Next Christians (Part 2)

The second category of Christians are called Cultural Christians. According the Lyons there are two sub categories that make up this second group of believers according to how they interact with the current culture.

Cultural Christians - "They don't obsess about the afterlife and generally believe heaven is reserved for most, everyone, except for awful folks..." These groups tend to focus more on social justice and not being too Christian (which many believe can be harmful to the face of Christianity).

BLENDERS - These are individuals who who identify themselves as Christians but culturally they try to "blend" into contemporary culture and try not to "look" or "act" to Christian. The author writes, "Blenders have one concern: being like everyone else." It seems as though these people desire to be Christian but do not want to come across as "holier than thou" or seem like a bible thumper so they become Christians incognito. Lyons identifies many "blenders" as individuals who believe they "inherit their parents' religion - It's a generational hand me down."

PHILANTHROPISTS - These are Christians who emphasize working on making the world a better place to live. Often these individuals are heavy on "doing good things for the better of humanity" and light on the Gospel. They take seriously Jesus' command to serve the needy and one another but often neglect the Great Commission.

With these two groups we can see that Separatists do everything in their own power to disconnect from the world and its evil while the Cultural Christians concern themselves mainly with engaging the world, becoming part of it and doing social justice. Both groups have an exclusive feel to them... Separatists may view the Cultural Christian as too liberal and the the Cultural Christian may view the Separatist as too conservative, strict or judgmental. While both have good qualities about them they do ultimately miss the point of the Gospel of Jesus.

The Next Christians (Part 1)

Today I started a book entitled THE NEXT CHRISTIANS by Gabe Lyons and after reading 50 pages of it this morning I am finding it extremely insightful. Below is a summary of some insights Mr. Lyons made in regards to the "different ways Christians Interact With Current Culture" (What do they emphasize? How do they interact with the world? Where did this mentality come from?) It is broken down into three categories with sub categories for the first two... 1) Separatists 2) Cultural 3) Restorer

Today I am going to share his/my insights about the first group...

Separatists - This group of people take seriously the call of Jesus to bring the light to the world at any cost irregardless (sometimes) of how they come across to others. Many believe that

1) INSIDERS - these individuals "earn their label from the spaces they choose to occupy - or perhaps the spaces they avoid at all costs." This group tends to immerse themselves into the Christian culture and separate themselves from the world. According to Lyons, "These Christians spend the majority of their time in Christian communities - 'safe' places." I (Jeff) call these people "Bubble Christians". They live in a bubble of safety and protection from any influence from the secular world.

2) CULTURE WARRIORS - This group "often hold an underlying view that America and Christianity are deeply intertwined." They have waged war on culture because they believe that modern (or post modern) thinking is the demise of America and ultimately the Church.

3) EVANGELIZERS - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is their main goal and to these people is the ONLY "legitimate Christian activity in the world." They are passionate and motivated for spreading the Gospel (which in itself is not a bad thing it's actually part of our commission) however they can come across as judgmental, rude and loud. "For them, the ability, courage, and boldness to witness - in hopes of winning converts - is the defining mark of the truly faithful."

While the author may come across as critical towards these people he does say that many of these people's motives are pure... they just may not be the most effective way to reach the world for Jesus. The times are changing and so our method of sharing the message of Jesus may have to change just as well. Now this does not mean the MESSAGE (The Gospel of Jesus Christ) should change but the METHOD or way we share may have to in order to be more effective for Christ.