The second style of pragmatism as described by Webber - that is, that of the church as a political power base - is, frankly, a touchy subject with me. I wonder what positive influence we are giving up in the our culture because the unbelievers in our nation see Christians in general, and evangelicals specifically, as shrill, power-hungry theocrats who will follow a given candidate to any elected position if he or she speaks on the perceived proper side of a hot-button social issue. The way in which evangelicals have sought political power over the past couple of decades has only added to the image of the church as a monolithic body. Unfortunately, that political ideology has trickled down into local congregations. I have a friend (yes, it really is a friend!) who was actually uncomfortable in her church because she was of a different political party and held differing views on certain issues than what she perceived as the majority of the congregation.
So, putting that politically pragmatic soapbox aside, pragmatism also has an effect on ministry in that it can put limits on what the free-spirited side of me would like to do on occasion, though not often. Permission must ( or at least should be asked) for a new project. Restrictions may or may not be put on it. In a sense, this sort of pragmatism affects life within the congregation as well. As a volunteer who fills a couple of rather visible roles, I wonder sometimes exactly how much I can experience community in the congregation because others see me not as me, but as the youth leader or the Sunday School teacher or the mission trip coordinator.
I also wonder about pragmatic approaches on a macro level. In youth ministry over the years, for example, the idea has been to focus on programming and on creating the programs that attract will attract the most youth. On a grander scale, I think this has fed into the tendency of the youth to graduate from high school and leave the church all in one fell swoop. If we give them the flashbang as youth, what are they expecting as adults and how can we deliver? Do we keep going bigger and flashier?
As far as individualism goes, I admit to being a bit of a hermit. There are a lot of times that I would rather go it alone than be in community, but I understand that followers of Christ are supposed to live in community and so I continue to support that community. In my ministry, I try to be as inclusive as possible so that the students understand they have a role in the community. I also encourage them to see community as stretching out beyond our own local congregation.
3 comments:
Religion and politics can become sources of argument/discussion that can appear as Christianese in adult ss classes and barbershops. Discovering a Biblical Worldview based on the salvation history metanrrative is crucial to then develop a Christian Life View. Christendom is like crabgrass, it keeps morphing and coming back in different venues.
Are you implying that Christendom, like crabgrass is not wanted by the rich and elite and is therefore left to their underlings to deal with? Or that it is not wanted by the middle class and who in turn carry on a perpetual struggle with dealing with it? Or that for the poor, it is seen as something that grows and therefore is welcomed because of their dire situation?
Jason, the crabgrass analogy describes how difficult it is to let go of this security blanket that has been embedded in Western Cultures since the 4th century. Your rehtorical questions were clear except for the poor, please expand your comment. Two thoughts arise for me, the plight of the native Americans in Ohio who at first embraced Christianity and then were ravaged by Christendom's government; the other thought perhaps follows with your track about the poor and global missions that followed the track of the local Wyandots here in NW Ohio. Have you seen the film, "The Mission"? The core issue that I was attempting to raise was the impact of worldview on how we live in relationship to the issues we encounter in our life. Tammie's post about politics and evangelicals is a prime example in the public venue. For example, Jason, if you were president, how would your faith impact policy? That may be too abstract, how does your faith impact your job?
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