“This is My Father’s World!”(Babcock). Do we still sing this beautiful song? In reference to the heavenly Father, the song still holds true: “This is my Father’s world.” This world does indeed belong to God, because He made it. He is the Creator and Sustainer of this world and the fullness thereof (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1; Jeremiah 10:10-12; 1 Corinthians 10:26; Hebrews 1:1; 11:3, et al). Have you noticed that the world in which we live is not the same world of our parents? In reference to my physical father, this is not my father’s world. The second point of the statement is in reference to the current philosophy and mind set when compared to the generations of the 40’s and 50’s when my physical father was growing up.
This is not my father’s world in regards to truth. Today, many like Pilate react skeptically to the concept of truth (John 18:36-38). The fact is that 7 out of 10 or 70 percent of Americans now believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth (Sanders 26). According to most people, there is no set of truths that can be unquestionably relied upon in every circumstance in every place and time (Sanders 51). Brantley makes this observation: “In Western culture, epistemology (the area of study that deals with the nature of knowledge and how it is established) has undergone some radical changes over the last few decades. There is a growing consensus that objective, universal truth is an archaic concept that no longer is relevant. Scholars who have analyzed this trend suggest that currently we are experiencing an intellectual shift from “modernism” to “postmodernism” (Brantley).
This is not my father’s world in reference to church attendance. “A George Gallup survey says that more than 44 percent of all American adults eighteen and over are unchurched; that is, they haven’t gone to church in the last six months or more. That would be 78 million adults” (Bartel 343). This begs the question, what are some of the characteristics of this unchurched culture? Callihan gives four elements.
First, by and large persons live life as though the church does not substantially matter. Second, most people are not seeking out churches on their own initiative; that is, they are not looking to go to church. Third, the church is not among their major values. And fourth, unchurched people do not necessarily view the church as harmful or hurtful; it is simply viewed as not particularly relevant or helpful.
In response to these elements, Callihan concludes that “the day of the churched culture is over, the day of the mission field has come” (13).
This is not my father’s world in understanding the mission of the church. The works of and concerns of the church are numerous, but the mission of the church is narrow: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). “Win Arn has estimated that 90 percent of all laypeople feel the mission of the church is to meet their needs, while only 10 percent feel that the church’s mission is to win the world” (White 180).
These statistics reveal that there are several factors that are hindering the cause of Christ in our present age. How do we reach this generation? Shall we ignore the postmodern population or shall we investigate and formulate an effective plan and/or principles to carry out the Great Commission to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-47; John 20:20-31; Acts 1:4-8)? The latter is the preferable choice of humble servants of Christ.
Works Cited
Babcock, Malthie D. Praise for the Lord.
Bartel, Don. “Evangelizing Postmoderns Using a Mission Outpost Strategy.” Telling the Truth. Ed. D.A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
Brantley, Garry K. “What Has Happened to Truth?” Apologetics Press, 1996.
Callihan, Kennon L. Effective Church Leadership: Building on the Twelve Keys. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990.
Sanders, Phil. Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church. Nashville: Gospel Advocate. 2006.
White, James Emery. “Evangelism in a Postmodern World” The Challenge of Postmodernism. 2nd ed. Ed. David S. Dockery. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.
