Culture is imploding, collapsing in upon itself. Denying all absolutes and objective truth, culture is now without safeguards, consuming itself in a death spiral of spiritual and moral chaos. 

In his outstanding essay, “The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World,” David Wells writes: 

“The evangelical church has a sense that moral absolutes are evaporating like the morning mist, knows that truth of an ultimate kind has been dislodged from life, (but) apparently does not perceive that in these and many other ways a new worldview is becoming ensconced in the culture.” 

And, sadly, is becoming ensconced in large portions of the church. He continues:

“If (the church) did, it surely would not be embracing with enthusiasm as many aspects of this postmodern mindset as it is or be so willing to make concessions to postmodern habits of mind.”

Wells writes, however, that even in a chaotic world, the church of Jesus Christ can remain strong and vibrant.  It will do so, he says, not by imitating temporal culture and mitigating eternal truth, but by remaining true to its creation and call – by remaining true to its Creator and Lord. 

Historically, the church has safely weathered major cultural changes by keeping . . .

            . . . its hand  tenaciously tied to the helm of the Word of God, 

            . . . its heart  steadfastly set upon the Master, and 

            . . . its foot  boldly balanced on the wings of the Spirit,

            . . . its eye  firmly focused on Eternity. 

Whatever the cultural upheavals – and there have been many – the church in history has been a heavenly lamp in the world, shining the brilliance of God’s truth upon its time, and so, glorifying God.  

It has survived and thrived as it has been a people of the Spirit, its grip resolutely fixed on the inspired Word of God.

Whatever happened on earth, the church in history has been a window of heaven to the earthbound, and so, brought life and hope to people.  

It has survived and thrived as it has steadfastly kept its eyes not on itself, but on Jesus Christ – its heart set not on the temporal, but the eternal, not on the cultures of men, but on the transcendent Kingdom of God. 

In Acts 17.6, the church demonstrated just this resolve as it arrived in the European city of Thessalonica, only its second footprint on the Continent. Those who had never seen them said of them, “These are those who have turned the world upside down.” Note this well: before the people of that culture had even seen a Christian, they had heard of the followers of Christ and the gentle revolution they had brought wherever they had gone in the world. 

World upside down.

That this world needs to be turned upside down again is obvious. Obvious as in clear and self-evident.

This is true not so much because of the present crisis in which the world finds itself, but because of the world’s impending eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ is coming again, and yes, He is bringing eternal salvation to those who have believed on Him, but just as surely He is bringing eternal judgment to those who have refused Him.  

Judgment.  Eternal.  Separation.  Forever.  

Not very PC, I know, but BC nonetheless (Biblically Correct). On this, the biblical prophets are adamant and do not equivocate.   

This present civilizational calamity and its causes are but symptoms of our greater, universal disease: this world does not know God and it does not want to know God. 

The collapse of culture is but the sign and symptom of man’s age-old rejection of his Creator. The internal working of this sin-sickness in the world is now apparent in the death that defines its cultures. Like a hidden terminal cancer now revealed, the world’s impending demise has become evident.  

Again, not very PC, but BC nonetheless. On this, the biblical prophets are adamant and do not equivocate.   

The Bible teaches that full transformation of any earthly culture will not take place until the Creator-Redeemer returns to right the world with the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. Jesus Christ will return to the earth and establish true righteousness and justice under His all-powerful and personal rule. He will turn this world upside down in righteousness and justice when He comes to reign.  

Scripture is equally clear in recording the Creator-Redeemer’s call to His followers to go into all the world and turn it upside down – one life at a time – today with the announcement of His Gospel – the Good News of Jesus – and the demonstration of His Kingdom.  

As we go, give, and live the Gospel in the world, we demonstrate the reality that even in this culture of death, the Kingdom of God is unabated and unassailable, undeterred and undiminished, unshakeable and unstoppable: the King and His Kingdom are now among us, even in this culture of death!  

Yes, as the Lord’s Prayer declares, there is a Kingdom to eternally come and a Will to be definitively done. But even now, we can experience that Kingdom and live in that Will. We can do so by humbly bowing our hearts and lives before its King, Jesus Christ, and the finished work He carried out on the Cross. 

But if the church is to have any success in turning the world upside down one life at a time, it must first be turned upside down itself – it must have a new Reformation.  The church must return to its divine creation and call: 

To be a people who hold resolutely and absolutely to the inspired Word of God,

To be a people whose attention is fixed not on self, but on the Savior,

To be a people who once again live, move and have their being in the Holy Spirit,

To be a people whose focus is not on culture, but on the Cross of our Lord.

We’ll have more to say on the need for a new reformation in the church in our next article, a frightening look at the current belief system of evangelicals in America.

One of the most insightful prophets of our time, Os Guinness, wrote:

“A great part of the evangelical community has made a historic shift. It has transferred authority from Sola Scripture (Scripture alone) to Sola Cultura (culture alone).” 

And with this historic shift, the church in danger of transferring its allegiance from Solus Christus to Sola Cultura. Gaining the whole world’s acceptance, it is in danger of losing its soul.

Selah.

The church must return to its divine creation and call, to its biblical mission and message. 

In these things, like the biblical prophets, we must be clear and refuse to equivocate. 

It’s time for a new Reformation of the church of Jesus Christ.

The (early) church movement would have remained tiny but for one fact:  the firstChristians knew that their faith was absolutely true, that it could brook no rivals, and so they sought no compromises.  David Wells, No Place For Truth

(Publisher’s Note: This article is an updated version of one published by JPC in October 2016.

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