Page 7 - THE CHURCH BEFORE THE MOCKING WORLD

CHAPTER TWO
Ideas No Longer Have Consequences
All over the world, in Churches, denominations, and various traditions, something very new and radical is taking place.
It is hard to define because it has no geographical center of gravity, no guiding celebrity leader, and no primary format, denomination, or even style. This is probably its greatest strength without a corresponding weakness.
If this ?something new?can be defined by anything, it is by what itisrather than what it is not.
Elaboration is in order. Many of the movements that are classified as renewal or revival movements come into existence in reaction to something that is perceived as wrong, in error, or in need of reform. That is why it is quite normal for renewal movements to define themselves in terms of what they are not.
This ?something new?movement is not like that. There is no door to nail a treatise on; there is no Pope to love nor spurn. Rather, it is a reactive ?something?that has grown without identifiable agendas. Perhaps that is what makes it so fresh. There are, however, identifiable characteristics or elements that seem to be present wherever this renewal is taking place:
- A clear and intentional affection and devotion to the Lord Jesus.
- A desire to rediscover the life and teachings of the early Church.
- Love for all those who love the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Reading the Bible with an open heart of obedience.
- Worship of God through music, word, and symbol.
- A heart to serve the poor and the oppressed in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
In some ways it is not so important to understand how this has happened but rather why, and then to step into the stream of what God is doing.
Let me put this in context. The world that I knew as a child, the 1950?s in South London, no longer exists. Principally, I have seen the world move from a set of social constructions, where ?ideas?mattered and had consequences, to a world where ?ideas?are increasingly irrelevant.
In short, the world that is in the process of emerging is what I call a ?post-propositional nihilistic milieu?. This is not a title, but a descriptor or a condition. I realise that the term needs unpacking or it becomes yet just another ?post-this-or-that?.
It may be helpful to outline what this post-propositional nihilistic milieu is in the form of a schema.