Making the Gospel Relevant.

From "Letters From Kamp Krusty"

You sure can't blame people for trying to make the Gospel relevant. Maybe the youth minister-fellers are onto something, and "Halo 3" is the way to go, to somehow, some way, reach people. We've simply got to find a way to make things relevant.

In the past, the Gospel of Jesus -- the good news of the Kingdom -- may have, itself, been relevant. But these are different times, and you've got to be relevant, above all.

True,the good news that Jesus shared (not the Four Spiritual Laws, but the gospel according to Jesus) occasionally can almost seem to speak to our lives, on its own. But that's only when Jesus talks about being set free from anxiety, I think. That may be timely, since our culture is wracked with anxiety.

And then there's the whole how-to-handle-anger thing. That, okay, is somewhat relevant for me.

And the explanation of how God's economy works -- what ultimately matters. What's lasting, what we should work for, what we should concern ourselves with, what we should and shouldn't treasure, what we do with our treasure, how we view our neighbors, what true "greatness" is -- all that stuff -- that has some bearing.

And then there are the implications for human psychology, the revelation of our true natures, the understanding of the human conscience; the stuff about politics, like where our ultimate citizenship lies, how to address those in power, and how God feels about injustice.

So, yeah, there's that.

For me, I'll admit the good news of the Kingdom kinda helps me understand what the point of my life is, how I should view those on the margins of society, how I'm to behave around "the least of these", why I should put up with obnoxious people, and how I should talk, about those who frustrate me, when they're not around.

As a human male, I admit to at least a passing interest in the implications of the way the Kingdom works on how I view women. The Smartest Teacher Who Ever Lived explained where my sexual rebellion can begin, before it might rip my family to smithereens. That's somewhat relevant.

How I spend my time. How I address my parents. How I raise my kids. What I buy. The words I form with my mouth. The way I judge others -- man, do I judge others -- and how I can avoid it. How I should pray. How I should share. How I shouldn't always be nice. Whom I should attract, and whom I should, by my very commitments, threaten.

How I should respond to suffering.

What I should be preparing for.

How I can find contentment.

How I can laugh a pure laugh.

How I can stop hating myself.

What love is.

What God is doing in the world.

How I can play a role in the restoration of the world.

Why art matters.

Why creation matters.

Why you matter.

Why I should work, why I should cry, and why I should party like it's 99 A.D.

And, of course, what God has in store for us.

There's that, too.

Or, maybe, the "Gospel" is purely about going to heaven and not hell and stuff.

In that case, maybe pretending to kill fake aliens on a TV can bring some relevance.

Maybe they're onto something.


Article:
http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/2007/10/you-cant-blame-.html