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Christianity Today, September (Web-only), 2007 |

SoulWork

A Hidden Treasure

There's a divine reason the church mirrors the culture.

Mark Galli | posted 9/06/2007 01:57PM

Yet another book has crossed my desk bemoaning the sorry state of evangelicalism. And like many books before it, it highlights a number of scientific studies to prove it. The studies show that when it ...

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Brent Thomas

Posted: September 14, 2007 11:56 AM

This phrase particularly bothered me: “why would we think that the world would be able to pick us out from a crowd of other well-meaning organizations?” Gill’s approach neglects the fact that Jesus Himself, along with Peter says that the world should see our different conduct (our good deeds) and glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Peter 2:12, etc.). If anything, the world will see our love and know that we are Christ’s disciples (John 13:35). Yes, we certainly should expect the Church to be different from culture. Yes, the wheat grows with the tares, but you should be able to tell them apart.

Darryl H.

Posted: September 14, 2007 11:20 AM

So, what should I DO as a response to this article? I feel as though I've just been implored to sit down and shut-up, and to stop encouraging people toward holiness and obedience. Just because we are a fallen people and a sin-filled church, should we just accept it and even embrace it? Just because there are tares among the wheat, should we not warn people to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith? Wow! Can this actually even be called Scriptural at all? I don't think so. Last time I checked, preachers and teachers have always been instructed to preach the Word without apology. It is our responsibility to sound a clear call according to Ezekiel. Otherwise, their blood is on our hands. This approach you suggest will only result in the judgment of God being brought on me and all others who follow it.

Steve Galegor

Posted: September 14, 2007 9:01 AM

If I am understanding the article correctly, it seems to be an acceptance of mediocrity in the Christian life. Susan's remarks above are on target. I am reminded of Dallas Willard's remarks that the opposite of grace is not works, but merit. There is work involved with the Christian life and we are in God's kingdom now to the extent we have surrendered to Christ's loving Lordship in our lives through conversion and empowered by His Spirit. As a missionary pastor, I join the ranks of those who are often disappointed at the dysfunctionality of many of the churches I know.

Steve Phillips

Posted: September 12, 2007 8:53 AM

That God's people are to be different from the "world" is a clear and consistent theme throughout the Bible. It has nothing to do with being an evangelical, or any other label, it is about being a disciple. I understand that we are not there, but we must pursue holiness. It takes work and time to weed the garden of our soul. If we are not deliberate and purposeful about our part in this process, then soon the weeds are in control.

Eric	Posted: September 09, 2007 11:19 PM

I too am dismayed by the erroneous logic of this article. I would cite Paul's rhetorical question and answer in Rom 6:1-2, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" He goes on to say in verse 4 that "as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." The gospel promises not just a "get-out-of-Hell-free-card" but a truly changed life spent following Jesus! Christ said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). All sin is an abomination to a holy God. True members of the body of Christ are known by their love for one another and radically transformed lives through the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Paul writes, "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Rom 8:13). We love God with all our being.

Anna	Posted: September 09, 2007 10:30 PM

I agree with the many comments pointing out the flaws and the scary and faulty logic included in the article. I also agree that this is the worst article I have ever seen coming from "Christianity Today" --- I would not have even seen it if an upset friend hadn't shown it to me, but it is better to be enlightened than ignorant. Now my faith in Christianity Today as a source of healthy Christian reading material has been shattered! Christianity is a war against the forces of evil and we need to fighting the good fight every single day in any and every way we can, not "yawning" (That's horrible!) when our brothers and sisters in Christ fail miserably and give the whole Body of Christ a black eye.

Todd	Posted: September 09, 2007 1:55 AM

The books that you should spend more time reading are those of the Old and New Testament. I don't mean to sound flippant—just to the point. Did Paul waste his time writing to the church at Corinth about their worldly practices? Did Jesus have nothing better to do when He told John to warn certain churches that they were becoming too permissive of sin. What is holiness? Why would anyone use ‘salt’ if it did not change the way things taste? And why would anyone use a ‘light’ that shines no brighter than its surroundings? Please reconsider this flawed course of thought. Thank you!

sp	Posted: September 08, 2007 11:09 PM

The church is called "the body of Christ" for a reason. Did Jesus fit in while he was on earth? Was he "unambigious"? To say that we are sinners just like the rest of non-saved people is to completely discredit new nature theology. "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation..." If Jesus saves me and then I go on living the same kind of life than what is the point in being saved?! 2 Peter 1 says that God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness. To say that the church is alright to emulate all aspects of the culture including sin is a problem. Since when do we make excuses for sin as God's children? Sure, everyone messes up, but the point is WE DON"T HAVE TO. Romans 6:11 says "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin..." That is certainly not the attitide communicated in this article.

