4. Complexity, Communication, and Messiology
Iam very aware as I write this book that many might read it and find it quite over the top or confusing. But sooner or later, they will meet people and churches and Christian groups that are over the top and confusing—and much worse. The bottom line of this book is the greatness and mercy of God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. For more on this foundational truth, I recommend John Stott’s Basic Christianity.
Maybe you’re among those who are confused or even discouraged by what you have seen or experienced in the church, or some other Christian ministry. If so, please read on. I want to share from my heart some of the areas where I have struggled with disappointment, discouragement, and even doubt and unbelief.
For a long time I have listened to Christians and Christian leaders who are critical of other Christians, churches, or organizations. This includes people I respect and love and from whom I have learned. My problem is not only the lack of concern and love I see, but that so often they don’t have the facts right or take things out of context. I wish that fifty years ago we had books like Leading with Love or If You Bite and Devour One Another by Alex Strauch, whom I have come to appreciate so much, or Calvary Road by Roy Hession and Love Is the Answer by Theodore Epp. Books like these help us cultivate the Christlike love and understanding that are often missing when we rush to criticize or condemn our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I myself have fallen into this trap. As a young leader I was sometimes one of the most critical of other leaders, churches, or organizations. I slowly learned to be more positive, but only when I developed a different view of the way God works—and who He works with—was I able to see positive things being done through people, churches, or organizations that I thought were in error.
In The Grace and Truth Paradox, Randy Alcorn shows us that we can have both a strong commitment to truth and also love and grace. We should be much slower to criticize, especially when we really don’t have the whole story.
However, we can’t forsake or neglect our strong commitment to the truth in the name of “grace.” True grace stands not in conflict but in harmony with truth. Scripture commands us to defend the faith. We could all be helped in this area by a fresh look at the second and third epistles of John.
In this chapter I want to share some of the areas that have caused me so much confusion and struggle.
Literature: I first started selling books and leaflets door to door after I had been a Christian for two years. Before going to Mexico in the summer of 1957, a magazine called Floodtide came into my hands, and then I became involved with the Pocket Testament League. The value of the ministry of the printed word, even before I was converted, was clear to me. I was blessed reading Christian books and leaflets and wanted, with total sincerity, to bless others. Looking back at a lifetime with books I can shout, “God uses books!” But what you might be surprised to also hear me say is that God can even use poor books! I discovered that books I did not like and would not sell because of their extreme or untruthful teachings were also used of God to help bring people to Christ as Savior.
How do you handle someone being helped and blessed through a book that you believe contains harmful or deceptive teaching? How do you explain God using books in a mighty way when the author has now fallen into sin? Even more complex is that books written by great men and women of God often disagree—maybe even on important issues.
How do we decide what to believe? It sometimes seems easier for young believers to decide what they believe on quite complex issues and doctrines. I will not be around, but I wonder how my grandson will be at my age. God in His mercy and mystery and grace often does great things in the midst of the mess—this is messiology.
Television/Internet: If we think the world of Christian literature is complex, then try television and now YouTube, the Internet, Facebook, and all that’s coming down the road. The world of technology is mind-blowing. Research shows that TV preachers, whom some of us can hardly stand to watch or listen to, have helped not thousands, but tens of thousands come to Christ all over the world. In response to that, some people immediately say, “Well, most of them must be false conversions.” But the truth is, I have met many of these people all over the world over the past fifty years and they seem like authentic believers. Many of them have been used of God not only to see others come to Christ, but to start thousands of churches. Remember, we are still in the midst of the greatest harvest of people coming to the Lord that the world has ever know. I have heard critics say that many, or most, of those who make decisions in those kinds of meetings are not really saved; they’re mostly false conversions as someone converted through the most highly criticized preacher in my lifetime, Billy Graham, I would beg to differ.
We say that people are saved by grace as they put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but seem to indicate in our behavior that keeping all the rules and regulations is really where it’s at in terms of us knowing who is a true Christian. Please read Extreme Righteousness by Tom Hovestol and you will discover, as I did, how strong believers in truth can so easily develop a Pharisee streak. Charles Swindoll’s Grace Awakening, especially the chapter “Graciously Disagreeing and Pressing On,” was such a huge help to me in combatting these Pharisaic tendencies.
