Conflicted . . .As I ponder the deteriorating condition and the direction of the world around us I am conflicted. In me are two strong but conflicting motivations.
As a believer I want to change the world, to win souls, to fulfill the great commission. To do this I feel I need to stay plugged into our modern society with all its flaws and risks. But as a husband and dad, I want to provide for and protect my family. In the face of a looming economic collapse and a government that is leaning towards tyranny where economic and religious freedoms are being lost rapidly, I am tempted to retreat from society to a safer place and a simpler life where I am less dependent on the world system. My conflict is not to be unexpected since Paul was clear that the result of marrying is to become concerned about “this world’s affairs”.
1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (New International Version) 32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34and his interests are divided…
The author of Ecclesiastes again provides us with wisdom, a principle to use in navigating antagonistic principles, “grasp one and do not let go of the other”.
Ecclesiastes 7:17-19 17 Do not be over-wicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .
The historic church had times of assimilation under Theodosius I, and times of being set apart with the desert fathers; times of complete immersion during the 16th century under the power of the Church of England, and times of retreat as the Puritans and Quakers gave up everything and went into exile for the right to live according to their consciences.
Ecclesiastes 3 1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
There have been extra-ordinary times in human history when the church gathered into Christian community for the sake of enduring the times. For example, had it not been for the monastic communities, the Word of God may not even be available in its written form today.
1 Peter 2: 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Inwardly United, Outwardly Focused
The people of God are to be stones that are gathered together in Christian community, inwardly united, outwardly focused. There is a biblical pattern to follow for building a cohesive community of faith whose walls serve as a protection for the community and its most vulnerable members.
ACTS 2: 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation . . . 42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. . . 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Consider the Celtic model of Christianity where the believers lived together in self-sufficient community but did not lose their focus on winning the communities around them. Consider that the Amish, the Mennonites, and Monasteries have resisted the influence of the world (for over 400 years) and its political powers by being stubbornly united and by voluntarily rejecting the pursuit of material wealth and convenient living. Can the church take a lesson from them?
Is it really necessary for the church to be assimilated to be effective. Must we look and smell like the world to reach it? Have we taken this too far when the church has a higher divorce rate than atheists? “What good is it when salt loses its saltiness”? Why should the Church be dependent on a society that is becoming increasingly hostile towards it? When prophecy comes to pass and a one world government refuses to allow any buying or selling to those who won’t abandon their faith. . . How then will the assimilated church influence its world?
Those who have gathered in self-sufficient communities but who have not forgotten the call to win and influence their world may be in the best position to keep the light of the world shining during dark times. . .
light in the darkness
Mt 25 1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
There is another, more promising strategy. We can separate ourselves and our families from the institutions the cultural Marxists control and build new institutions for ourselves, institutions that reflect and will help us recover our traditional Western culture.
Several years ago, my colleague Paul Weyrich wrote an open letter to the conservative movement suggesting this strategy. While most other conservative (really Republican) leaders demurred, his letter resonated powerfully with grass-roots conservatives. Many of them are already part of a movement to secede from the corrupt, dominant culture and create parallel institutions: the homeschooling movement. Similar movements are beginning to offer sound alternatives in other aspects of life, including movements to promote small, often organic family farms and to develop community markets for those farms’ products. If Brave New World’s motto is “Think globally, act locally,” ours should be “Think locally, act locally.”
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55833
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