Tie and Toga for October 17, 2006
On today's program, the Langley co-pastors talk about the church situation in the Netherlands, particularly with the sister churches of the Canadian Reformed. They also discuss this video by Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. You'll want to watch the video before listening to our discussion...
To download the program (recommended), right-click here and select "Save Target As"
Click here to listen on-line (this option may not work depending on what software you have installed on your computer -- Firefox and the Quicktime plug-in are recommended).
posted by Who are You? @ 4:34 PM
4 Comments:
Interesting. I wasn't quite sure as to what your take on Mark Driscoll was going to be.
This might be more historical or religious than cultural (although such categories are intertwined), but would it make sense to suggest that the Heidelberg Catechism is targetted towards people relatively familiar with Roman Catholicism? In missions does it seem to be utilized to a greater degree in countries with a more substantial Roman Catholic influence?
Historically, the Catechism has found usefulness in a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. One of the first translations of the Catechism was into Hebrew, so that it could be used for missions among the Jews. Philip Schaff relates that next to the Bible, the Imitation of Christ and Pilgrim's Progress, "no book has been more frequently translated, more widely circulated and used." Today, the Catechism is used widely and dearly loved in all continents. Our missionary, Rev. Dong, recently reported that a contact of the Chinese Reformed Church introduced the Heidelberg Catechism to believers in his previous church in Taiwan shortly before his death. Because of his testimony, the minister of this church has decided to teach the Catechism to his flock. In China as well, believers are eager to be taught the Scriptures using the Catechism. We had Rev. K. Wieske here recently for some mission evenings and he said that when Brazilian Christians discover the Catechism, it's like dynamite. It turns their world upside down. The same is happening in China. So, no, the "substantial Roman Catholic influence" is not a factor. The Catechism has a warm Catholic character that allows it to transcend cultures.
I noted with interest your reference to structure and direction. I attended a workshop by Al Wolters, author of Creation Regained with exactly that title.
My point of contention with Driscoll is this:
I don't think Seattle is "pre-Christian" as he describes it.
Rather, I believe it to be post-christian. While Driscoll views the punk/goth/etc movements as being congruent with 3rd-world pagan cultures, in reality these cultures has historically come about as a rebellion AGAINST the more Christian culture that used to be dominant. While Seattle may not have ever been strongly Christian (I haven't investigated this at all), I think it is erroneous to view it as some tribal community that has never heard the gospel.
The people of Seattle do not live in a bubble. Their culture was imported, and their culture has roots in 60's/70's rebellion.
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