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https://www.828ministries.com/articles/NAR-In-Fighting--The-Re-by-Anthony-Wade-Faith_God_Prophet-191121-434.html

November 21, 2019

NAR In-Fighting -- The "Relevant" Church vs. the "Cool Church"

By Anthony Wade

The NAR arguing how the relevant church is better than the cool church? Sigh.

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"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -- Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/78870-why-the-relevant-church-kills-the-cool-church-every-time

I was speaking with someone via Facebook today regarding a devotional I had done. After he rattled off some common NAR dominionist language I pointed out that the NAR had clearly influenced him. His denial was based on his belief that he had never heard of the NAR until reading my devotional. Such is the nature of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Dr. Michael Brown once tried to claim he had never heard of the NAR. Bill Johnson still denies he is part of it even though he was part of the NAR clown car that went to Lakeland to anoint Todd Bentley a prophet in 2008. C. Peter Wagner, who founded the NAR, was in the same car! Fast forward to today and Wagner's vision has grown like a bodybuilder on steroids. What we have today is a loose collective of churches who espouse one or more planks of the NAR. They do not know they are NAR in many instances. That is not the point. Just like my new friend did not realize that he may as well hang a NAR sign around his neck, many in the NAR leadership are just as clueless. The above link is from someone named Thomas McDaniels, whom I have never heard of. His premise is just more NAR absurdities. He believes the relevant church will always kill the popular church. What he fails to see is that they are one in the same as they are both NAR and they are seeking to kill the actual church. Let us reason once more beloved.

"Every decade leaves an indelible impression on the culture. In the last decade, one of the culturally related shifts is how society relates to the church. America was once a nation founded on Christian principles. The "Christian" label has declined from the once Christian and family-centric cultural values. While some hold to Christian values, people of faith engage in and attend church less than the former generations. As recently as 30 years ago, 67% of Americans attended and supported a local church. The most recent (2013) poll by the Pew Research Center reported that just 37% of Americans attended church weekly (Gallup's estimate came in at 39% in 2013). Church attendance remains a declining trend in 2020. About one-third of Americans now say they worship weekly and two-thirds say they rarely or never attend a service. Taylor Billings Russell--research specialist for the United Church of Christ's Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD)--recently explored the origin of this widely quoted statistic. The "6,000 to 10,000 churches closing a week" statistic lacked credibility. Academic research into this topic suggests that in recent years, 1% to 2% of American churches close. Put differently, the best estimate among researchers is that 3,850 to 7,700 congregations closing a year which works out to around 75 to 150 congregations a week." -- Thomas McDaniels

McDaniels starts with the NAR talking point about America being founded on Christian values. While it is true that many of the Founding Fathers held to faith, that faith would be largely rejected by the church today. Many were deists, who denied the deity of Jesus Christ. Thomas Jefferson even rewrote the bible removing all references to Christ's deity. I will not question the statistics he uses for church closings but the main question is of course why? It is not surprising that as society has gone down a moral slide that interest in church would decline as well. As we will see however, McDaniels misses the point altogether.

"There are a variety of reasons why churches have experienced a decline in attendance. The primary reason is that many churches are irrelevant to the lives of everyday believers.

Additional reasons Americans have stopped going to church:

--Some choose to practice their faith in different ways.

--Some report feeling unwelcomed.

--Some cannot find a church they identify with.

--Some believe churches lack authenticity." -- Thomas McDaniels

NAR talking point number two claims that people stop going to church because it was deemed to be not "relevant." Except the church was never established to be relevant. The key verses show Jesus teaching this fact. We are to be a shining city on a hill. We are called to be a peculiar people. The world will hate us as it hated Him. The purpose driven model however throws all of that scripture away and chases carnal acceptance from the world. So we see secular music played during worship. We see humanistic preaching centered on self instead of Christ. We see a church that entertains instead of convicts. The primary reason given by non-attenders is actually that Christians are hypocrites. The NAR beliefs are that people need to identify with the church instead of with the Savior. The true reason there is a decline in church attendance is they no longer preach the Gospel. According the Romans, no one gets saved without the preaching of the Gospel. With no one getting saved, the church must up the carnality to keep the goats they have drawn or else lose them back to the culture. It is because of this that the average time someone spends in a mega church is less than three years. After that they can see through the charade. Instead of giving them another option to the world, we regurgitate the world right back to them.

