Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance

Rating:
Summary: The "gods on our wrists"
Review: In this refreshingly insightful book, Guinness exposes how the Church has bowed to the idol of relevance and its relationship to time (trendiness). The Church is too busy trying to keep up, constantly conforming itself to what the world says it needs to in order to relevant. Too much is given to being fresh, new, up-to-date, attunded, appealking, seeker-sensitive, audience-friendly (p. 76) The Church is too often looking to become "future-savvy", producing futurism, which is a quack-science that picks up current trends, and projects them into the future, and then pretends the results are predictions (p. 77) Leaders who have such a mind set ought to be called down as false prophets.

In having such a mentality, the Church actually becomes irrelevant. Guinness teaches us the only way the Church can actually be relevant is through being faithful to the gospel, for "in itself the good news of Jesus is utterly relevant or it is not the good news it claims to be." (p. 13) Guinness calls the Church to stop being "obsessed with the new" (p. 77) and rather to learn from the past, and most importantly, the eternal.

On a personal note, like the one reviewer mentioned, I agree this book shows the errors of the "New Apostolic Reformation" (the neo-charismatic apostolic/prophetic movement) in their constant stream of prophecies of the "coming" Church. They constantly threaten "Join us or be left behind" (p. 76)

I also would highly recommend an equally insigthful (and much more thorough) book by Philip Kenneson's called "Life on the Vine."

Rating:
Summary: Timely!
Review: This book has an interesting way of making its point. The flaps and back jacket of the book advertise this as a critique of the modern church's mad rush to be relevant. However, he begins with an interesting description of our slavery to time - he calls watches "the gods on our wrists." This obsession with time has translated itself into an obsession with being "timely," i.e. current and up to date and relevant to the culture around us. And the downside is that in our obsession to be relevant, we have become irrelevant. He says this:

"After two hundred years of earnest dedication to reinventing the faith and the church and to being more relevant in the world, we are confronted with an embarassing fact: Never have Christians pursued relevance more strenuously; never have Christians been more irrelevant."

He is correct - even in this era of the megachurch, where the advocates of relevance champion their methods because of the size of their churches, the fact of the matter is that the church is, and has been, losing its saltiness. Most church growth is the result of professing Christians transferring churches. Also, because of the watered down "relevant" gospel that is preached in our day, most of those who profess faith probably don't possess it.

Guiness makes a case, and I think a good case, that true progress doesn't come from accomodating to the culture, but through resisting the culture. He quotes C. S. Lewis who says that "progress is made only into resisting material."

Among other things he points out that our quest for relevance is fueled by our fascination with futurism. We are always trying to construct a church for the next generation. However, as Orwell says "futurism is the major mental disease of our time." Guiness points out that futurism is "a quack science, it picks up current trends, projects them into the future, and then pretends that results are predictions."

In fact, history is a better guide to our future than relying on the study of current trends. History gives a broader understanding of humanity than does science, so it behooves us to pay greater attention the past than to the current.

It has often been said, and Guiness reiterates it here, that the only way to be always timely, is to always focus on the eternal. One of the things I have noticed about those on the mad quest for relevance is that they are constantly having to re-invent themselves with every changing wind of the culture. It seems to me that this would wear you out. It also seems to me to be patently obvious from Scripture, that this world is hostile to the things of Christ - culture is not neutral. Therefore, trying to stay current with the culture may mean we are accomodating our persecutors. As John MacArthur said in a recent sermon - "unbelievers have become the number one church consultants in our world today." Or, as Guiness quoted in a prior book "He who sups with the devil had better use a long spoon."

I can't recommend this book too highly. Guiness is not calling for irrelevance, he is just saying that the gospel is eternally relevant, it doesn't have to be "made relevant." The Biblical view is that the gospel evaluates and critiques culture, it doesn't accomodate itself to culture. This book is a welcome defense of that notion.

Rating:
Summary: Idol of Relevance??
Review: What is a relevant message? What does keeping it real mean? Is there an obligation of the preacher to hold the unbeliever's interest? OS GUINNESS attempts to give a point of reference to the church about society's culture, the church, and the preached Word of God. He argues man's misunderstanding of time: How he perceives the past, present and future has resulted in him abusing God's revealed truth and in him preaching of another gospel.

OS GUINNESS argues the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always pertinent and appropriate. " The Gospel addresses the human condition appropriately, pertinently, and effectively. This is true whatever your generation, whatever your culture, or whatever century you live in." pg. 13. He further argues all Christians should share the message of Christ to all unbelievers in all types of situations. The Christian life should be defined by the Gospel.


On the cover of the book is a challenge to the idol of relevance. How can one worship relevance? Relevance is worshipped when God's truth is disregarded and it is sought more than God's Will. Pastor seeks to hold people's interest by giving messages that today's listener finds relevant. But if what is taught (doctrine) is not true to God's word, how can it be relevant to the unbelievers most important need? Man's most important need is forgiveness for his sins and eternal life. The Christian should stay faithful to God's word. If not the Christian is not faithful to God and holds no relevance to the unbeliever. The Christian's authority comes from God. Only through obedience to God's word can a Christian be relevant to the unbeliever.

Those who profess to believe Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord have often moved away from historic doctrine. Large portion of those who proclaim themselves as evangelicals attempt to adapt their theology to today's thinking in the World. The message is conformed to the toils of fashion and conformity. Culture is decisive and the audience is sovereign. What people do and think determines the message given by many a pastor. The teachings of yesterday are not judged based on truth, but rather if today's target audience will be receptive. What the preacher feels the people wants to hear today and in the future determines what is preached and how the church goes about other activities.

Therefore what is considered relevant becomes a new god, an idol. Those who come into a particular local body no longer serve The God. They come to seek a different truth defined by today's culture. The truth is no longer taught out of scripture. No longer do people come out of a conviction that they have rebelled against God, repent from wrong doing and seek God's forgiveness. Many come to be entertained and recreation.

This book does not contain scripture references nor is this book aimed at those who do not proclaim Jesus as Lord. It is an encouragement for those who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior to stay true to God's Word.