Today’s Rant – Why are we not Changing the World?

If you’ve been in ministry for any length of time, you’ve probably asked yourself this question. Why isn’t the Body of Christ changing our culture and the world? If anything, it would appear that the culture is changing the Church. It’s a frustrating situation. No matter what you are trying to do in the Kingdom, including being a pastor, small group leader, youth worker, outreach leader or Sunday School teacher, there has never been a more challenging time to spread the Gospel. Why is this?

Why is it that most people three hours after leaving church cannot remember the pastor’s sermon, much less three days later? Obviously, the Bible says when we preach the Gospel, the Word never returns void. So there is always going to be some impact. But it is as if we are running against the wind in an ever ending battle with little or no results. It’s not as if I’m trying to make this worse or that I’m trying to ruin your day, but sometimes you just have to face the truth and ask the tough questions. Of course we want to be effective and reach people with the saving knowledge of our Lord. That’s what it’s all about.

So what is our main obstacle? The issue most people have failed to see or what I call the 800 pound gorilla in the room is today’s mass media culture? It is relentless. It is like a hurricane wind that continues to blow. The media culture never takes a day off. It surrounds us and engulfs us. No wonder we can’t remember what the sermon was about.

The media culture is more than movies or TV programs. It defines our culture, our society and our institutions. It creates its own reality, and it informs us what we should be thinking about. In fact, if we don’t find an answer to the influence of today’s mass media culture, we will continue to struggle in our ministries. Every Christian has a responsibility in solving this crisis. Unfortunately, most of us don’t recognize this. Let me put it this way. Have you ever worked outside on a hot summer day of maybe 100 degrees. It’s challenging and difficult, and you most likely get little work accomplished. What happens if you can turn the temperature down to 85 degrees or 80 degrees? Your productivity would increase dramatically. The mass media culture, just like a hot summer day, has the same impact on the effectiveness of the Body of Christ to proclaim the Gospel.

We will start to dramatically change the culture and the world when we recognize the issue we are facing is the mass media culture, and when we realize we all have a part in solving this solvable problem. What drives me crazy and what is at the core of today’s rant is when we continue to do the same things and expect a different result. Don’t you think it’s time to come up with a new game plan now that we know what we are facing?