An interesting article came across my desk, courtesy of Wharton Business School. I Do's and Don'ts: How Changes in Marriage, Divorce and Childbirth Are Redefining the Workplace  describes how the workplace has been changed (hence the cheesy reference to David Bowie's song in the title) by changes in demographics. The change in marriage - or more correctly, the way people view marriage, because marriage has always been a covenant in God's eyes - is reflected in the census data, which reveals (You can read about it here "Cohabitation is replacing dating") more people are living together before marriage and fewer are making it to the altar. 

The church has been changed too. Many churches you have in your mental Rolodex (which is why I'm not providing examples at this point - you have personal examples) have succumbed to the culture and are worshiping at the (in Os Guinness' memorable phrase - read a review of his Prophetic Untimeliness here ) the "Idol of Relevance". Sola cultura has replaced Sola Scriptura in many churches. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for relevance but God's Word is always relevant. Its our job to reveal its inherent applicability. Check out 2 Timothy 3:16 if you want God's view on it.

You may by now be thinking of someone who calls themself "emergent" or "postmodern" or "post evangelical" or neo-something or other. Now that I've said that, I want to ask a question which may reveal an inconvenient truth (really inconvenient, not like The Goracle's cinematic effort) - the church may have gone whoring after relevance by focusing on the family. You've heard it - I've even used it before my "conversion" - "We're a family church". I don't see any warrant for that in Scripture. A church family, yes. A family church, NEVER. As my old gunny used to say "Do I make myself clear?" I've omitted the eponymous appellation he always tacked on the question...... We've pursued relevance at the expense of the gospel - family has become the gospel. We oppose anything that attacks it - gay marriage, living together, you name it.

Rewind to the First Century church. First century believers faced many (if not all - I would argue all) of the
same social evils as we do today. Abortion. Slavery. Homosexuality - it existed in the Corinthians before they embraced the gospel - see 1 Corinthians 6:11. Substance abuse and corporate corruption and greed - see 1 Corinthians 5:11. Marital infidelity (I'm not going to pick on the Corinthians again - you'll have to supply your own proof text). The only thing that has changed significantly is the speed of the delivery system for sin (thanks to Mr. Andriessen, et al). The first century answer was not "Let's have a debate". It wasn't "Let's form a political action committee." It wasn't any of the things we look to today for our "salvation" from this mess. It was the gospel. Pure. Simple. 1 Corinthians 15. This is the core - we lose this and everything else is worthless. Individuals embraced the gospel - Christ's substitutionary death for my sins, His burial and bodily resurrection - and those individuals changed the society.

The example of Philemon comes to mind. Paul directed Philemon to live up to the gospel at work in him. No "You must free Onesimus". It was "You must recognize Onesimus' position as a partaker of grace - the same grace that saved you." That's a loose paraphrase, but you get the idea.

Power wasn't in the social institutions, nor in the political system or even in families. The power was in the gospel, and when the gospel gets a hold of people, they change. And in their changing, society changes...... or is that too simple? Does that take too long for our microwave society, hell bent (literally, in many cases) on relevance?

If I were writing to Dear Abby I'd sign this "Trying Desperately to Keep the Main the Main Thing" in northern VA.