Connecting Christ to a post-modern world. Acts 17:16-34
Acts 17:16-21 NIV [16] While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. [17] So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. [18] A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, What is this babbler trying to say? Others remarked, He seems to be advocating foreign gods. They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. [19] Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? [20] You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean. [21] (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Socrates Philosopher (470 BC-399 BC); Believed that asking questions of others you could find moral behaviour. If it works for you that is good but it doesn't work for me. (Watching Socrates would be like watching the ABC's Q and A program. All have an opinion of truth and ask questions but you never get to the truth of a matter.) Plato (428-348BC) believed that if you have good moral ethics you will find goodness and happiness. You need to control your physical pleasures as if you were steering a wild horse. Plato was a mathematician. (The power is in you).
Aristotle, (384-322BC) a scientist, wanted more than right thinking, he wanted right behaviour. Everybody wants to be happy, nobody knows how to attain happiness. (Just behave yourself to find happiness). Pythagoras(570?-500BC) "Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life." (Have friends to all work together to find happiness). "Pythagorean ideas exercised a marked influence on Plato, and through him, all of Western philosophy." Wikipedia.
Stoics withheld desires to bring their lives under control, self control and not dependency on others brought a form of morality. Happiness is found in withholding pleasure. Nature was their god.
Note above that he is saying there is no God. Go do what I want as I'm not accountable to anybody or thing. Epicurean (341 270 BC) had an ethic of withdraw, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Find pleasure in food, family and contentment. Happiness is found in pleasure and experience. (Go out and indulge the flesh).
Understanding today's society. As we look at today's society, it is called a postmodern society. So what then was a modern society? Modernism had the industrial revolution with metals and concrete. The invention of the production line. Put smoke into the atmosphere, burn all the forests. Strip and plow the land for farming. Kill all the whales in the ocean. Love your king and country. Governments rule. The church building was the centre of town. Church was popular. We could manage the present times and we could face the future.
post-modernism: A total reversal and deconstruction of modernism. We have people chaining themselves to trees to save the forests and animals. Animal rights. Houses are built Eco friendly. People are worried about rising oceans and global warming which is now called climate change. We have the Information Age, where social media moves governments to act. People rule through Facebook and Twitter. Julian Assange takes on the government through Wiki Leaks which is justified because it takes on the institution. Computer hackers "Anonymous" hack government web sites. Occupy group goes into parks world wide and protests against the economy and governments. Science is the basis for a truth. Others believe No accountability and no truth! Marriage is out. We just exist for the uncertain now and we are worried about the future. Anything that is 2 years old or older is pointless, it's the now we live for.
So has the church moved from being modern to post-modern? In the 1950's to 60's church was popular in Australian society. You sent your kids to Sunday school. Many churches had bus ministries where they'd pick up kids for Sunday school. Then in the 1970's - 90's church was less in society. This then was the development of market strategies. Let's start working out ways where we can make the church building attractive in our community. Let's find out the needs of the community and put on program's to meet those needs so people can come to the building. This though had the message change that Christ exists for my own personal fulfilment. What happened in the 2000's is society changed towards institutions and the church is now a minority.
How then is the church today to respond to being a minority in society?
Acts 17:22-28 NIV [22] Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. [23] For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship---and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. [24] The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. [25] And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. [26] From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. [27] God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. [28] For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, We are his offspring.
Areopagus, Mars Hill
Paul uses the culture to present Christ. V23 the altar with the inscription: the unknown god. V24 their temples made by human hands. V25-27 it is God almighty who created the world and wants all to seek Him. V28 Paul quotes their poets.
Although society has changed the message of the Gospel still crosses all cultures.
Acts 17:29-34 NIV [29] Therefore since we are God s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone an image made by human design and skill. [30] In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. [31] For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. [32] When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, We want to hear you again on this subject. [33] At that, Paul left the Council. [34] Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
V30-31; It starts with repentance and belief in the resurrection.
Above picture: the city walls of Jerusalem on the right, the place of the skull on the left. Left picture: a close up of the place of the skull.
It is God who is the missionary seeking the lost. The church is an active part of this. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit ---- The church ---- missions ---- the world. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit ---- missions ---- the church ---- the world. The church can no longer stand on the steps of the building yelling to the community to repent. The church can no longer think that we are guardians of the truth and the public needs to come into the building to find life. The church needs to look at the community, be a part of the community, and use the culture of the community to present the Gospel in the community.