Contemporary Culture and Contemporary Spirituality

Cultural prognosticators have determined that ours is a POSTMODERN society. Our contemporary culture can be described in simple terms; Relational Detachment, Informationally Intertwined, yet Personally Disconnected, Looking To the Future, yet Missing the Present. Succinctly, it is a 'bi-polar' culture that is out-of-balance because of a lack of interpersonal contact.

Many of us find ourselves continually in the chase to stay up-to-date with technological systems and myriad new ways of doing things. It is an uphill chase for all of us, really. I recently figured out that I am a 'Text Messaging' nightmare. I text so infrequently that I have to be taught by my wife or kids in order to appear somewhat intelligent. I still can't figure out why someone would want to send a text, two thumbs and all, when you can hit one speed-dial number AND HEAR THE PERSON'S VOICE. (Sorry, frustration took over! Didn't mean to shout:()

There is at least one advantage to our informationally-intertwined culture and it is a companion of our technological age, though not applied much to personal relationships nowadays. It is a thing called 'analysis.' As I look at our culture and where it is headed (at breakneck speed), I am forced to analyze what is good and what is bad for a truly spiritual life. What I see tends to produce concern. I believe our contemporary culture has negatively effected contemporary spirituality. The current culture of the the Church tends to absorb and assimilate the trends of Postmodernism, meaning; we tend to live in a disconnected way, even in our worship. It used to be that a simple invitation to attend church was accepted. That was because our culture advanced a God-oriented spirituality. He was recognized, at least as being the Creator and Overseer and everyone was willing to excert an effort to do what it took to be a disciple...a true follower. We could invite a person to church and have a more than 50% possibility of seeing that person receive Christ upon hearing the message. The connection was in HEARING the TRUTH. But, with today's culture of detachment and relational disconnect, hearing no longer has the impact. There are so many voices out there that people shut them out unless there is something else accompanying the words.

I give an example of one such voice that is being heard....bizarre though it is. I speak of Oprah: Her "other-than-the-gospel" message is being heard. Part of the reason is, Oprah really is compassionate in many ways. She gives things away, she outwardly feels, she pumps money into far-away schools for hurting girls, she does amazing things. Through her actions she has empowered her words. People swallow the words because they see actions that drill through the detachment and connect with an inner desire to be authentic and genuine. What the Church, by-in-large, misses today is the ability to move beyond the contemporary aspects of our culture that hinder a review of the spoken truth. For example; we give an invitation to church but we are no longer 'inviting' as people. We have bought into disconnect rather than applying authentic action. When is the last time you talked to a neighbor, lent him or her a hand, did something that was out of both your comfort zones? Compare that to the last time you surfed online for that special thing you wanted. Now, I'm not dogging us about being contemporary. I'm simply challenging us all to hold onto the most relevant aspect of True Spirituality.

Let me give you the ultimate example: (Not Oprah) His name is Jesus, the authentic one. Question: did he speak more, or did he DO more? At the end of the Gospel of John, do we find the possibility that libraries would never be able to contain all the things he taught? No, it was all the things he DID!!!

Jesus said; "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) We all understand that abiding means attachment and connection. These are words that are polar-opposite to the current cultural condition. Jesus wants us to be connected to himself, not only for our personal strength and spiritual life, but so we can be like him. He DID stuff! His actions gave relevance to his words. His compassion affirmed the authenticity of his message. Because he touched, he was given an audience, an opportunity to teach.

The question becomes: are we willing to move into attachment and away from the influence of detachment? Well, connecting with Jesus = worship; connecting with the Body of Christ = service/ministry; connecting with seekers = compassion and relationship building. Take steps to improve your connecting ability in each area by doing something new. Worship with more desire for Jesus' presence, volunteer with more of a servant mentality, open your eyes and take a risk by helping a neighbor beyond what you're doing now.....then invite them to church. They might just listen. Food for thought....
Pastor Jim