2 Types of Relevant

But is this the relevant that my emergent friends are referring to? Of course not. My emergent friends are trying to tell me that I need to be relevant to Modern Culture (not the culture of senior adults, “Go Bill Gaither!”). I think they have a point. But I would also like to propose another way of being relevant that is perhaps even more important.

1.) Relevant to Modern Culture

First, we have the emergent cry of being “Relevant”! By this, we mean, Jesus isn’t some hateful fundamentalist wearing a 3-piece suit and yelling at everybody that passes by that they are worthless slime who needs God before He smites them. This type of Jesus does not fly with those in modern culture (or should I say postmodern culture?).

To be relevant we have to show people that we are cool and “with it.” We watch M-tv so we know the language and we watch popular movies so we can relate to the people we talk to. We dress in ways that show we are not trapped back in the 1950’s and some of us even are pretty cutting edge for our neighborhood. We buy relevant magazines and we read relevant books. We are more flexible than our fathers were, except when it comes to the importance of being flexible…that we’re pretty firm on.

I think all this has helped the church out quite a bit. The world is beginning to see that we aren’t some group of rednecks with less brains than God gave a cabbage. We are cool and pretty savvy about modern entertainment. I, for one, am glad that this has happened because I’m not some fundamentalist stuck back in the 1950’s, and it opens new doors for those like me. Personally, the thought of wearing a 3-piece suit and screaming at people just doesn’t appeal to me.

However, I think there is a problem that must be addressed. In our efforts to be this type of relevant, we can ignore an even more important type of relevant. In our efforts to be cool we can begin to be uncaring. 

2.) Relevant to Real Life

I have talked to people who were surprised that I was a Minister. “You’re a Minister? You are young and you don’t dress like one.” To which I say, “Thank you. I take that as a compliment.” They are surprised that I know who Professor Dumbledore and Simon Cowell are, and that I know about the groups Godsmack and Slipknot. They are mildly impressed with my relevance to modern culture, which has opened a few doors to me. But then it always moves to the second form of being relevant…is Christianity really relevant to their day-to-day lives?

The attitude I run in to is: “Okay, so you know about what’s popular in my world, but can Jesus really help me in my life?” How should I answer this question. “Come to church on Sundays and everything in your life will be spectacular”? Yeah right! I can’t even get my regulars to believe that one. They are too busy wrestling with divorce, family problems, depression, and the like to move beyond Sunday-only Christianity.

The average Joe that I meet on the street could care less about going to church and listening to a boring sermon. They want to know how Jesus will give them a better life on Monday, how Jesus will help them get through Tuesday, and if Jesus does care about us on Thursday, why does He only have time for us on Sundays or Wednesday nights?

I think this is what is holding the emergent conversation back. We aren’t 100% sure how to move beyond Christianity stuck in the church building or the house church on Sunday morning. What do we do about all this focus on the miracle of “small groups” which is destined to fizzle out once we realize that Bible Studies (or Purpose Driven Studies) aren’t as life-altering as previously promised? What do we do with a Christianity that is so focused on church-going formulas and spiritual disciplines that it leaves many people feeling like we don’t have anything to offer them?

I think that emergent conversation has answered the question “how can we be relevant to modern culture?”, but we have yet to answer the question “how can we be relevant to real people living real lives?” The world is waiting.