JR Woodward :: Blog :: Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part VI

  Ways of seeing 
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Now we are coming to the last two parts of this series.  Wednesday's post will be the final one.  I would love to hear from you on what you have thought about this series.  Are you finding it beneficial?  What have you liked, disliked, question or affirm?  On with today's installment.

PART III – For Those Who Consider Conversion a Four-Letter Word
“The Christian gospel has sometimes been made the tool of an imperialism, and of that we have to repent.  But at its heart it is the denial of all imperialisms, for at its center there is the cross where all imperialisms are humbled and we are invited to find the center of human unity in the One who was made nothing so that all might be one.  The very heart of the biblical vision for the unity of humankind is that its center is not an imperial power but a slain Lamb.” (Newbigin 1989:159)

As we have seen, both modernity and postmodernity, in their own ways, have contributed to conversion being a four-letter word by many people today. Yet how we view conversion, the particular lens through which we view it, and the places where we stand to view it are all critical if conversion is to become desirable once again.  I believe the issues in this paper are best handled by becoming a language teacher.  As a language teacher, I intend to embody the language of faith and teach the grammar of faith to others, whether it’s through public preaching, personal encounters, or group discussions.  In this way, whether one is under the spell of modernity or postmodernity, as he learns the language of faith, he will re-engage in God’s mission with a sense of vigor.  To get specific on how I would do this, I have provided a couple of personal grammar lessons. Listen in.

Advice for Those Influenced by Modernity
If you have a hard time letting go of the concept of “objective” truth, love to argue people into the faith, and only view the gospel as your ticket to heaven, then I have some good news for you.  First, while you may believe that absolute objective truth is what our culture needs, I would suggest that what our culture needs is a church that believes the truth so absolutely that she actually lives it out (Fitch 2007:57).  We need to move from an apologetics of argument to an apologetics of embodiment.  We need to move from getting people to assent to four spiritual laws or points-on-a-bridge diagram to inviting people to switch stories, so that they might enter into the kingdom of God in all its glory. 

This is a kingdom where the life and teachings of Jesus give discipleship real teeth - where we learn to follow the Liberator of those who have been oppressed by the system, the Lover of those who have been rejected by society, and the Deliverer of those who have been seduced by consumerism.  Our story is not just a private one dealing with personal morality but also a public one dealing with powers and principalities that need redemption.   Our story is centered on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Our story in not limited to the death of Christ and the hereafter, but it is also about the kingdom that is at hand.  Our story doesn’t end with the annihilation of the earth, but a remade heaven and earth.  Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can be confident that there will come a day when our cries for justice will be heard, our thirst for God will be quenched, our connection with each other will be deep, and our longing for beauty will be realized. (Wright 2006: 225-240)

The Good News is that “It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church.” (Moltmann 1977:64) We are not required to be salesmen for God, but rather journalists, proclaiming to the world that God’s reign is at hand (Hunsberger in Hunsberger 1996:23).  And as we proclaim this good news, we must embody it as a community.  In the words of Bryan Stone, “the church does not really need an evangelistic strategy.  The church is the evangelistic strategy.” (Stone 2007:15).