This morning Dr. David Wells (from Gordon Conwell) was the keynote speaker for our spring chapel on theology, culture, and missions.
He talked about far too many things for me to detail in one post. But there were two things which he said that were worth noting.
First, he described the great paradox of western culture. Never have we had so much, and yet never have we had so little. With all the technological advances, everything has been made available to us. There is really nothing outside of our grasp. And yet, statistically speaking, western culture is as lonely, depressed, anxious, violent, and fearful as ever. Social progress has not really helped us progress at all.
Second, he detailed the movement in society as a result of the Enlightenment. Prior to it, salvation was held as man's greatest need, but it has since been replaced with psychology. External and internal evil are not the problems, but weakness and insecurity. And this because morality has been made relative and even disregarded completely.
As Dr. Wells stated it, in a psychological world we want therapy, but in a moral world we want redemption. In a psychological world we want to be happy, but in a moral world we want to be holy.
Preaching (the main topic of Dr. Wells lecture) addresses the moral world because preaching addresses the real problem. It proclaims Christ crucified and resurrected to redeem us from sin and death.
Sadly, much preaching today addresses the psychological. In an attempt to stay relevant to the changing culture, Sunday sermons are turned into therapy sessions. People listen to find a prized nugget to help them cope with life. They want to leave feeling good about themselves. They want to be happy.
This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians called preaching folly (or stupid) in the eyes of the world. It is not entertaining. It does not scream of skill in the areas of public speaking and rhetoric. It proclaims a message of weakness through the crucified Jesus Christ.
And yet that is what God calls His church to proclaim. We are not called to be relevant. We are called to be faithful. And faithful preaching means preaching Christ, sin, wrath, grace, mercy, justice, holiness, and everything else revealed to us in the pages of Scripture.
He talked about far too many things for me to detail in one post. But there were two things which he said that were worth noting.
First, he described the great paradox of western culture. Never have we had so much, and yet never have we had so little. With all the technological advances, everything has been made available to us. There is really nothing outside of our grasp. And yet, statistically speaking, western culture is as lonely, depressed, anxious, violent, and fearful as ever. Social progress has not really helped us progress at all.
Second, he detailed the movement in society as a result of the Enlightenment. Prior to it, salvation was held as man's greatest need, but it has since been replaced with psychology. External and internal evil are not the problems, but weakness and insecurity. And this because morality has been made relative and even disregarded completely.
As Dr. Wells stated it, in a psychological world we want therapy, but in a moral world we want redemption. In a psychological world we want to be happy, but in a moral world we want to be holy.
Preaching (the main topic of Dr. Wells lecture) addresses the moral world because preaching addresses the real problem. It proclaims Christ crucified and resurrected to redeem us from sin and death.
Sadly, much preaching today addresses the psychological. In an attempt to stay relevant to the changing culture, Sunday sermons are turned into therapy sessions. People listen to find a prized nugget to help them cope with life. They want to leave feeling good about themselves. They want to be happy.
This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians called preaching folly (or stupid) in the eyes of the world. It is not entertaining. It does not scream of skill in the areas of public speaking and rhetoric. It proclaims a message of weakness through the crucified Jesus Christ.
And yet that is what God calls His church to proclaim. We are not called to be relevant. We are called to be faithful. And faithful preaching means preaching Christ, sin, wrath, grace, mercy, justice, holiness, and everything else revealed to us in the pages of Scripture.
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