Godschosengirl said:
what if God asked you to?
No offence meant here...but to be honest, when i saw a post of yours in another thread i thought-"wow, look at that avatar. that is a pinkfloyd album-maybe i should PM her and tell her." i didnt even think that a Christian would intentionally listen to pinkfloyd. i thought you had that avatar by mistake-maybe just thinking it was a rainbow and you wanted to match your name. i only listened to pinkfloyd before i was a Christian and that was only to get a better trip on the lsd i was taking....
again, please dont take offence, just wanted to put my 2 cents in here...
Personally, I think that a part of our problem in effectively reaching our culture is the fact that we forget we are in the world and concentrate only on being not of the world. IOW, we tend to create our own Christian subculture and insulate (alienate) ourselves from those we are trying to reach, insisting that they conform to our values before we will associate with them.
Even Christ became a part of the culture (Israel) He was trying to reach, made under the law to redeem them that were under the Law.
My brother is a missionary in Africa. Before taking the field, he had to go a long period of training in the culture, values, etc. of those to whom he was to bring the gospel. This is only wise. It did not mean that he had to abandon his culture, but that he had to adapt to theirs.
In America, we are a nation of subcultures. There is no such thing as an American culture. If we are trying to reach Goths, for example, we do not have to become a Goth, we simply need to understand them and even, if I understand Peter correctly, treat them with understanding, gentleness, and respect.
1 Peter 3
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
We have to earn the right to speak to them. We will never do it by beating them over the head with our Bible or treating them condescendingly. We will certainly never do it by alienating ourselves from them.
Can we reach people we refuse to touch? Jesus touched lepers even though it was against the letter of the Law. He treated them with gentleness and respect.
Cant we do the same for the people (lepers) in our world, whether they be Goths, liberals, New Agers, abortionists, drug abusers, liberals, Muslims, racial supremacists, even criminals and no matter what music they prefer?
I support Christians, like P.O.D. and Lifehouse (incidentally, Lifehouse is a Vineyard worship band who has entered the secular pop/rock subculture), who are willing to earn the ear of that spiritually-needy by becoming all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (see 1 Cor. 9.19-23, post#39 above). Is it risky? Sure, but thats how you spell faith.
Before your criticize them, I have to ask if you are trying to reach that culture?
If you dont, who will?
What are your thoughts?
\o/