Writing about cultural relevance is risky. Some folks think that by advocating that the church is called to culturally relevant mission, one is caving in to popular culture. Others may assume that by writing about cultural relevance your are just trying to demonstrate that you haven't lost touch with that culture. But exploring how the church relates to culture seems a worthwhile endeavor to me.Cutting Edge, Vol.12:2 p.7 expressed it in a way that caught my attention: "Mission is the objective; cultural relevancy is the process. The purpose of the church is not to be cool, cute, popular, or any other adjective that would indicate we are "in." When the church makes cultural relevance its priority rather than a way of doing mission, it becomes syncretistic and thus sells her soul on the altar of cultural relevance." At the same time, "the church must understand the culture and the people in that culture. She must use the symbols of meaning in the culture she is in to communicate the message of the Gospel, without losing the prophetic role of speaking into the culture."
So the church sits on the edge. We contend for the truth of scripture. Jude 1:3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. At the same time we are called to contextualize the truths of scripture. 1 Cor. 9:22-23 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Paul in Athens did both. Acts 17:22-29 First he contextualized, saying"Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Then he contended for the truth "Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." After telling them the truths of God he contextualized and contended once again saying "As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill."
We are called to both contend and contextualize to communicate the truth of salvation in Jesus in the culture where God has placed each of us as missionaries and where he has placed each church as a mission outpost. If we desire to be about the mission of God, we never cease being students of our culture as well as Scriptures. Who studies and keeps your church up-to-date about the changes in your culture?
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