"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." Romans 12:2 NLT
The evangelical church "is now driven by trends that are indisputably modern... the therapeutic culture... consumerism... by managers... [and] entertainment... Evangelicalism has bought cultural acceptability by emptying itself of serious thought, serious theology, serious worship, and serious practice in the larger culture. And most evangelicals appear to be completely oblivious to this sellout or at least unconvinced that the deal was a bad one." David Wells, God in the Wasteland
When God sought to reveal Himself He became a Man. The incarnation was God embarking on "relevant" ministry. That is, as a Man, He entered into the everyday lives of men and women and shared their world.
Yet in doing so He did not buy into what was highly esteemed in that world - material possessions, religious or political power, or fleshly pleasure. Instead, He routinely espoused values alien to the world structure. Though He was in every way a human being His presence often made people very uncomfortable - Peter's cry "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a wicked man!" (Luke 5:8) comes to mind.
In short, the revelation of God in Christ did not cross the line and become a form of marketing where a product is presented in terms of the values and desires of potential buyers. How do we know? Marketing must affirm the values of the customer in order to bridge the gap between its product and the potential buyer.
Jesus not only routinely rejected the world's values in his lifestyle but often verbally attacked the elite for cherishing them - "Woe to you Pharisees and teachers of the law, hypocrites..." (Matt.23:13); "Woe to you who are rich..." (Luke 6:24).
Not only that, far from affirming the world's values Jesus called people to renounce the world in order to be saved! "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:23-25.
As David Wells points out, the evangelical Church of today has largely adopted the techniques of the marketplace and thereby affirmed the values of our consumer culture. But this is an outlook in which the consumer is the center and driving force of that interaction we call commerce. We have done this to gain a hearing for the gospel, not realizing we've replaced the message of the cross with things appealing consumers.
The relevance of Jesus's ministry caused Him to become "despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" Isaiah 53:3. For His relevance He was scorned, mocked, and crucified.
Let us ask, therefore, do we practice a Christianity that rejects the values of this world? Do we and our churches stand out in the world because of an unmistakable difference? Or could it be that in our effort to be "relevant" we have crossed the line and become simply a religious copy of the world?