sp	Posted: September 08, 2007 11:09 PM

Clinton

Posted: September 08, 2007 10:30 PM

That Christians fail & are in constant need of grace is not a new thing. The problem with Galli's analysis is that an increasing number of evangelicals are confused about the very nature of sin itself! For example an increasing number of Bible-believing, Spirit-filled evangelicals think abortion is sometimes permissible, passively support stem-cell research, condone premarital sex, passively oppose same-sex marriage and see no qualms about frequent divorce & remarriage. To me this is not simply a problem with holiness or spirituality, but a more serious malady. These are not "tares" planted by the enemy but "wheat" born by Word,water & Spirit! To dismiss the current state of affairs and the pathetic illiteracy of the faith among Christians simply as human failure & God's plan is sad, escapist & misleading. Jesus didn't teach justification by faith but repentance & Lordship. The reason the publican went home justified was because he cried "Have Mercy God" first. A changed life followed

Susan Leslie

Posted: September 08, 2007 9:01 PM

"Multitudes are kept from spiritual progress by cast-iron systems of doctrine which have, in their own darkened understanding, settled forever the fact that holiness is impossible in this present life, and that no mere man, since the Fall, is able to keep the commandments of God, but must daily break them in some way in word or thought or deed. And then a row of human characters is set before us to prove to us the impossibility of sanctification, and to show the satisfying and humbling influence of human imperfection. Multitudes have made their minds up in advance that they can never have the fulness of Jesus beyond certain narrow limits, and, of course they cannot advance beyond their own standards - thinking the fulness of the inheritance unattainable. Now we quite agree with the statement that no "mere" man can be holy or blameless...we do assert that what no mere man can do, the Living Christ can do, and does, for those who abide in Him." -AB Simpson See I Pe 1:14-16

Steve Blackwell

Posted: September 08, 2007 6:02 PM

Yes! the Gospel may very well be the hidden treasure, but if it is hidden it is hidden to the blind. The state of the church is also a great cause for grief and lamentation, but hardly unexpected. And, if we are unable to pick a "Christian" out of a crowd it is because they have chosen to not speak or to speak only those things accepted by the "crowd." Visibility for Christians does not come expressly through the exhibition of loving manners, but also through the hard love of truth, exhibited very often as intolerance. What we see in the Church today is a pathetic ignorance of truth and a pandering to the world for the sake of peace. Real Christianity, as shown in Scripture, is much more rare than than we can even imagine and if we are looking for it in the institutional church we can only expect to be disappointed; it is a treasure only to be had through great struggle and effort, and this will never fly in todays church, but it is Biblical.

Stephen

Posted: September 08, 2007 1:07 PM


I concur with most (not all) the other commenters who were alarmed at Mr. Galli's reasoning and conclusion. It seems a wholly inadequate response to the current state of affairs within evangelicalism. Perhaps I misunderstood his point. But I think we should respond to books like "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience" with sorrow and repentance, not a shrug!

Mark	Posted: September 08, 2007 10:58 AM

It is not really complicated. What evangelicals do best is evangelism. That means unbelievers and new belivers make up a significant portion of our churches. That's a good thing; but don't expect unbelievers and new believers to behave "statistically" like mature believers. In my church, I teach a rapidly growing group of men and women from the local Rescue Mission whose lives are full of brokenness . They really mess up my church's statistics for what Christian maturity should look like. Jesus is there. I am humbled by them. Laying aside excuses, Galli nailed it.

Isabelle Wregg

Posted: September 08, 2007 6:11 AM


An excellent article. I totally agree with "Anonymous"! We need to get real about the Church and about ourselves. Yes we are called to holiness, but it is one big struggle and always will be in this life. Pilgrim's Progress should be compulsory reading for all Christians!

Hidden treasure, here is why.

Posted: September 07, 2007 6:22 PM

Hidden treasure? Galli accepts it as inevitable and with his false "soulwork" title hardly scratches the surface, offering a cough linctus for raging jungle fever. The reason the truth is so hidden from us buried deep within the jungle of sin and corruption can be found in Isa 29:"13And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me only with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are but as a commandment of men that is learned by repetition without any thought as to the meaning ,Therefore, behold! I will again do marvelous things with this people, marvelous and astonishing things; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will vanish or be hidden.Woe to those who [seek to] hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, Who sees us? Who knows us?" So plenty of hidden sin because many do not really believe in God!

Anonymous

Posted: September 07, 2007 5:44 PM


Brilliant article, beautifully reasoned and written. I had to laugh, however at some of the comments. Honestly, it just proves Galli's point even better. No, Clinton, it is not "something to worry about." Indeed, as Christians we cannot presume to be shocked by any amount of sin. We will not be free of it, this side of Paradise. Mark Galli, you speak the Truth.

T	Posted: September 07, 2007 5:18 PM

Oats and manure mixed up in this article! We should be prophetically exhorting the church to shed its sad sloth and to rise up. Instead we get an excuse that its OK for us to be mediocre because it's all in God's plan. Let the harlots be harlots and the false messiah's with their power-shows continue unchallenged; after all its just what God said should happen. Wait! Did he say it should happen or would happen? I believe he said it would happen not should happen. The book of Revelation spells it out that we must both warn against thaose who are false as well as be burning with zeal for our first love. But why is the church so slovenly? I believe it is ill. People in the churches are sick. They lack leadership which spurs them on and challenges their sad state. But you say leaders rant and rave every Sunday and all over the TV. But are they not the false ones who encourage faith to be a spectator sport which gets enthusiastic while they being entertained and their wounds lightly healed.

