Your ability to change culture? “Doubtful” according to… #dmingml

As a part of the doctorate program I have recently entered into (George Fox’s Global, Missional, Leadership Doctor of Ministry), I’ll be writing a series of reflections on my reading.  Your interaction with my reflections will be a tremendous help to me as I try to apply to my specific ministry context (campus ministry) the ideas I am hearing.

To begin, today I will be taking a look at To Change the World, by James Davidson Hunter.

But before I address Hunter, I’d like to direct you to the blogs of my fellow students.  They will also be posting reviews and comments on these readings, and we will, together, be engaging in dialogue as a learning community.  Follow this link to www.dmingml.com to find access to the larger discussion taking place.

Now, on to Hunter…

Because To Change the World is divided up into three essays, I will dedicate three separate entries to his work, one entry for each essay, as well as a fourth entry to develop some practical applications for the campus ministry context.

The main question Hunter is asking, and addressing, is a simple one:  …how do believers live out their faith under the conditions of the late modern world? (p. ix)

Now, this question is not particularly new.  Throughout the centuries the Church has asked, and struggled with, the question of how to live in the world but not to be of the world (1 John 2), in their particular and peculiar contexts.  However, as Hunter will show, the complexities of our world have never been greater than they are today.  And in the midst those complexities, the Church is struggling to find unity in her response (for an insightful discussion on the division of the traditional church with the “Emergent” movement, for example, I recommend Belcher’s, Deep Church).  Thus, the question is a critical one for believers today.

In his first essay, Hunter works slowly, deliberately, and convincingly to critique current models of cultural transformation.  This is indeed an excellent place to begin formulating his response.  After all, as Hunter points out,

To be Christian is to be obliged to engage the world, pursuing God’s restorative purposes over all of life, individual and corporate, public and private (p. 4, emphasis mine).

And in engaging the world, Christians are ultimately hoping to transform the hearts and minds of people, and along with this to transform the culture, in such a way that reflects the goodness of God.  Hunter’s contention is that the dominant ways of thinking about culture and cultural change are flawed, for they are based on both specious social science and problematic theology (p. 5).

Through the use of both contemporary and historical examples, Hunter exposes the weaknesses of dominant views of cultural transformation.  In his opinion, culture is not changed from the bottom-up, or by individuals, or by purposeful planning (all elements of the “common view” that Hunter describes).  These methods, today largely pursued through the political system, simply have not proven to be effective in bringing about changes in society.  Rather, Hunter’s assertion is that cultural transformation is the result of top-down influences, initiated by society’s “elites” (those in positions of significant power), who are part of strong networks of overlapping interest groups, providing tangible expressions of their ideas.

In essence, Hunter believes that change does NOT come about through the impact of the transformed heart and mind of the individual, but through a complex array of factors, of which the individual is a very small part.  Indeed, he states that:

…it is not so much individual hearts and minds that move cultures but cultures that ultimately shape the hearts and minds, and, thus, direct the lives of individuals.  The movement between the individual and culture goes in both directions and perhaps moves even more strongly in the latter direction. (p. 45)

As Hunter draws this section to a close, he makes a strong case…the current ability of Christians to influence culture is “doubtful” (p. 92).

What do you think?  Is Hunter on to something?  Is the work of transforming culture about the individual, or is it about something larger?  Is it about both?  What role does God play in the transformation, or progression, of culture?

More to come on this topic next week.

The Campus Mission

So, as I settle back into a season of blogging, I’m going to write, first, to myself, a simple reminder.

What is my intent for this blog?

I’m not writing merely to spew out random thoughts.  My intention is to be very focused and purposeful.  I’m writing with one overriding goal in mind: 

To sound the alarm among God’s people for the need to direct our resources to the greatest mission opportunity in our time, the CAMPUS tribes.

And what is this thing called “Mission”, of which so many Christians speak?

Jesus clearly commanded his followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28). That’s our job as Christians, Christ-followers.  That’s The Mission…to make followers of Jesus.

Now, understanding The Mission, why do I suggest that our university campuses are in critical need of our attention?  Afterall, isn’t “mission” about going to some foreign nation to tell people about Jesus?

No, not at all.  It is much more than that.

