On the fateful night when the RMS Titanic hit the iceberg that would sink her, the first warnings must have gone nearly unnoticed. Although the trembling chandelier over the ballroom floor gave little clue to the rushing tide that was already filling chambers below the waterline, the ship was doomed and the clock was ticking. Last week, I suggested that in the history of the USS America, the trembling of the proverbial light fixture must have come in 1962 when the US Supreme Court threw prayer out of the public schools. Even then, a surging tide of anti-Christian court decisions and two generations of godless popular culture were preparing to flood the USS America and erase every hint of our Christian foundation.
As a result, most Americans under the age of forty have no vocabulary for discussing spiritual realities; no framework for arriving at spiritual conclusions. On those moments when some young American might possibly sense a vast, growing emptiness within, the movies and internet offer an endless list of kinky suggestions (i.e. more sex) and narcissistic notions (i.e. create a new self) he or she can pursue. And contrary to the illusion that largely dominates the ranks of church leaders, pagan Americans are not waiting for the right invitation to join in some church activity. From their secular perspective, churches are historical relics of an ignorant world where science and computers were not available to answer every question.
So what does a Christian do when you realize your pagan neighbors are not looking for spiritual answers or waiting for you to invite them to a special church event? It seems that you and I suddenly find ourselves with a lot in common with Patrick of Ireland. Kidnapped from his comfortable home in Britain and carried away to slavery in Celtic Ireland, he was suddenly immersed in a pagan culture in which his identity, his customs, his convictions, even his language were useless and held in contempt. When he finally escaped after years of neglect, he realized he could not take refuge in the comforts of home and privilege back in England. Rather, he prepared himself to be a missionary and returned to pagan Ireland.
It goes without saying that he would often be unappreciated and would frequently be misunderstood. But he relied upon the supernatural power of God. And he worked tirelessly to inject the distinctive ideas of Jesus Christ and the Gospel into an alien environment where violence was a form of recreation; where coarseness trumped sophistication every time; and where the most twisted forms of sexual behavior were woven into routine life.
Patrick surely realized there was no quick fix for this pagan land. He was prepared to commit his entire life to the venture, and that is what it would require. But God was able to anoint one man with so much heavenly fire that his lifetime of ministry would indeed spark a spiritual rebirth. A heavenly tide would eventually cleanse the vile land and replace paganism with a lively and distinctive Christian faith.
In pondering a strategy for unleashing the Gospel across pagan America, Patrick would be a good place for us to start. I challenge you to read his story and ask God to call up an army of Patricks here in 21st Century America.
More next week.
Welcome to the Desert.
No comments:
Post a Comment