I highly recommend this article by the Rev. Kevin DeYoung, the Senior Pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.
DeYoung points out how the generation of people under 30 believe they can solve the world’s problems from the comfort of their pub chairs after a simple conversation over cold beer [full disclosure: I own a pub chair (two, actually) and love having conversations over cold beer. The truth hurts, sometimes]. We all want to be rock star Christians like U2 frontman Bono, jetsetting across the world to “raise awareness” about the world’s problems as if people older than 40 had never realized people were in suffering. We want to save the world, but we DON’T want to do the tedious, hard, and often thankless work of ministry in the trenches. We like to be spiritual without the actual commitment of serving a community through institutional structures. As DeYoung says, we like being spiritual but not religious (how many times have you heard a believer say “No, I’m not religous, rather I have a relationship with Christ”?). DeYoung points out that our over-emphasis on personal spirituality has created a narcissistic and entitled generation that’s leaving the church in droves in order to “be spiritual” on their own terms. Many may see this as a good thing, but one must wonder if we’re throwing the baby out with the bath-water.
After all, an institution is simply an organized group of people who’ve agreed to do certain things a certain way. And since life isn’t static, institutional norms and rules change all the time (witness the current evolution of Anglicanism in ACNA). These norms and rules were created to meet objective goals that are quite worthy of our respect (i.e. hand down the tradition of faith; communicate the gospel; serve the weak, the needy, and the poor). But since people in our generation all want to be revolutionaries like Martin Luther or the apostle Paul (or worse, Che Guevara–why is his mug so popular on T-shirts?), we want to throw away institutional norms in order to do Christianity “better”. But why reinvent the wheel? Especially if the old can simply be renovated, rather than wholly recreated.
DeYoung respects the “doers of the Word” who toil thanklessly to fulfill their responsibilities to their neighbors in the church. Their virtues are perseverance, endurance, consistency, responsibility, dependability, and relentlessness. They’re not trying to save the world, but they are trying to help the person sitting next to them in the pew.
I say, Amen to that.
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I would argue that Bono has extended his influence to it’s greatest possible capacity – which in my eyes makes him a “do-er”. Don’t get me wrong – I think his music is trite in his old age – but he has leveraged his fame and influence in a “response-able” way. Which is something many Christians neglect. There comes a point at which social justice becomes the path we are asked to walk down.
That being said, there are many who feel that “institutions” have impeeded God’s redemptive work. And they would be correct. But to that point, so has man. But that has not stopped God from charging man with the mighty task of rebinding himself to God. And the church is God’s ordained instrument on Earth, with all of it’s faults and shortcommings.
Let us not belittle anyone who strikes out to repair what is broken. But instead, shouldn’t we work at coalescing those men and women of action into the proactive message of the gospel?
Provacative thoughts. Thanks.
Thanks for posting Chris!
And thanks for bringing some nuance into the discussion…
I myself am a big U2 and Bono fan (even if they have sold out to the World Cup 😉 ). But I think the problem among many people in my generation (myself included) is that we all expect to be just like Bono, and think people are falling short unless we’re emulating the jetsetting, saving-the-world, raising awareness Christian ministry. But Bono is a unique individual.
I remember taking several overseas short term mission trips, feeling like I was “doing” something amazing….and then realizing my work wasn’t very long-lasting in contrast to the missionaries who actually committed their time, talents, and treasure to long term missions work. And, unfortunately, I’m just not convinced that we’re willing to “pay our dues” in the trenches of the church over a long period of time. Instead, we’re more willing to scorn our institutions in favor of something that fulfills our preferred version of the world, but also subverts some of the good things these institutions accomplished.
I’m certainly no apologist for the preservation of stodgy, moldy, and outmoded institutions, but neither do I favor the complete destruction of those institutions which handed the faith down to us. I suppose, if anything, I believe we in the younger generation have a responsibility to renovate the institutions which raised us, rather than completing their dissolution by leaving in droves. That, to me, is a true coalescence.
I must add, for any other readers of this post, that Chris Weaver (see above) was my former Jr. High youth leader when I was pudgy little boy wearing Reebok pumps and Hypercolor T-shirts.
His work was a pretty good example of trench work in the church–after all, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to hand down the faith to a bunch of 12-13 year olds.
But here I am–thanks Chris.
