Idolatry. It’s not a word we commonly use today, much less in association with Christians. We believe that Christians are not subject to falling into idolatry as a temptation because this sin can only apply to unbelievers. Yet, it takes but a moment of perusing the Scriptures to find that the people of God in the past easily slipped into idolatry and under the displeasure of God for doing so. Add to that the many times throughout Church history Christians have strayed away from the calling of Christ and His teachings to the trappings of this world...and you have quickly have a reflection of idolatry in the hearts of God’s people. So, we can safely say idolatry is a trap into which Christians today can fall. Then...have we?
One of the gods of our time that call for the loyalty of Christians is the god of pragmatism. Pragmatism is the belief system of “what works”. Success is gauged by outcome. If an action produces a positive response or result, it is successful. Pragmatism has an inherent values basis as well. If it is successful, it therefore is good. How positive the results are determines how right the action is. For instance, in church circles, the rightness of the program is judged by how many people are involved in the program or are touched by the program.
Americans, in particular, are suckers for the god of pragmatism because we have always been a results-oriented people. Everything beyond the Church is results-driven. Thus, many within the Church believe it should be the same for the Church. The reader may say, “That’s right! What’s wrong with it?” Such a response only goes to prove how much of an influence the god of pragmatism has had on so many within the Church, especially in the U.S.
Confronting the god of pragmatism is the God of truth, the God of Scripture, the God of righteousness. I use the last term purposefully for this reason. Where the world judges success by results, God measures success in His economy by obedience to His Word, by our doing what is right in His sight which may or may not produce successful results in the sight of the world. The ultimate example of this principle is Jesus Christ Himself. He came to do His Father’s will and in so doing did not fulfill the people’s expectations. Indeed, when the crowds became too large and too demanding, Jesus simply turned and began sharing what was required of them to become one of His disciples (rf. Luke 14:25ff). No doubt all this talk about “hating” one’s spouse and children and even one’s own life went far in securing increased crowd participation for Jesus’ ministry! Indeed, the opposite held true. When the time of His mission on earth came to fruition, it was only His mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and John who were with Him. Would the world call that a successful ministry? To the world, it was an abysmal failure. But was it a success according to God? Absolutely! Why? He had accomplished that which God had called Him to fulfill, the right action He was intended to do regardless of the perception the world may have had of His deeds!
Where then is this all this talk of idolatry and pragmatism leading? We all realize that the Church is changing. Throughout history the Church has changed and she will continue to do so as long as she remains on earth until such time as the Lord returns. The key is how she will respond to the changes. Will she bow the knee to the god of pragmatism and pledge her loyalty to this false deity in return for empty promises of success? Or will she remain faithful to the God and Christ Who purchased her with His blood and Who has given her all she needs in His unchanging Word to weather the changing times as she always has before. Let me give you a brief overview of what I mean.
In reference to ecclesiology or the study of Church government, in the past the Church has changed from an elder-led model of limited congregational input system of church government as based on the synagogue to one in which the bishop/overseer/pastor is chief-among-equals serving with his fellow elders. She then later adapted to the bishop as serving separate and above the elders/ministers in a regional jurisdictional format. This transition all occurred within the first three hundred years of Pentecost while still keeping intact the offices as established in Scripture.
Likewise, in the area of doctrine, there are two time periods of significant change for the Church. Most of the foundational truths that we hold dear as Christians were hammered out in the first four to five hundred years in Church history. They were not easily arrived at, but, rather, were forged in the fires of controversy and doctrinal debates. The early Church produced what we believe in terms of the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, as well as the statements of faith that solidified the above truths in a systematic fashion for Christians of the future to follow (e.g. the Apostles’, Nicean and Athanasian Creeds).
The other time period of great transition was the Reformation in which God used a simple Augustinian monk to launch a movement to return the Church to its Biblical roots. Martin Luther’s belief in Paul’s quote of Habakkuk 2:4 “...the just shall live by his faith” as the stimulus behind his 95 Theses on the Wittenburg door was enough to spark a revolution. John Calvin expanded the concept into an overarching theological textbook that redefined not only the French language, but also forever changed the course of both the Church and Western civilization.
Worship also developed throughout the years of Church history. Followers of Christ have moved from the singing of the Psalms as their hymnbook (the Psalter) to the composition of classical works in praise of the Almighty (ex: Handel, Bach and other classical artists) to the writing of their own hymns unto the Lord (Hymnody) to the various types of revival music (ex: from Ira Sankey of D.L. Moody fame to Bill & Gloria Gaither, from Stamps/Baxter to Southern Gospel quartet music) to the composition of Scripture songs to Contemporary Christian music to the advent of praise/worship choruses. One must also add to these transitions the attendant technological advances of Powerpoint, projectors and screens, dramatic productions, liturgical dance, and other enhancements to worship that continue to “pop up” on the scene. In general, the Church has endeavored to maintain, with some exceptions, the connection of worship and Scripture, seeking to uphold sanctity and respect in music while touching the hearts and lives of the worshiper.
So, as you see, change is not new for the Church. The decision to be made is how to respond to changes prudently and in accord with the plain teaching of Scripture. It is a matter of doing what is right in God’s sight and not what is expedient, not bowing to the god of pragmatism. We should rather approach changes by wisely separating out personal preferences, “sacred cows” and the pillars of the faith, only keeping in place that which is truly enduring, adapting those things that are pliable, and scrapping those things that have truly seen their better days. To accomplish this transition, the Church needs the wisdom of God and the unity of all the brethren, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, every one of God’s people. As we all seek Him diligently in prayer and in His revealed Word, we are confident that He will provide the leadership we need to make this transition together in loyalty and service to Him alone, in unity and in the bond of love, fulfilling Jesus’ own prayer on our behalf: “...that they may be one, just as We are one.” (rf. John 17:22).
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