Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

Chapter 7 The Challenge of Relevancy

The Church has always faced a unique challenge by virtue of the fact that it is designed by God to be an everlasting institution. Most institutions built by human beings have a lifespan. That is, they are only relevant for a season and, as things change, they become less and less relevant until they fade from the scene altogether. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s you may have had a thriving horse drawn buggy business. But when motorized vehicles became popular that business eventually lost its relevancy to society. The Church on the other hand was meant to endure right up to the return of Jesus Christ. This brings us to our second premise discussed in the previous chapter. The Church has always been characterized by change that is related to the context or environment in which it finds itself. This change has to do with understanding the current context of the church and being able to adapt to that context without destroying or diminishing the Gospel message and the mission of the Church. In the world of today there are things happening in the world around us that can have a bearing on how the Church expresses itself. While this will vary a great deal from country to country, there are many trends that affect a large segment of society that have a direct bearing on the Church.

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