Responding Redemptively 1: Image

In response to my paper “Postmodernism in the Pews”, a close friend of mine asked me elaborate more on my closing statements. In the paper, I describe 2 ways that the Church typically responds to the postmodern culture. It either runs and hides, or it totally embraces the culture. My closing remarks stated that the Church instead needs to respond to the culture redemptively–“…the Church needs to be about redeeming God’s world while reclaiming and transforming postmodern people. This way models closely the ministry of Jesus and, I believe reflects his will. And this redemption is not limited to personal salvation, but is about ‘…believing that God’s redemptive and transforming activity extends to every element of the cultural soup.'”

So, I’d like to take a deeper look into what it means to respond to our postmodern culture redemptively. What better place to start then with people?

I’m originally from Southern California. It is truly a melting pot of all types of people from all walks of life. Growing up in the Greater Los Angeles community, there was plenty of diversity around me all the time. This is why I have to laugh when I see people react to teenagers dressed in Goth as they walk through the doors of a Starbucks. It really is funny to me. Most people go out of their way to avoid others that look weird or different.

This reaction is actually a reaction that is contrary to the Gospel itself. In The Message paraphrase, at Genesis 1:26 it reads, “Let us make human beings in our image, reflecting our nature…” Everyone, everywhere is a bearer of the image of God. It’s not just Christians that have the image of God–as if to hold it as a standard for those who aren’t “in”. This means everyone matters, and we need to treat all people like they matter–to love them like they matter.

It comes from the understanding that all people NEED God’s great story of Grace, and not only understanding that fact, but DESIRING it to be so, and LIVING a life that says you actually believe it. The Gospel is good news for everyone or it’s not good news for anyone.

Paul even mentions this in Romans 8. He says that ALL CREATION groans for redemption. All creation. Even those who don’t believe in redemption. GK Chesterton has even said that, “…the man who knocks at the door of the brothel is looking for God.”

So, how do we respond to our postmodern culture redemptively? By really believing that all people are created in God’s image, and that the Gospel is truly good news for everyone…not just for us. What does this look like? We’ve got to start by understanding our own cultural biases. Our way of understanding the Christian Faith is simply that–our way of understanding it. God’s world is so much bigger than our little square of it. I believe that most Evangelicals and conservative Christians are guilty of this, and it shows through their preaching: we want so desperately to understand Scripture as it relates to us that we assume the writers must have been writing to a 21st century, Western audience; and in the process take no time in understanding the ancient context.

We also have to build relationships with and love people. In the movie, The Patriot, British General Cornwallis is arguing with Col. Tavington about his treatment of the Colonials. In the exchange, Cornwallis warns Tavington to treat them better because when the war is over and the British have won, they will again have to take up residence in the colonies and be neighbors and live and work with the Colonials–essentially that these men and women are their brothers.

May that picture not be lost on us. May we see that following the way of Jesus is not about “us vs. them”, but that we are all created in God’s image, and we all matter. May we see that we’re all crying out for Grace–and we all need the good news.