Dangerous and pernicious trend

If we are free, we can lists many dangerous threats in our world that has been impacted our Christian lives in general or in particular. After we lists those threats, as implication, we can always thought that we are under attack critically by all directions. G.K Chesterton observed that Christianity has been attacked by all directions with all contradictory reasons. People can say Christianity is to optimist also people can say Christianity is over optimist. Which one? Many people blame Christianity for injustice and bad things in the world and hence, we are always been threatened as Jesus already predicted, we are like a sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16).

Actually, it also could happened the reverse. Not that Christian see that they are been threatened in all directions, in fact, the world also been threatened by the presence of Christians. One writer once wrote, “While Jack, Dorothy, and other Christians may have believed that Christianity was on the wane among intellectuals in the 1950s, Nott and many of her fellow atheists saw things very differently. They thought that Christian belief was on the rise – and that this was a dangerous and pernicious trend.” In other words, sometime we can feel that we are under attack, yet on the other side of the coin, for those anti-Christian, anti-religion, and anti-supernatural belief, they also feel the pressure that somehow, Christian values has been growing perpetually and continuously, and becoming some kind of  "Dangerous and pernicious trend" for atheist alike. 

It might be true in Lewis time for the intellectual and contextual part of Christian faith in public square has finally came into existence. They are hero in their time. Yet, the question we should ask for us today, do we still share the similar impact? Or does the unbelievers today feel the same threat as in Lewis time? If the answer is no, the fundamentalists' movement in 90 in America and Worldwide probably play major part in this whereby Christians try to hinder politics, hinder media, hinder entertainment or whatever consider as "secular". Therefore, few are engaging the culture. 

Apparently in the new recent news written by Jeffrey M. Jones shows that trend. He mentioned that US church membership falls bellow majority for the first time and it has becoming declining each year. At the end of the article, Jones share this fact, "A 2017 Gallup study found churchgoers citing sermons as the primary reason they attended church." If we would try to give an argument and connection, can we say that the decline of the church is at the same time the decline in preaching as priority? Or also is there a problem in content of the preaching or the delivery? it might possible that perhaps, all these three are the problem for today church. 

R.C Sproul a reformed theologian once note that there is a danger of relational theology, that is to say, to put relation over the Word. Of course both are working hand in hand but as Christian, we need to know the priority. Which are belong to foundations and which are belong to the extensions and implications. And yes, we have been lost our sense of discernment. I agree with Sproul for that what I felt in my own experience. Christianity since the beginning of it existence was always the people of the book. Today, people argue that relationship is what matter most. But how can we have a right relationship if we do not know the true foundation of relationship? can we say that probably focusing too much on relationship is kind of way to escape for the duty of studying Scripture and knowing God?

Recently, I heard many complain that the sermon in the church is not relevant anymore, especially for the teens and youngster. However, is that a fair assessment? It can be but at the same time, it might be the case. The problem often time is not about does the Bible relevance in their lives but how does the Bible has already relevance to the heart of listener, has the love for the Word is becoming their mode-of living yet? For basically, the Word of God is the truth, even there is no application in the sermon and only an explication of the doctrine its already actually an application for knowing God is the most relevant things in the world ever. So we might assume here, does the reason of why teens are not listening is because they are unwilling to listen in the first place, or frankly speaking, they do not feel that they need the Word of God at all? 

Eric MCkiddie has wrote an excellent article whereby he argue for stopping to think that relevance is the issue. He invite us to distinguish between "adding relevance" versus "drawing out relevance". The Bible is already relevant for the Word is the Word of eternal truth that is unchanging in nature. For me personally, the dangerous and pernicious trend for today world is to "adding relevance" to our Christian faith too much. No wonder, we are slowly substituting the core of proclamation of the Gospel into the motivational mode of preaching. We are focusing more into the world outside of the text. The practical way of doing things that has no warrant at all from the text of the sermon. I venture to argue that, 

Motivational preaching often does not have any gospel implication 

whereas Gospel preaching has always have a motivational implication. 

Therefore, all we need is to educate the congregations and family to love the Word, and set an example of the discipline of putting Scripture in our heart in the first place. Only after this being done, we can move to next step, to improve the content and way of preaching in the church to be more impactful and it could speak directly to the need of the people and the recent problem of the culture. Hopefully, by doing that we are creating a dangerous and pernicious trend in a good way as perceived by atheist and those who are against God. To create a reverse culture, redeeming the culture for God's glory. Glory belongs to God alone!