Consider the following:

• Young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are America’s MOST UNREACHED demographic (Barna Research)! The national average of Christians on university campuses is less than 5% (campusrenewal.org from a 1997 study).  Mission-minded folks will tell you that any demographic where less than 10% are Christian is considered “unreached.”
• Young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, are at a time in life when they can devote massive amounts of time and energy to advancing the Kingdom.  The church needs the efforts of this untapped demographic.

These two items might be reason enough to cause the Church to rethink her current mission strategies, but let me continue on.

• Approximately 78% of all Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 21.  Campus ministers (or shall we call them “campus missionaries”) are in position to serve students who are at a critical stage of life.
• Ultimately, failure to reach the college campus today will have monumental consequences on the Church, and society as a whole, tomorrow.  Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) was correct when he said, “Win the campus today, and change the world tomorrow.”
• THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IS THE GREATEST MISSION FIELD IN OUR WORLD TODAY…more than half of the world’s population today is under the age of 25!  These people are where?  On the university campus! (UN Population Reference Bureau)
• Did you know that, throughout modern history, nearly every single great missionary movement was started through revival on the university campus?  It’s true!  Win the campus and we unleash a massive work force for the Kingdom.

Most U.S. churches have a link to a “cross-cultural missionary” (generally defined as someone serving among a people group from a differing culture than the church’s own culture).  These types of ministries are often perceived to be a bit more “glamorous” (simply because the target people are so different from us) than the local food pantry, or the local campus ministry, so we feel like these cross-cultural ministries are more worthy of our resources.  But let’s be real…God neither shows favoritism nor sees greater glamor from one mission field to the next. What is local to us is cross-cultural to someone else.

Now I’m not suggesting that the Church ignore cross-cultural fields.  We’re called to go “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  But I am suggesting we discontinue our ungodly favoritism and treat campus ministry as a part of the “mission field.”  The local church is often set in the midst of a monumental mission field…the university campus.  Why not turn our sights to these fields which are ripe for harvest?

Finally, I do not intend to suggest a new course of action without clearly outlining the how to accomplish it.  Therefore, I’ll keep two primary purposes in mind:  1) to bring to the forefront of discussions the importance of campus ministry, and 2) to recommend the most effective method the church can utilize to reach the university campus for Christ.

OK…good reminders for me.

Faith and Religion, Missions and Ministry

After reading my post from yesterday, you may want some further understanding on a statement I made, and a rather harsh one at that:

“It is this lack of missiological understanding and application that is responsible for the existence of a Western church that is on the verge of death!”

[Sidenote: I hope that I don't need to convince you that the Western church is indeed "critical" and in need of intensive care.  If you would like to read more on this topic, check out Barna's book, Revolution.  It's an easy, eye-opening read on the state of the Western church.]

Why do I believe a lack of good missiology has led to the weakening of the church in the West?  It really comes down to confusion between faith and religion.  The Western church has too often focused on spreading a religion, not transferring a faith.

Faith and religion are not the same.  Faith is a firm belief in something, leading to action.  Religion is the system we use to express our faith.  In the words of best selling author, Seth Godin, “If religion comprises rules you follow, faith is demonstrated by the actions you take” (Tribes, p. 83).

Religion is the system we use to express our faith.

Missiologists focus on developing a person’s faith, not on teaching the person the performance of a religious system.  The church, especially the Western church, has expended too much of her energy on the religious activity.

In anthropological terms, missiologists talk about forms and meanings.  Forms are what we use to express our deeper longings.  We attach meaning to various forms.

In church, we often focus on teaching the performance of proper forms.  Stand now.  Be quiet now.  Bow your head now.  Kneel now.  Smile now.

The better approach?  Communicate meaning, at the heart level, and allow the hearer to practice their faith using relevant forms.

I hear from college students all the time that they are so discouraged by the people in the church they attend.  The student sees people practicing religion, but they don’t often see faith being lived out.  There’s a disconnect.

Why is it that students are not encountering genuine faith at church?  The answer is simple: Church members are, in large part, practicing religious ritual, not exercising a faith.

This is why I love working with college students.  They’re not at all satisfied with the way things are in the Western church, and they believe they can make the necessary changes.  They long to see Christian faith at work!

I believe the future is bright for the Church.  I have faith in God that He will continue to use His people to transform the world.

What do you believe?