I was thinking today about how much surface cultural noise invades the preacher in the first quarter of the 21st Century.
There is the noise that emerges from the digital city that never sleeps. It overflows with tweets, posts, blogs, podcasts and YouTube videos. We live in what has been described as a culture of distraction. I am grateful that I began my ministry in the early 1980s when these kinds of distractions were a distant dream in the minds of young nerds in Silicon Valley.
Forty years ago, I had to learn to make choices. It soon become clear that I could not read every book that was published or attend every fraternal or conference.
There has always been a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) for those involved in Christian ministry. Whether it be books and conferences or navigating the digital world, priorities need to be established. For me, I choose to try and read the best books. By this I mean books that are seminal and make a distinctive contribution to my thinking and practice.
This meant that I tried to avoid books that were second-rate, derivative and poorly written. Perhaps that is why I have become a book reviewer!
Preachers need to develop an instinct for what is essential. The challenge now, of course, is that input comes at us with the ferocious pace of a space invaders video game.
There is also the noise that comes from the media coverage of the skeletons in the churches’ cupboards such as the abuse uncovered by the Makin Report into the abuse perpetrated at the Christian camps organised by John Smyth. As I have listened and watched the media coverage, I felt a deep sadness for those who had been abused and sorrow that so little had been done in response to whistleblowers.
How do preachers preach in a credible manner against the noise of these exposures of the conservative evangelical world? Perhaps the evangelical world that prides itself on its authenticity and commitment to truth should learn how to show a little bit more humility.
With Advent and Christmas preaching coming up when there will be many visitors in our services. We need to learn how to use the right tone of humility and lament.
There can sometimes be a tendency among evangelicals to say that something is wrong and that they are very sorry, then snatch it away with a “but”!
Preachers need to beware of defensiveness and self-justification.
The third area of cultural noise that has filled the preachers’ ears at present is the Assisted Dying Bill that is about to be presented in parliament. The huge intake of new younger MPs coming into parliament has exposed how little impact a Christian worldview has had upon those under 40 years old. I have been impressed by the clear stance taken by the Labour Health Minister, Wes Streeting. It is heartening to see how he and other MPs speaking against the bill have been shaped by Christian faith.
We cannot turn down the surface cultural noise around us but we can tune in to the voice of God in Scripture and seek to humbly communicate its message.
Photo by Rima Kruciene on Unsplash
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