Part 5 - Cultural Evangelism

It may be objected that what I have outlined so far would tend to make people less motivated for evangelism. But read the epistles again and tell me what you find. Countless exhortations to evangelize the lost? Or countless exhortations to live a pure Christian life?

PHIL 2:15 - "That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

In all my years of pastoring, the biggest frustration has been this. People have publicly claimed to have received Christ but their lives haven't changed. Every step of the way someone has had to wrestle with them about their ungodly behaviour. My vision for evangelism is that people will be able to see us living a radically different lifestyle so that, when they become weary of their sin, they will know where to turn. And when they accept Christ, they will be accepting Him as Lord, not just Saviour. They will accept His Word as authoritative in their lives and they will see themselves as joining the Christian subculture. They will know that they are expected to conform to a biblical standard, one that will be clearly modelled for them within the community they are joining.

Do unbelievers have an accurate picture of the Christian church in Australia? I doubt it. Part of my vision for a Christian subculture is for a fresh demonstration of biblical Christianity. Local churches can do this very well but a developing subculture that would cross local and denominational barriers would do it better because it would reach all Australians in one way or another. At present, I believe that many so-called "born again" Christians are a disgrace to the Lord and an unspeakably bad witness. They have no particular allegiance to any code of behaviour and they think that, although they might claim to be born again, they can still do whatever they like. This is, I believe, partly the result of individualism in the Church. I long for the day when people will have such a heightened sense of belonging to something unique and worthwhile that they will gladly subject themselves to a set of cultural norms. Rather than seeing everything in terms of individualism, they will ask themselves:" "Is this thing appropriate for me now that I'm part of God's family? What moral standards do we have in this area?"

This will have two major benefits for evangelism. Firstly, as I have said, we will present the world with a much better demonstration of the Christian life, so that sincere seekers will be able to observe and learn more readily. Our clear distinction from the world will invite ridicule and persecution but it will also provide opportunities to share our faith more effectively, since it will not be so clouded by hypocrisy and moral failure.

But secondly, when we do succeed in making converts, it will be much easier to disciple them because they will already have a concept of what it means to be a Christian. In teaching New Christians classes over the years, I have found that people ask more questions about the type of behaviour that is expected of them than questions about doctrine. Is it alright for me to play Tattslotto now that I'm a Christian? What about card games? Can I still have a beer when I come home from work? What sort of language is regarded as unacceptable? The questions are endless and not all of them can be easily answered. Taking Tattslotto (a popular lottery) as an example, I would personally answer the question by saying: "We have liberty as Christians to buy a Tattslotto ticket without guilt or shame but it is not normally accepted as a worthy use of our money. Remember, we are God's people who hope in Christ, but Tattslotto is a worldly invention." The particular issue is not as important as the concept that we should, as Christians, recognize certain types of behaviour as inappropriate for us. In my opinion, we should be willing to sacrifice such things as Tattslotto for the sake of presenting a clear cultural image to the world.

At the risk of becoming even more controversial than I already have, I would also say that we should have another look at the teachings in the Bible about the Sabbath. Without becoming legalistic, we should try to find our way back to a place where Sundays are set aside as joyful, positive times for worship, fellowship and rest, instead of the hectic "anything goes" days that we have today. After all, the Sunday rest day has been an indispensible part of the Christian way of life for centuries. If stricter attitudes on this would help to set us apart as a Christian subculture, then I believe we should teach it and live it. We must be a "People of the Book" not a product of the times! People might accuse us of going back under the Law but we can honestly reply that it's not a matter of law at all. We're simply living out a part of our culture as Christians.

The point is that the distinction between the Church and the world should be crystal clear. People should understand the full social implications of their committment to Christ from the very beginning. Therefore conversion to Christ really includes conversion to a Christian way of life. And isn't that how it should be?

One final thought on the subject of cultural evangelism. I believe that there exists in Australia today a genuine desire to understand other cultures. More and more people, for instance, are attempting to understand Aboriginal culture and spirituality. Their motives are good; they want to understand so that they can help to bring reconciliation. Furthermore, a great deal of cultural exchange happens at the University and in the local community. People are interested to learn about other people's customs. Cultural nights, in various forms, are becoming common. This climate of increased cultural awareness could become a wonderful opportunity for sharing the Gospel. People arriving in Australia from Asia, for example, are often very keen to broaden their understanding of life and learn what they can from Australians. If they see a strong Christian subculture in Australia, they will want to know more. A similar concept has already been quite successful in China, where teams of Australian Christians have travelled and performed as part of a cultural exchange programme. In China, it can be a risky business to speak too openly about Jesus but the situation is different in Australia. We are free (so far) to explain our faith boldly and publicly. If we learn to present ourselves as a cultural group with a complete and satisfying mix of beliefs and customs, I believe we may well find many new doors of opportunity opening to us.