In 2005, D.A. Carson was asked to give a lecture in Australia on the future of preaching in the 21st Century. That forced Carson to picture the kind of change that might happen in a century. So, he reflected on how things have changed since 1905.
It is mind boggling to reflect on the littany he laid out:
I am a former youth pastor and now I am the father of a teenager. In the next three years I will be the father of three teenagers. So, I find myself reflecting on my years of pastoral ministry, seeking to identify profound insights about interacting with teens.
Somehow American Christians (I can’t speak for the rest of the world) believe that if they do everything right at church, there won’t be conflict. I guess this is true, if everyone did everything right.
But, in a fallen world, the reality is the opposite. When a local church really begins to follow Christ, then they can expect conflict. It is certain. In fact, a lack of conflict, may be a warning sign!
Still, when there is conflict some say, “Something is wrong – – we must not be headed in the right direction. . .”
An editor once told me that this article was a little nasty. I guess any time you side with the Grinch (as he properly was at the beginning of the story) you could be accused of being mean. But, this is my thesis and I am sticking to it. The Grinch sold out.
Let me just say it up front. I don’t like how Dr. Seuss ended the thing. As far as I am concerned, the Grinch sold out. He should have kept the presents, stayed in his cave and eaten the Who-pudding, and the rare Who-roast-beast.
Adrian Warnock has posted a Lloyd-Jones quote which stresses experience founded on doctrine. Adrian is right to insist that we should be looking for experience that builds on solid doctrinal footings.
Agreeing with Adrian, we must value experience. I grew up in circles where we were suspicious of any sort of experience. We stressed the objective aspects of the faith but not subjective experience. (Note the D.A. Carson quote below). If someone had done something radical like raise their hands, they would have been shot. Don’t get me wrong, the people were sweet. They would have smiled while pulling the trigger – – but they would have pulled it none the less.
Suppose that you want to get rid of some behavior in your life. It is never enough to stop doing the wrong thing. In order to defeat that behavior, you need to not only stop doing the wrong thing, but also start doing the right thing.