly running away from us. Having seized control of our culture, ideological thought leaders and their followers have begun taking a more hostile position against what they claim to be intolerant, irrelevant, oppressive, and dangerous Christianity.
The threats posed by post-modernity ideologues will tempt Christians and Christian organizations to further retreat, or come out fighting. Dr. Denison offers a different and courageous response – a response that aligns with the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and other writers of the New Testament. In regards to the subject of this article (i.e., thinking from a sacramental cast), he suggests two things (note – these are only applicable after we get the plank out of our own eye):
-
Speak the truth in love – The truth will make men and women free; and love brings God to bear in the most powerful way available through His children. Many will reject God’s truth and love, but we honestly have no other option.
Confessing our sins one to another (James 5:16) will help in this regard, as it strengthens our fellowships in Christ’s vision for the church (Ephesians 4:13-16). This will be extremely important, for even in our newfound unhypocritical state, we will be reviled and persecuted (more on our response in moment).
-
Offer hope in Christ – People deceived and lost in ungodly ideologies will eventually come to the end of themselves, their ideologies, and their leaders. Hopelessness has already begun ravaging the hearts and minds of young people in every portion of western society.
Every social demographic (race, age, wealth, etc.) will continue to feel the depression and destruction of hopelessness. As with all the crises of mankind through all of history, our good King has the answer, and in spades.
We would add one additional and closely related attitude to Denison’s list: Lead with love. The love of God (agapao) breaks down barriers and disarms opponents. Leading with the truth, however well intended, will sound like judgment, rules, and regulations. Leading with hope will find no philosophical, emotional, or logical ground to stand on; hope without the powerful love of God sounds like a pipe dream. Deceived and hopeless people must be met and enveloped in the powerful love of God.
Counting the Cost
From Map 12 of The Map Maker (Streetman, 2022)
God’s call on the church to be counter-cultural has not changed in 2000+ years; and the call remains the same in every community, culture and country. The church is the church, and the world is the world. They are at enmity with each other. The world will hate us when we stand against it – a good measure of our devotion to the Lord’s purpose; a good sign that we are His disciples.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here. John 18:36-37
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:19
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 2Timothy 3:12
Rubbing the prevailing society the wrong way is expected of Christ’s disciples. So is the world’s resistance, aggravation and (dare we say) offense. The question for us: How will we respond?
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God… 2Corinthians 10:3-4
We must resist the temptation to respond from our carnal nature (like the world). Our response must be supernatural.
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Matthew 5:39-42
I am sure you will agree that it takes more than human will power to turn the other cheek, give up more than is asked, and go farther for someone than required. Only the supernatural life of Christ can do these things. His command demands our obedience. It must be possible; and we must discover how.
It is also important to recognize that the world has found its way into the church; and, as in Jesus’ day, may be the source of the most severe cost.
Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. Mark 3:6
But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” John 19:15
Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Acts 8:1-3
Like Christ, we will feel abandoned and betrayed. Perhaps our own family and friends will turn on us. But we will implore them just the same, because that is what disciples of Christ do.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 2Corinthians 5:20
There is nothing new or mysterious here. Breaking the habit of apathy requires a re-found desire to please God and be about His Son’s commission. To be a transforming agent, the Church must consciously and continuously stand apart from the world; and from those in the church who are worldly. This is the risk we take when we invest ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ.
God bless you with supernatural courage, that you might become His instrument of love and hope to a love-starved and hopeless world.
Have a strong day in the Lord,
Rob
#iamjustthepen
Blamires, H. (1963). The Christian Mind. Regent College Publishing; Vancouver, BC.
Denison, J. (2022). The Coming Tsunami. Forefront Books; Brentwood, TN.
Streetman, R. (2022). The Map Maker. Mindshift Publications; Atlanta, GA.