I See That Train a-Comin'....

We are in the midst of change. And I'm talkin' serious change....not the "oh, I think I'll start eating whole grain bread from now on" type of change, or the "whoa, where did that hair come from...and what's it doing in my ear?!" type of change (not that those changes aren't important on a personal level - perhaps too personal!). The change I'm referring to is a deep-seated cultural shift that is taking place in our world, our country, and as a result our churches.


Sometimes change is hard to pinpoint. There is no exact point you can stick your finger at and say "change happened right there!" Instead, sometimes it is something that you can just sense - kind of like how you can often sense the coming of a storm. You know what I mean....you can "feel" the change in barometric pressure, you can smell the coming rain in the wind, you can see a distant cloud with a storm cap growing to the heavens.

But storms, of course, are not always bad. Sometimes we need a good shot of rain because we're in the midst of a dry period. Sure, it may be a bit violent at first, but if the rain lasts for a while and soaks into the parched ground then things will grow as a result. I often wonder if that is where we are right now in these quickly changing times.

A read a great analogy a little while ago about what this shift can be like for those willing to discern it. It's a bit like passing from one end of a hurricane to the other, and in the middle of it all is the calm eye of the storm. Perhaps where we are right now is that calm eye. We are in the middle of the shift from modernity - with it's focus on analysis and objectivity, science and individualistic progress and promotion - to postmodernity - with it's focus on mystery and wonder, personal experience and the need to get back to community. While we are in the middle of this calm eye, with it's gentle winds and clear skies, we have an opportunity to reassess where we are and we are going. We have a chance to imagine new possibilities. And in this rare time between periods - with one passing and another just beginning - maybe we can experience an awakening (or reawakening) to new ideas or things long lost and not be overly poisoned by either end of the spectrum in the process.

So where am I going with this? I'm not really sure. I suppose I just carry with me a weight of concern for the church in general. How willing are we to recognize this change and respond to it? Too often the church throughout history has been on the back end of cultural shifts rather than at the forefront helping to lead the way; too often we recognize these things too late, and in the process end up having to be defibrulated back to life lest we die; too often we see local church communities die on the operating table simply because they refused to recognize it's deteriorating health in the early stages. They missed the warning signs. Are we going to be one of those churches? I pray not. I pray we will be willing to let new generations with new ideas and outlooks and philosophies (and dare I say it, "doctrines") rise up and take the reigns while leading to amazing, uncharted territories no matter how scary and different they may seem at first.

Of course, when it's all said and done, the most important thing we need to keep our eye on this - to remember to follow Christ. No matter what the cultural shift, the question will not be "am I a 'modern' or a 'postmodern?'", but instead will be "how do I show Jesus to the world right now, right where people are in the midst of this craziness?" If we can remember that, ultimately I believe the rest will take care of itself.

On a closing note, I titled this blog "I See That Train a-Comin'...", and I bet the large majority of you thought of a negative connotation (or Johnny Cash). But keep in mind, nobody ever said you had to stand in front of the train and let yourself get run over! Instead, the train might be coming to pick us up and take us on an exciting, beautiful journey. Are we willing to jump on board?