What Is the "Harvest" for a North American Church? (part 2)
In my previous post about "harvest," I suggested that we don't much know how to handle this concept in our contemporary churches. Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth reapers into his harvest." What exactly does this mean for a North American church?
I need to qualify this question. This is a question primarily directed to people who are embarrassed by our old ways of evangelism. Admittedly, some are not tired of the old ways. I am one of the many who think change is needed. But many who have left the old ways no longer know what way to go.
How are we to understand "harvest" in North American in 2010? Here is the first of several thoughts on the subject.
(1) Blame our confusion on Constantine. It's all Constantine's fault.
You know Constantine, right? He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Some doubt the authenticity of his conversion since it was connected to victory in a battle. You may question his motives, but there's little doubting that he became an advocate for Christianity.
Constantine himself did not make drastic changes in the church. He is symbol, however, of a major shift in the history of Christianity. The followers of Jesus, at least in the Mediterranean world, were no longer a frowned-upon minority. The ways of the church become increasingly entwined with the ways of the government. To be a citizen of the Roman Empire would eventually equal being a Christian.
It's common practice today to blame the church's problems on Constantine. I first became aware of Constantine's symbolic impact from my mentor and friend Leonard Allen. I would eventually read "Resident Aliens" and many other books that clarified the inherent problem caused by Christianity's linkage to the halls of power.
Certain nations began to think of themselves as "Christian" nations. When everyone in your nation is already Christian, where is the harvest field? For most people, nowhere. The harvest has already been reaped. For others, though, harvest becomes something you do among foreign, pagan peoples. This mentality -- symbolically call it Constantine's legacy -- causes us today to think of harvest as something done by missionaries.
Quite a pickle you've made for us, Constantine. Thanks a bunch! But in my next post, we'll see how some found a "harvest" even in Christian lands.
How are we to understand "harvest" in North American in 2010? Here is the first of several thoughts on the subject.
(1) Blame our confusion on Constantine. It's all Constantine's fault.
You know Constantine, right? He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Some doubt the authenticity of his conversion since it was connected to victory in a battle. You may question his motives, but there's little doubting that he became an advocate for Christianity.
Constantine himself did not make drastic changes in the church. He is symbol, however, of a major shift in the history of Christianity. The followers of Jesus, at least in the Mediterranean world, were no longer a frowned-upon minority. The ways of the church become increasingly entwined with the ways of the government. To be a citizen of the Roman Empire would eventually equal being a Christian.
It's common practice today to blame the church's problems on Constantine. I first became aware of Constantine's symbolic impact from my mentor and friend Leonard Allen. I would eventually read "Resident Aliens" and many other books that clarified the inherent problem caused by Christianity's linkage to the halls of power.
Certain nations began to think of themselves as "Christian" nations. When everyone in your nation is already Christian, where is the harvest field? For most people, nowhere. The harvest has already been reaped. For others, though, harvest becomes something you do among foreign, pagan peoples. This mentality -- symbolically call it Constantine's legacy -- causes us today to think of harvest as something done by missionaries.
Quite a pickle you've made for us, Constantine. Thanks a bunch! But in my next post, we'll see how some found a "harvest" even in Christian lands.
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