Paradigm Shift

Friends,

As I shared concerning the subject of "world view" a few days ago, it occured to me that many people have asked -- what happens when our world view changes, whether it be something I actively do, or whether I am passively caught up in the change itself (which is where most of us find ourselves). This is what, in sociological terms, is called a "paradigm shift." My "world view" paradigm, or model and mindset by which I view the world and measure things, changes. And in talking about the primary "fear factor" word -- change, this can be a really big deal. As I have said before, change is a constant. As Dave Ramsey says, most of us long ago transitioned from the LP to the 8-track then to cassettes then to CD's and now to digital music. (And yes, this latest cultural transition is a challenge.) Historically...particularly over the past 25 years, church is the one place where folks have actively resisted "change" because it is the one place where people have been able to collectively exert control "to halt the progress of time and culture" ;-). Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending upon your position, society moves on ahead with us or without us...and so, we can either make the active, conscious decision to "change along with change" (as it relates to our methodology in how we "do church") or be it as it may, passively, "change will change us." This is the reality. As hard as we may want things to remain the same in certain segments or aspects of life, it simply is not going to stay so for long. So, we can save ourselves a lot of headaches, neuroses and other maladies by coming to grips with the fact that "paradigm shifts" are reality and that "status quo" really is not. And I do not know of anyone who has said that this is or will be an easy reality to accept. In fact, as we were dicussing how we need to shift our paradigm in relationship to evangelism, I found myself involved in an interesting discussion with one of the ladies at church today. We have been discussing that we cannot reach a "postmodern" world employing "modern" methods and she said, this is a struggle to consider (concerning evangelism -- which I will further explore in a later post), and I said...absolutely -- yes, it is! She related that it took her a long time to come to the realization that "I was saved by grace through faith"...and that, for so long, she had believed in a religion that was bound up in law and tradition. She said, "our previous preacher just continued to preach about love, grace and the Spirit, and one day...I just 'got it'!" I told her that must have been quite a revelation and she said indeed it was. But, there was nothing easy about the shift. As I now understand that it was a big challenge for her to accept this theological/Biblical/spiritual paradigm shift mentally, but also that it was an even harder transition, emotionally. I understand this, as I had to struggle through my own personal change (see "Age of Enlightenment" post from 6/6/07 for details :-). And this, especially when she was so used to evaluating "spiritual" concerns based upon "fear" as she and so many of us were accustomed to. If it didn't fit "the right thinking/works mold," then it just had to be wrong...our collective fear "taught" us this if nothing else. And yet, she was able to overcome it, but it is still difficult, in some respects, because she has relatives that are still living according to "the fear factor" instead of according to "faith." It makes me wonder just how many Christians neglect the freedom in Christ and spiritual growth that would be theirs...that they know is within their grasp, but refuse it because of fear...of people, primarily. (Unfortunately, I know of several good folks who fit in this category). And then she said the thing that blew my mind..."now, you're asking me to do another excruciating paradigm shift, in relationship to evangelism and how I view the world?" I had not really thought about it on the same level of how the shift affected us "personally," but then I said -- "yes." (Not that I am the one doing "the asking", but our multi-faceted culture demands it -- and "they" are not going to change their thinking just for us -- most folks could care less what we think...so, we need to do the math on this :-). We must not only make the shift personally, but also in relationship to how we relate to others and bring them the message concerning Christ. This has been a hard admission for me to come to grips with...but necessary, or we cease to be spiritually effective or relevant to the world around us. (Concerning this, we have seen the overall decline in numbers over the past few decades -- not only in our fellowship, but in all other groups across the board.) So yes, I have a new appreciation for the mental and emotional challenge of considering the "paradigm shift" in relationship to evangelism. But, Lord willing, as with the personal paradigm shift, I have no intention of "shrinking back in fear," but to be "pressing on according to faith" (2 Timothy 1:7).

Don