Relevance and Truth

For a time it seemed that the trend in new churches was to achieve "relevance".
It may still be the trend.

Relevance means "we are hip to what's happening today   ....   man".

In the seventies, Christians adopted terms from the drug culture and invited sinners to get "hooked on Jesus"...
In the eighties, I distinctly remember lobbying for our church to get with it and bring in Pac Man and other video games.
All in the name of relevance.
Even then, it seemed a little hollow.

Today, churches are struggling to discover where the culture is going and adapt, adjust - become relevant.

I have no problem with churches serving their congregants better and I like fresh perspectives; but sometimes I am afraid that we focus too closely on being relevant.  We adjust so much that we forget who we are and lose sight of who God has called us to be.

We who make up the universal church are called to be "lights".
The compelling thing about light is that it stands out.  It provides a stark contrast to the darkness.

I have been thinking a lot about truth lately.  There is a standard that says that All Truth is God's Truth, and I buy into that whole heartedly. In fact Jesus said " I am the Way, the Truth, . . . ". 

And because God is Truth, we can trust that Truth will always triumph in the end.

Have you ever thought about how constantly relevant the Truth is?

 Truths never change, and though cultures change, fashions change, people change - the Truth is always relevant - it is always "hip to the jive".

Quickly rattle off some truths that you know:

You always reap what you sow
if you play with fire you'll get burned
Give and it shall be given unto you
the idle mind is the Devil's workshop
many hands make light work

They are always relevant; they always work.  Now rattle off some relevant catch phrases:

The earth is flat
Love means never having to say you're sorry
Drop out, turn on, tune in
Never trust anyone over thirty

.... phrases that were quite relevant in their day but today they are trite.

These thoughts have given me some solace over the past couple of years as I watched our political landscape. . . the truth is always relevant - the truth always wins in the end.

When our founding fathers decided to put down their reasoning for seeking independence from Britain, they did so with a written document.  One that could easily be used against them, but one they could also use as a standard, a benchmark in case they grew weak.

It is fitting I think that they began that document with a reference to the Truth. . . .

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...."

...Truth that is still relevant today.
Keep standing, America.