[Editor’s note: Comment copied from the Facebook page for the All Saints’ Center for Theology]
I think the first thing that strikes me about DeYoung’s article is this- are we all speaking the same language? When Kevin DeYoung talks about young people living without the confines of the “church” what does he mean? Church can be something as simple as a building- your local parish. Church can also mean the establishment, the man made strictures … See Moreand traditions. Church can also simply just mean the body of believers. If he is referring to the body of believers, than I don;t think the statement is un-biblical. One of the greatest challenges/problems of organized religion is that, if too organized, it can actually suffocate the work of the Holy Spirit. Conversely, one of its greatest strengths is that there is a formalized doctrine that can be trusted.
I found some inconsistency in statements made, and my own experience. I have worked VBS- taught 47 2nd graders one year! Anyways, I don;t believe following Christ means we are simply plodding along. Something as simple as this stay at home mom folding 7 loads of laundry a week can be for God’s glory when I pray for each family member who’s clothes I’m folding. In that sense, no “act of worship” is too small. Remember the widow- she only gave a little, but since it was all she had it was a lot.
There are times when the church pushes it’s members toward the grander gestures. How often are we told, either directly or through inference that unless we have some official church sanctioned ministry, we are not serving. Sometimes, the most profound service comes from serving those in our own home. Again, as a stay at home mom, my current mission field is my children and my husband.
Quoting “We like to be spiritual without the actual commitment of serving a community through institutional structures. As DeYoung says, we like being spiritual but not religious (how many times have you heard a believer say “No, I’m not religous, rather I have a relationship with Christ”?)” I think the spirit of the statement isn’t being heard. Religion to many people is about the rules. Christianity, at its most basic level is all about relationship with God with through His son Jesus Christ. Without that relationship, the rules are empty. With that relationship, following the rules becomes a natural extension of a sincere desire to be more like Christ. Keep in mind that there are two “rules”- those God ordained, and those man has made.
The most important thing is to love God. Loving God naturally flows into loving our neighbor. Don’t get me wrong, i do believe there is a place and importance to organized religion. We are called to worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4) The organized church holds the truth, but the Holy Spirit holds the spirit. We need both to fully and completely know, love and serve our Lord.
Terminology is difficult to decipher sometimes. DeYoung was specifically criticizing a tendency among many younger people who refuse to participate in consistent, regular, and “mundane” work within a community of believers (as compared to the supposedly more “sexy” work of Christians like Bono), believing such work is both “institutional” (in the negative sense) and unglorious. DeYoung points out that the “plodding”, unglorious work is often what the church needs,and thus is the actual glorious work of the God (like the work of stay at home moms!).
The relationship with Christ is supremely important, but many have over-emphasized the relationship in such a way that it is overly private, customized to the individual’s desire, and divorced from the community and the tradition of the faith. Both DeYoung and Pryor find this to be a sad reality, and see it reflected in young people’s apathy toward trench work in the church. Many people want to be Bono, just without the voice lessons. 😉
I must say, another thought occurs to me in regards to the plodding. How often do the “established” members of the church expect the newer members to do the “plodding work” as though it is some right of passage? I heard Beverly Lowry (mom of Mark Lowry) speak a few years ago. She made the point the the young moms shouldn’t be expected to work the nursery- they needed to be in the service being fed and hearing the gospel. Do we, as the church have an attitude of, “I’ve served my time putting away chairs, it’s someone else turn now?” Isn’t all service to be for God?
A good friend of mine once said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called” Do we see a need and rely on earthly logic to solve the problem, or do we allow the Holy Spirit to work “outside the box”. Do we, even after decades of commitment to Christ and our church still have the willing to plod along ourselves? Something to consider…..
Personally, I don;t think the relationship with Christ can be over-emphasized. It IS private. Jesus said, “If you love me you will follow My commands.” What the church should be asking is not why young people aren’t doing more “grunt” work. I think the more relevant question should be, “Are we teaching the people what God commands?”
I believe that we need community. In Acts, we are given a portrait of what the church should be- although they didn’t get it right either. I also believe though, that we can not stifle the work of The Holy Spirit. It is a difficult line between the two concepts- the Holy Spirits work and the church’s teaching and guidance. It’s my opinion that if we are going to error, it should always be on the side of letting God do his work privately. All actions we take should be bathed in prayer. if we don;t hear a clear answer, then we don;t act. If we learn how to hear the voice of God, then we will do the work he calls us to do. it will all get done. I read the book, and in the end, God reigns victorious! 🙂
[…] 24, 2010 by John Pryor Some months ago I posted a short reflection lamenting the lack of “plodders” in the church–those who toil thanklessly in the […]