the place of Exile
I have ready many writings over the past year or so referencing the state of exile that we as Christians are either entering or are fully entrenched in (entrenched in if you are in Australia, the UK, etc and moving into if you are in America) as we move further and further away from Christendom.
Many here in America have been lamenting the loss of their status for years. Many of the loud voices are taking up arms to forcibly regain the lost ground. At prayer meetings all over the country you can still hear the prayers of those who want to see America return to her previous Christian glory. What often is neglected is that we have actually only been a deistic nation, not actually one that could claim to be truly followers of Christ…but I digress.
Something Frost says at the beginning of Exiles that hits this home I think is this:
Christianity became an official part of the established culture of the empire…the net effect over the entire Christendom epoch was that Christianity moved from being a dynamic, revolutionary, social and spiritual movement to being a static religious institution with its attendant structures, priesthood, and sacraments.
Which I have definitely found to be an accurate representation of my experience in the American church.
Some might be asking, “so what’s the problem? wouldn’t the world be better if Christianity ruled?” The problem is that Christendom couldn’t sustain itself. As soon as “Christianity” became an accepted institution, it lost everything that made it “Christian”. In effect, an institution of Christianity is actually not Christianity at all. At least not the religion that would in any way be “endorsed” by Christ himself.
I was listening to a segment of the Today Show this morning and Al Roker was interviewing Russel Simmons, the godfather of hip hop, about the increasing criticism and decline of sales in the American rap/hip hop industry (last year was the first year sales were down). He said something that struck me - - essentially he was saying that what’s going on in the industry right now, the debate happening is “lifting rap up” because it was never meant to be mainstream. The genre has lost its place as a resonating voice in society. It has become increasingly misogynistic, crass, sexist, racist and irrelevant.
It was brought up that the genre used to be socially relevant, cutting edge and one of the most creative and innovative voices in music. Rap is intended to be poetry, it’s intended to be artistic expression. But with the rise in popularity, contrary to what one might think, the genre has become increasingly obsolete and has affected the culture at large in an increasingly negative way.
Sound familiar?
Do you long for the “good old days” when Christians had the ear of high level politicians, when Christianity was socially acceptable and Christian morals ruled the day? Do you think that all we need in American Christianity is that “Old Time Religion”? That if it was good enough for our mothers and fathers it’s good enough for us?
Remember, Christianity did not start or progress as a socially acceptable, fashionable faith and we did not influence the hearts of people by gaining popularity. Instead, our true influence actually waned with the advancement of Christendom.
Just like hip hop in America, now that we are no longer the “good guys” we can go back to being the subversive, radical Christ followers we were intended to be. Be encouraged! We are in an exciting age - an uncomfortable age of tension and paradox but now that we are casting off the comfort and ease of Christendom and all the trappings of a social and political religion, we will have the freedom to take the powerful and transforming love and power of the Spirit of God to the gutters and alleys of the world. We have the freedom and the challenge to live the mission of Christ.
…there are other voices that express real hope — not in the reconstitution of Christendom, but in the idea that the end of this epoch actually spells the beginning of the new flowering of Christianity. The death of Christendom removes teh final props that have supported the culturally respectable, mainstream, suburban version of Christianity.
So how does living the life of an exile make you feel?
[tags]rap, hip hop, exiles, post Christendom, michael frost[/tags]
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Wow, it makes me feel very encouraged - your post, that is. That is brilliantly written and obviously divinely inspired work. You given me much to think about. Thanks, I won’t get any more work done today! -Tina
Yeah … I really wish all these people hollering about how our country was “founded on Christian ideals,” would actually READ some of Jefferson and Madison and Franklin. So called real Christians of the day were considered backward and out of touch. At very best the founding fathers were deists … at best. It was a stretch for them to refer to a “Creator” … but I digress.
I think following Christ favors being in exile. Following the state religion can be done in any atmosphere. But then those are two different things, aren’t they? Unfortunately, we’ve gotten them confused for a very long time.
I love what you’re saying here Makeesha: I think there’s a real struggle in changing the mindset of Christians in understanding what mission is about. If your mindset is one of “making the most number of *Christians* (close your eyes and say this prayer) then there’s a huge appeal to the Christendom model. But once your mindset of Christianity and mission is something bigger than that, then the empire model cannot possibly satisfy
Exiles is a ripper read: it’s hard not to be challenged by it.
Tina - thanks
I’m glad it spoke to you.
Sonjy - exactly. Have you read the myth of a Christian Nation?
Geoff - very true. And I think that in a lot of ways, Christians have viewed Christendom as a “success” (and don’t get me wrong, that epoch served its purpose) because of the numbers. But what we have failed to take note of was the real Christ like impact we were having in our communities.
Hi Mak
v interesting post and provides a greater counterpoint/part to something that I am writing at the moment, so thank you.
I agree with you that we as christians can harken back to the good ol days [but even those good ol days in the UK regular church attendance was only around the high 40%s of the population]. Nostalgia and pastiche are just two dangers of trying to recreate those good ol days now.
One area where I disagree with you is the tendancy to write off christianity as the history of churh from 330AD until 20xx?? because christianity was a dominant faith in society. I think that the arguement that:
“in effect, an institution of Christianity is actually not Christianity at all. At least not the religion that would in any way be “endorsed” by Christ himself.”
is more closely linked to our own anti-institutional bias rather than the historical reality of church history.
The church is an institution which is how the trasmission of practice and faith has been maintained and past down, people gathering together seems to have been the practice from the beginning regardless of whether it finds itself as a dominant or minority religion in any culture it has been established in.
It is therefore part of our history and story as christians today - more it is part of God’s story, calling a people to himself and is a testimony to how Jesus and the Sprit has worked across the ages with his church.
I think we need to hold up our hand and say that being a dominant religion has its problems and faults and the church has fallen into most of them. On the other hand it has still produced dynamic life changing, life inspiring impact across all its ages and forms.
Being a minority religion will equally have its own problems and trials which we as christians will have to deal with - neither state of affairs will in my view produce a more perfect/authentic church, just different churches.
Indeed in global terms whilst we in our western culture might have a decline in the church in other contexts of 2/3rd world church might well be booming.
the question I think for us in our western context is then how do we react to what the Spirit is doing now with us and how is that informed by our past history, context etc?
I think I must not have explained well paul - - or you misunderstood … which we all know is likely the case
I’m not writing it off at all. The Church was what it was and what it was supposed to be. I’m not saying this is or is not necessarily better but it is what it is. We are no longer in Christendom in the west, period. Like it or not…and because of that, trying to go back would be futile and negative.
*if* Christians want the church to thrive, we cannot harken back to the good old days of socially acceptable religion because we are now in a time when that sort of structure in unproductive. Christendom was not all good but it served its purpose…this new era is not all good either but it will serve its purpose
yes i think i misunderstood, it can be the only explanation that makes logical sense
LOL
[...] There are a handful of posts which have caught my attention over the past few days. Matt Stone has posted The Hindu Web which he has put lots of links on, a great place to start if you want to learn more about Hinduism and what they believe. Jason Clark and Paul Mayers have begun a blog called Deep Church. Paul also has a new post called Emerging From Where which is part 2 in his Institutional Church - RIP? series. David Hayward has a great post on vision. Makeesha has an excellent post called The Place of Exile. This months syncroblog is on Christianity and Film. If you go to John’s blog, you will find links to all of the fellow synchrobloggers! blog, christianity, christianity and film, david hayward, deep church, emerging, exile, hindu web, institutional church, jason clark, John Smulo, makeesha fisher, matt stone, paul mayers, syncroblog, vision Cat: [...]