The first century approach to advancing the Gospel modeled by Jesus and the apostles was very effective. And it was very attractive. Jesus’ resurrection was at the center of the first century apologetic. Maybe twenty first century believers ought to reclaim it as the center of theirs as well. Seems some have complicated it; seems some want it to be more demanding. That’s just pushing people away from the roots of the faith. The faith isn’t founded on a long list of rules, and it isn’t founded on ‘the Bible’ either. It’s founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Pretty simple really.
The religious landscape in America has shifted. Fewer and fewer Americans are self-identifying as Christians, and nearly 56 million Americans now identify as being religiously unaffiliated. And that’s in a society that’s rooted in the history, culture, and practices of Christianity…but millions have and are walking away from it, and millions more have and are flat-out rejecting it. That is clear evidence of the overall abject failure of the church nowadays. Yep, failure.
Our culture questions biblical authority more so now than ever before. It values education and reason and science and reality, and doesn’t value faith based answers to fact based questions. We know the earth is 4.5 billion years old, and the universe is 13.8 billion years old. And there is tension when folks try to resolve the realities of their lives with Sunday school depictions of reality. “The Bible says” and “the Bible teaches” and “God’s Word is clear” doesn’t carry any weight with millions and millions of people nowadays. Everything’s an adversary to many of those in the church; they’re so defensive. Why not view changes and advancements as opportunities to underscore the faith, rather than as intentions to undermine the faith…?
Apostle’s Peter and Paul, both prominent leaders in the first-century church, adjusted their approaches in light of their audiences. But while they tailored and adapted their approaches, their central message remained the same. And so, like Peter and Paul, maybe the church ought to change their hermeneutical approach to advancing the Gospel. The foundation of Christianity is an event, not a book. Even Apostle Paul said, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
