Over the years there are certain fads in the main stream Christian circles that come and go. Those that either Barna or "Christianity" Today will do a news article on. Many of them are dangerous and some are just down right silly. Being more from the reformed ilk these fads bounce around out there and the Church does a fairly good job at identifying these issues and keeping away from them. But on occasion there are those subjects that are just so close to biblical Christianity they mask themselves under a cloak of "truthyness" (yes I did just make up a word).
One of those issues I have seen that has alarmed me more and more has been the term "Radical Christianity". I see folks like Francis Chan making a bold commitment to leave his church to start something new with no clear calling under this "pull" toward "radical Christianity". I have read books, seen blogs and heard from friends who are just discontent with there day to day life and always looking toward this form of a radical lifestyle.
Now don't get me wrong, Jesus does call us to live a radical, God glorifying, separate from the world, cross carrying kind of life. But my question is what does that look like? Because I am getting more and more a sense that people are associating that type of call to a modern day hipster/monk who does not take a shower and hangs out with the homeless all day. Again, I am not saying that we are not called to live radical (I know there will be people who will take that from this post) but all I am asking is what does that look like?
My concern is that if this is not placed in the proper context and we are breeding discontentment among the church. Take for instance Titus 2:3-5,
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."
What do we have here? Well we have older women having a standard of godliness as to set an example and to teach the younger women of the church to do the following radical things, love there husbands, love there children, to be pure/self controlled, to be busy in there home, to be kind, and to be subject to there husbands. Does that sound radical in the sense of the term we have seen lately?
What about the following, Ephesians 6:5-7
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
What we have in this section is a call for a man to be working as if He was working for Christ. So this can be a dad who goes to work 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., pays his taxes, plays with the kids, loves his wife and is devoted to serving his local church. Is this radical?
My point is that more and more of the term is being redefined. And I am not trying to single France Chan out alone. In fact I dont know much about Frances (although I did post a great sermon he did aside from his ecumenical endorsements of Rick Warren). All that I have seen has been good up until this point. But that is irrelevant. Others are using it. Men who live among the homeless (by choice) and right a book, political movements, and other social and economical agendas. We have to understand the the Bible gives us clear direction as to our desire to live radical life's for Christ. But to the stay at home mom, that is radical. To the dad who is trying to pay the bills and study his bible, brother, that is the radical life. The NT gives such clear perspective declarations of how to conduct our self in the real world under real situations. To say that those are all irrelevant because God wants us to leave it all behind is simply not valid. Does that mean God does not call some to go into other countries? Of course He does. Does that mean God does not call some to (in a special way) minister to the homeless? Of course He does. Please hear me out, those things are in fact necessary. My question is are they any more radical then the mom trying to do the best she can and glorify her creator and go to here ladies bible class? Are they "more" radical then the dad who goes to work day in and day out and conduct a small bible study after family devotions? The New Testament I think would say no!