Got Answers?
From Friedrich Nietzsche’s “God is dead” to John Lennon’s “We’re more popular than Jesus” it seems that the “voices of the generation” continually try to shove God and Jesus out of the picture. With them out of the way then what is left to inform our perspective on the world? Pop-culture has had a major influence in this area since the 60’s ranging from the Beatles, Andy Warhol, and The Last Temptation of Christ to our current day counterparts with the likes of Eminem, Woody Allen, and the DaVinci Code. But while we may have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to scientific knowledge, technology, and the like, some age-old questions never die. When Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say that I am”, he was met with a variety of answers. When he asked them “who do you say that I am”, Peter replied, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29; see Paul’s answer in Colossians 1:15-17).
While the question has been around for about 2,000 years, each generation attempts to find its own answers to it. The most recent rash of answers our generation has offered is that the Jesus of the New Testament is legend (Dan Brown), myth (The Jesus Seminar), or fact. The polarity between the differing views is obvious to see in the offerings of our arts. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
The question, though old, is as vital today as it ever was. Jeremiah said, “You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Unfortunately may people seek in the wrong places because they think Jesus and Christianity are dated. But they forget that Jesus was raised from the dead, which means that he is still alive. And if he is still alive, then he is our eternal contemporary. And if he is our eternal contemporary, then he is eternally relevant. Who do you say that He is? Got Answers?
Shawn
posted by Shawn White | 6/01/2006 08:33:00 PM
3 Comments:
Good article.
Couple of thoughts come to mind:
-Culture has always and will always influenced our application of the Christian faith. Seems to me the churches of Christ are stuck with a 1950's expression of how to "do" church (which is not relating well today for many).
-I love C.S. Lewis (just picked up my The Four Loves) and this quote, especially that Christianity cannot be "moderately important" (i.e., luke warm).
-I agree many seek Jesus in some interesting places, maybe even wrong. But I would characterize this as "wrong"...they are seeking after all. Reminds me of the Easter egg hunts as a child....sometimes the places we looked were no where close, but we persisted and finally found what we were looking for, sometime with the help of our family. I would like to see the church family help like this more. Sometimes it seems all we do is criticize and attack at the first sign of someone being off base. (I do not believe your comments are critical, just observing what I have seen and received myself in the past).
Simply said, like Peter many years ago. Jesus is the Christ. Which is to say Messiah and Savior of my soul and the souls of all who seek him earnestly.
Good thought Stephen - thanks for them. Lewis' The Four Loves is one book of his that I haven't read yet, I don't even think I own that one, and trust me, I've got a lot o' Lewis. :)
On your last comment regarding thinking - let me clarify a little bit. What I was attempting to say is that people unknowingly seek out aspects of the Christian faith while denying that Christianity is true. In other words, they deny Christ, yet spend their time seeking out those desires and longings that are found only in Christ. So in this sense, they continually seek for finite things to quench an eternal thirst, therefore their seeking ends up being "wrong". I hope that explanation helps.
Remember the woman at the well was seeking "wrongly" (poor grammar I know), but when she was faced with the "real thing" (no, not coke) then she believed. I think that is the Christians role, as Ambassadors, is that we observe what is happening around us and see the ways in which people are seeking "wrongly" and then guide them to the "real thing" so that they might believe as well. I believe this is what Paul talked about in I Corinthians 9:19-22 - he became all things to all men so that he might win a few.
Shawn
Thanks for the clarification...I believe we are saying the same thing.
The woman at the well was seeking--in the wrong place--true, but seeking none-the-less, and was blessed when she finally found the "real thing."
I think too often, 'Christians' would condemn this type of person and never be the 'ambassador' you describe.
Blessings
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