Intellectual Inbreeding

I'm from Kentucky, so I've heard inbreeding jokes for most of my life. I suppose there is some truth to the humor (as there usually is with humor) because there are definitely some places in the backwoods of Eastern KY where the folks definitely do have a unique look to them. Ah, I can almost hear the banjo music playing in the background as I think about it.

Don't worry...this blog post isn't about physical inbreeding. This post is about something far more pervasive and insidious-especially within the church. I'm referring to what I like to call "intellectual inbreeding". We've all seen this and probably even been a part of it, but if you're like me, you were too close to the "inside" to step back and realize what was really going on. Let me explain...

I've found that the longer I'm in "Church World", the more narrow-minded I seem to become. I'm surrounded on all sides by church language, church people, church doctrine, church music, church food, etc. Even when I branch out and go to other churches, it is usually more of the same. There are a few elite scholars and practitioners who pump out the latest books or sermon series topics and the rest of us gobble it up, repackage it and regurgitate it to our own churches. Most people in ministry all read the same books by the same few authors and try to extrapolate their own tiny bit of uniqueness to add to the dialogue, but it is difficult.

Our output cannot exceed our input and most pastors simply don't take in enough fresh information. Most pastors have no idea what is happening in the culture (some of them have a good idea about what was happening in the culture when they were in high school, but they've haven't kept track ever since, so all of their "cultural" sermon references deal with stuff that happened decades ago. For the most part, we're basically missing the boat when it comes to reaching the culture in a genuine and relevant way. Most "outsiders" simply don't see how church or God is at all relevant to their day-to-day lives, and frankly, I can't blame for that perception. We within the church have committed the great sin of boring people with the Gospel. We have had a sense of entitlement that people should just show up and happily be spoon-fed the stale leftovers that we feed them every Sunday. We must to better. We are called to do better.

There should be nothing mediocre or stale about any presentation of God's Truth. To the outside world, we probably look like a bunch of cross-eyed, intellectual inbreds, but we are called to so much more. We should invest in people outside our churches, we should become experts on the topics that matter most to our neighbors, we should create opportunities to show the world the love of Christ, we should be shaping culture, challenging the status quo, fighting on the front lines of governmental, educational and cultural wars, but we should do so balancing boldness with gentleness and respect realizing that we ourselves are only saved by Grace and it is our job to carry that Grace to a fallen and broken world.

I've got a very long way to go myself on getting where I know God wants me to be, but on a positive note, I'm very blessed to be a part of a church that is living out the Great Commission and reaching the culture in dynamic and life-transforming ways. www.stevenscreek.net