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The War Cry | AUGUST 2014
by
BOB HOSTETLER
I
n the last forty years
-- within the short span of two generations -- a brand new
culture has arisen just beyond the lawns and driveways of our homes and churches,
transforming the cultural landscape around us from familiar territory into a foreign
land -- one that is resistant to our long-accustomed ways of sharing the Gospel.
It's called postmodernism, and as God's ambassa-
dors, we would be wise to study this new culture, its
language and its customs. As the late Dr. Rick
Ferguson, senior pastor of Denver's Riverside Baptist
Church, said, "we need to be good missiologists and
adapt to our postmodern culture, so that we can clearly
communicate in [a postmodern] context." But how?
First, we can relax a little. God still speaks to the
hearts of men and women by His Holy Spirit, to
"convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness,
and judgment" (John 16:8, NASB). The salvation of
our postmodern friends, neighbors and strangers is
not completely -- nor even primarily -- our responsibility.
Still, we are called to be faithful, and God can help
us become more effective at sharing the Gospel in a
postmodern context, particularly as we understand a
few key contrasts.
Spiritual v. Christian
Capitalize on the spiritual curiosity of the day.
"America is more spiritual today," Ferguson says,
"but less Christian." Many postmoderns are spiritually
hungry and thus willing to talk openly about
spiritual things; questions such as "Do you have
any interest in spiritual things?" and "May I tell
you how my spiritual life has changed?" will usually
open doors better than "If you were to die tonight,
would you go to heaven or hell?"
Personal v. Propositional
Focus your Christian witness on the personal.
Today's seekers are not so much asking whether
the Gospel is credible; they are asking whether it is
relevant. "Is it true?" has been replaced by "Will it
work for me?" Thus, there has never been a better
time to share our personal testimonies. As Discipleship
Journal
editor Sue Kline says, "Most postmoderns are
interested in hearing people's stories. If we listen with
genuine interest to the stories of non-Christians, they
will listen to our stories, which are just like theirs
but with the added surprise of redemption."
Process v. Presentation
View your witness as a process. Postmoderns
Your Guide to Sharing the
Gospel in a Postmodern Culture
Who
Changed the
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