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Message from Pastor Bill – March 2009
Invitation to Conversation: Cultural Exegesis and An Expanded Gospel
"In celebration of the God-given diversity of creation, and the unconditional welcome extended to friend and stranger alike by our Lord Jesus Christ, this committee member affirms and welcomes all who desire to be a part of this community of faith."
The above statement has been adopted by the newly formed outreach committee as we begin our campaign to further "reinvest in the community." The fear of cultural intrusion and the ideal of a culture-free gospel cannot drive the church's reflection as it enters the emerging culture. Instead, we need to learn skills of cultural exegesis that allow for the necessity of a culturally sensitive gospel while avoiding the distractions of inappropriate cultural infatuations.
By cultural exegesis, I mean a passionate and wary study of our surrounding culture. We should study our culture with enthusiasm and diligence because we believe the great mysteries of God and God's intentions are often revealed in our surrounding culture. St. Matthew's history and investment along with other partners related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America provides the framework and perspective we need in order to dialogue with, pray to, and wrestle with God.
The emerging culture offers us the great challenge to pursue an expanded gospel. Shaped by our secular and individualistic culture, the gospel is reduced in a variety of ways. It becomes "a gospel of my lifestyle" (an affirmation of personal choices), "a gospel of my people" (an affirmation of national or of personal choices), "a gospel of my dreams" (an affirmation of our own aspirations local interests), "a gospel of my conversion" (an affirmation of God's ability to empower us through the Holy Spirit for this task), or "a gospel of my pain" (an affirmation of God's ability to heal our personal issues and pain). The emerging culture's interests in artistic beauty, holism, mystery, historical narrative and ritual, and community are expanding our understanding and application of the gospel. Each of these interests is reinforced and distinctively expressed in the teachings of Jesus and the narratives of the Scriptures.
This time of cultural transition—like every time of great social change—offers great opportunities for the church. In every cultural era, the message of the church faces the dual challenges of embellishment or reduction according to the interests of the culture. As we enter this new era of "reinvesting with the emerging culture" we must seek ways in which the sensitivities of a new environment may expand our understanding of the gospel, evoking conversation and social change.
Peace and Power,
Pastor Bill
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