Music: God has used and is using all kinds of music to help people worship and come to Jesus. This has been another saga of complexity over the last fifty years. It’s almost a miracle that from the beginning I was in favor of what eventually became “contemporary music.” The New Testament does not say that much about music, and the Old Testament has quite a wide range of both music and dance. It is astounding how much controversy came from this. Tens of thousands of churches around the world have split over the traditional versus contemporary music controversy. On the one side, some even said that drums are from Satan (I have a copy of a booklet that says that!). Back in the old days I listened to tapes and read books by some people who condemned much of the music that I saw God using in such a mighty way. This could have discouraged me immensely if I had not developed a different view of God, His love, and the way He works. He must have a great sense of humor as He watches the way His children behave.
If you think this is a small issue or that it has gone away, a closer look at what’s going on in the wider church might change your mind. Some have even lost their faith and walked away from the Christian church because of what they saw in terms of extreme statements and harshness over the music issue. In the end, it seems that the new and contemporary music has won the day, but it is not all over yet. Even the volume at which music is played has presented a new set of problems (I do admit I carry earplugs almost everywhere). Quite a few notable musicians falling into immorality or divorce have made it an even messier scene. Then musicians speaking strongly against other musicians did not help. Some people seem to write off the whole Christian music industry with stories about greed, pride, and immorality. But in the midst of the mess, God was doing such a great work and so many were coming to know the Lord.
Those of us who read widely will become over-exposed to negative reports and Christian horror stories. We should beware of trying to prove a point by pointing to negative stories, since there is almost always more to the story, and it doesn’t consider the full scope of what God can do in the midst of the mess and all our humanness. We all need to memorize Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Where is God in all of this? I say right in the middle! He is loving, forgiving, saving, and using all kinds of, what the Bible calls, “clay pots” to accomplish His purposes. We don’t have to leave a church because it prefers traditional hymns or contemporary worship songs; we can stop condemning those who take a different road when it comes to issues like this. I say to my peers in the 60s and 70s club: “What is more important, that we enjoy the music or that more of the next generation come to know and worship Jesus?” Do we have any idea of what God has done through churches like Hillsong and their music? Multiply this by 10,000 and we might get some idea of what our God is doing around the world through all kinds of music and people. Get some earplugs and press on.
Politics: Right wing, left wing, no wings. In the United States right now this is an area of great controversy and division among God’s people and it’s getting worse by the day. I strongly believe that God can work through a divided and broken church (speaking of the whole body of Christ). After all, that’s all He’s ever had to work with!
That, however, is never an excuse for a lack of love, or any other sin. Much of the problem is linked with the fact that some people believe in the “Christian nation” theory and others don’t. I don’t believe in the “Christian nation” theory, but I love those who do. All nations in all times have operated in the midst of overwhelming evil. Those who believe that is all going to change in the future are deceived, but I love them as well.
I majored in history before transferring to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and have studied history ever since. We can learn so much from history. Reading different viewpoints is hard, and finding out what actually happened is even harder, so all history students should at least be humble and maybe a little less dogmatic. Should Christians engage in hateful language and circulate hateful emails? I don’t think so, but if they do, somehow our mighty God still loves them and may use them more than I would ever want. So please don’t get discouraged by the mess in this area or in the government, but try to focus on God and what He is doing in the midst of it. We have many thousands of years of history to show what God can do in the midst of a mess.
We must still operate as the salt and light in our world, and I don’t mean that Christians should not get into politics or that there is no room for patriotism. God works within our culture and these things are an important part of our culture. The more true Christian values we can see in society, including our own community, the better, but we shouldn’t force them and legislate them. We must not mix government with the church. Too many are fighting the dark instead of spreading the light. It’s a losing battle and not worth all the effort. Let’s get our priorities right. More than that, let’s respect that God will lead different people and different churches in different ways. Why not go the extra mile in respecting God’s guidance in other people? On many related issues we all are never going to agree, but I hope we can agree that our God can do great things in all kinds of situations—including those we would run away from.