So we have come to the conclusion of this seven-part series. I hope that you have received something from it. I know I have benefited from your interaction. In this post, I will continue as a language instructor, teaching the grammar of God to those more influenced by postmodernity.
General Advice
Let me repeat the general advice, because it is important to understand this prior to reading the advice for those influenced by postmodernity. “The Christian gospel has sometimes been made the tool of an
imperialism, and of that we have to repent. But at its heart it is the
denial of all imperialisms, for at its center there is the cross where
all imperialisms are humbled and we are invited to find the center of
human unity in the One who was made nothing so that all might be one.
The very heart of the biblical vision for the unity of humankind is
that its center is not an imperial power but a slain Lamb.” (Newbigin 1989:159)
As we have seen, both modernity and postmodernity, in their own
ways, have contributed to conversion being a four-letter word by many
people today. Yet how we view conversion, the particular lens through
which we view it, and the places where we stand to view it are all
critical if conversion is to become desirable once again. I believe
the issues in these posts are best handled by becoming a language
teacher. As a language teacher, I intend to embody the language of
faith and teach the grammar of faith to others, whether it’s through
public preaching, personal encounters, or group discussions. In this
way, whether one is under the spell of modernity or postmodernity, as
he learns the language of faith, he will re-engage in God’s mission
with a sense of vigor. To get specific on how I would do this, I have
provided a couple of personal grammar lessons. Listen in.
Advice for Those Influenced by Postmodernity
If you have a hard time proclaiming this story to a world in need for fear that you might unwittingly be complicit in a scheme to dominate and control, or if when you hear the word conversion your stomach does a few flips, then I have this advice for you.
First of all, everybody is part of some narrative. Everyone lives in some story. The question is, why should I live in this one rather than another one? Is there a way to test the narrative of a story to discern if it is one I should fully enter into? Stanley Hauerwas speaks to this. “Just as scientific theories are partially judged by the fruitfulness of the activities they generate, so narratives can and should be judged by the richness of moral character and activity they generate” (Hauerwas 1981:95).
In entering the story of God, we will be able to speak to Caesar’s ideas of peace and justice and stand with the oppressed in love because our truth has some teeth to it. When we commit ourselves to living faithful in this story, we will experience what it means to overcome evil with good. We will taste, feel, and smell its truth and beauty.
One beautiful thing about the story of God is that it is rich with diversity. There are plots and subplots and different ways to view the story, as evidenced in the four gospels themselves. And while the Jesus story is a many-sided tale, we need to learn to tell the story honestly and contextually. To become a Christian is to become so much a part of God’s story as written in the holy text that we become living texts ourselves. Our story is a public one, a political one. It is a story that produces the fruit of the Spirit and builds a contrast-society as a witness to the world. John Yoder describes the kind of community that God is building through His Spirit: "The political novelty that God brings into the world is a community of those who serve instead of ruling, who suffer instead of inflicting suffering, whose fellowship crosses lines instead of reinforcing them. This new Christian community in which the walls are broken down not by human idealism or democratic legalism but by the work of Christ is not only a vehicle of the gospel or only a fruit of the gospel; it is the good news. It is not merely the agent of mission or the constituency of a mission agency. This is the mission" (Yoder 1998:91).
PART IV
Conclusion
So whether we are more influenced by modernity or postmodernity, we have all been put into one body of which Christ is the head. And in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free, modern nor postmodern, for we are all one in Christ. And as the people of God who believe in the goodness of conversion, we are constantly in need of conversion ourselves. For as Wilbert Shenk puts it, “Conversion is needed wherever men and women do not acknowledge the reign of God” (Shenk 2004: lecture). When we recognize that we are all in need of conversion, we become beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. We become journalists instead of salesmen. We see the beauty of conversion because we are constantly experiencing it in our own lives. It is then that we start to understand what G.K. Chesterton meant when he said, “Truth must necessarily be stranger than fiction, for fiction is the creation of the human mind and therefore congenial to it” (Chesterton 2002:99).
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