"The church is not the only organization suffering declining statistics. Several organizations have seen a shift in how people engage their organizations. For instance, online sales have strongly affected retail establishments. We have witnessed the downsizing and closures of many retailers. These shifts are real, and retailers have altered the way they engage customers. Can we trace the trend to both secular and sacred organizations? Yes, absolutely." -- Thomas McDaniels

Except the lost were never meant to be pursued and considered as customers. That is the purpose driven model however, where the pastor is no longer a shepherd but rather is a vision-casting CEO. Should we really be comparing the church of our Lord Jesus Christ to Abercrombie and Fitch? Churches are not downsizing beloved. They are not corporations. They are however being judged and found lacking. Not in relevance but in reverence.

"The American church must find creative ways to stay relevant to the culture. The church is totally equipped to make a difference in the lives of the American family. The practical aspects are in place. Most of the churches are culturally relevant, educationally adequate and the facilities are trendy and well-kept. However, the actual services are boring and irrelevant. People need empowerment in the everyday, practical aspects of life. Many churches have failed to learn the lessons from marketplace companies such as Kodak and Blockbuster. There are countless other companies that have floundered, shrunk or grown obsolete." -- Thomas McDaniel

No, no, a thousand times no. The church has become so relevant that the world can no longer tell it apart from their day to day carnality. This call to relevance however is the typical calling card of the church growth gurus who dot the landscape of NAR purpose-drivinism. The business comparisons he makes are asinine. Both Kodak and Blockbuster withered away on business vine because technology rendered what they were offering as obsolete. Is Thomas McDaniel actually teaching that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be rendered obsolete? What kind of weak God does he claim to serve? Not only can He not sustain His own Gospel but apparently he cannot even solve the problem without Thomas McDaniels. The NAR purpose driven teachings have so warped his mind that McDaniels forgets that heaven rejoices when a single sinner repents, and that narrow is the way to eternal life and few are those who find it. As long as there is one sinner unrepentant, the church will never be obsolete.

"That said, being relevant and making an impact must include more than being cool. "Cool church" is not enough. Being relevant is more than sexy lights and haze machines. A great guitar solo no longer reaches the average churchgoer. There must be more. The modern-day church cannot resemble something from the past. Cookie-cutter services fail to engage the human heart. As believers and leaders in the Christian faith, we must pay attention to our stale methods and take action to be relevant to the next generation." -- Thomas McDaniels

A great guitar solo no longer reaches the average churchgoer? When did it ever? Now, I agree that cool church is not the answer but there is no real difference between relevant church and cool church. The dichotomy McDaniels is presenting simply does not exist. The logic the cool church uses for seeking their "coolness" is to try and be relevant! Here is the problem with this purpose driven NAR theology. Their assumption is that if the number of church attendance declines, then the methods must be stale and need to be changed. That we must alter how God designed His church to suit a newer generation. Except God and the Gospel transcend all generations and cultures. The same Gospel that saved the third century serf saved the 17-century painter and it also saved me. The Gospel does not need to be made cool by the world's standards or relevant to a dying culture. It just needs to be preached. If the Gospel does not engage the human heart it is because the heart is wickedly deceitful above all else. Seeds however are always planted and most times, we do not see the harvest of our efforts. I first said the "sinner's prayer" in 1998 but was not saved until 2002. It was not that the presentation of the Gospel was not cool or relevant in 1998, it is that I was not yet convicted of my sin. The next generation of goats do not need us to try and figure out what they deem as being carnally "cool" or relevant. They just need to hear the Gospel and be drawn by the Holy Spirit. Outside of pastoral staff to disciple them, there does not need to be anything more than that.

"God has given the church remarkable creative ideas to reach this generation. We must also seek new biblical methods without losing the relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The test for most churches is the willingness to set aside what is obsolete. We must also discover practical tools and take new risks in reaching our cities. The gospel message of Jesus Christ is the greatest impression to impart to every generation. And that will never change." -- Thomas McDaniels

Gods has given us no such thing. He has given us the Gospel and instructed us to preach it uncompromisingly. Once again, because goats do not respond to the Gospel does not mean it is obsolete. The risk is always the same. Preaching the Gospel will either be accepted or it will not. Yet heaven rejoices when one sinner repents and that is what we live for! The Gospel message is not something to "make an impression." It is the only thing with the power of God unto the salvation of man. It alone can save a person. Not oratory skills, flagging ministries, smoke machines, disco lights, some obscure sense of relevance, some hip sense of coolness, programs, promotions or marketing campaigns. Nothing but the uncompromised Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seek that. Teach that. Leave all of this purpose driven, seeker friendly, relevant coolness on the ash heap of church history where it belongs.

Rev. Anthony.



Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

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