Michael Cooper

Posted: September 07, 2007 4:30 PM

This article displays a profound understanding of the gospel of God's free grace and forgiveness "70 times 7" of His children, the church, on a daily basis, as the one and only hope. If we are really honest with ourselves as we are and not as we wish we were, any other "gospel" would be bad news indeed. But this radical message that we are, first to last, birth to death, totally dependant on God's love to us in Christ, and that we can never hope to satisfy the Holy God with a "got it together", model "evangelical" life, is a message that is an affront to human pride, evangelical and liberal alike. So let us drop our swords of self-righteousness, give up on the "culture war", and spread the gospel like our dear brother Paul, who, as I recall, saw himself as "the chief of sinners."

Clinton

Posted: September 07, 2007 4:24 PM

I started reading this article with great curiosity but continued reading it with even greater alarm. I understand that Christians are sinners, but I was extremely shocked to read CT's Managing Editor say that "evangelicals" do only one kind of thing better - evangelicalism. And then even more as he went on to dismiss those who were concerned about the spiritual state of Evangelicals as false prophets and contend that rising divorce rates, premarital sex etc among Evangelicals was not something to worry about! Even more shocking was the sub-title: "there's a divine reason the Church mirrors the culture!" . And finally he goes on to say that other Christians do other things better that Evangelicals don't do! My question is: As Christians, are evangelicals called to follow Jesus and all His teachings or not? If so, there cannot be any question that at least the Evangelical church (myself included) is indeed failing God and failing the culture!

Chuck Warnock

Posted: September 07, 2007 1:29 PM

The way of Jesus is a call to "come and die," as Bonhoeffer so eloquently put it. To dismiss the failures of the professed followers of Jesus by saying we're all sinners, or that God hides himself, is an inadequate response to evangelical failure to live differently from the rest of our culture. Our failure lies in our theology of easy believism, in our reducing the gospel to the 4-points, and in our individualized view of God's world. Yes, we will always fall short, but Paul wrote churches like Corinth to tell them to live differently than the culture that surrounded them. Otherwise, how will anyone know we have moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light? Missional theology is grappling with how we engage culture with authentic expressions of Christian faith in practice. Oh, and by the way, trotting out the old "we're still better than the liberals" argument is the reddest of red herrings. CT is usually more thoughtful and nuanced than this.

Philip Williams

Posted: September 07, 2007 1:24 PM

What else should we expect from an unbiblical substitutionary theory of the atonement that effectively gives believers a license to sin without their conscience bothering them? I am not surprise that the church is as bad as the world, only that, on account of such a license to sin, it is not worse. The church's confidence is not placed in the Christ of the Scriptures, but in the Christ of the Reformed theologians. This new Christ is expected to follow the church, as the church follows the world. If the Reformers are our Savior, this church is in good shape. Indeed, their followings are so loyal as if it was the Reformers, rather than the Christ of Scriptures, who died for our sin. But if the Christ of Scripture is Savior and judge, it is going to be hell to pay. According to Jesus, the greatest punishment is going to the false prophets who resist every call to repentance.

Glenn Krobel

Posted: September 07, 2007 12:50 PM

To see this kind of article from the managing editor of Christianity Today is alarming. While deceptive, Mr. Galli's twisting of the words of Jesus is exposed when we see the rest of Scripture. Jesus said that we are the salt and light of the world. If we lose our salitness, how can we become useful again? His words to the churches in Revelation (especially Pergamos and Thyatira) also make His expectations clearly known. The Holy Spirit calls us to the highest standard of holiness, for we are ambassadors of Christ (I Cor 5) and priests who are called to be set apart from this world (I Pet 1&2). Instead of using the worst examples of Christians behaviour as our measuring stick let us use the best: our Saviour Jesus Christ. Holiness is attainable through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Galli, I leave you with I Pet 2:11-12b, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles."

Jonathan

Posted: September 07, 2007 12:24 PM

I think this is worst article I've ever read on CT. Yes, we are sinners, yes, we make mistakes, and in some sense, that means we are just like others. I think that is a case where we shouldn't be too judgmental of the individuals in the surrounding culture. However, I am curious if Mr. Galli has ever done any research on the early church and how different it was from the surrounding culture. Perfect? Far from it (Read Tertullian's comments on women). But was the early church quite distinct from the surrounding culture in positive ways, yes! But then we sold our souls to Constantine, and the church has been struggling ever since. The gospel isn't hidden because its not obvious, it's hidden because it's so counter-cultural. We don't want to take up our crosses and follow Jesus, we'd rather go 'from glory to glory' with Joel Osteen. And this article lets us think that its OK. And we're all so numbed by consumerism that we don't care. Lord help us.

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