Shuffling Deckchairs

There is a phrase used in popular English that describes any futile attempts to make changes to one's destiny in the face of impending and unavoidable doom. "Shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic" is how it goes. Of course it references the great ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage. When the Titanic hit an iceberg all those years ago, it's demise was guaranteed, and any attempt to change the circumstances (like rearranging the deck chairs for instance) would not have altered its destiny.

I've been working in a role for the last 3 years that has involved working to engage young people effectively with the Bible. During that time I have been involved in numerous efforts, and spoken with many other people engaged in this pursuit to come up with strategies to achieve this goal. These strategies have included things like producing new products, marketing plans, adopting advances in technology, editing approaches to programming and launching competitions. I'm always checking new books/publications, websites, social networking forums, programme outlines, video clips, music recordings, concert events and other well intentioned efforts to find relevant points of connection between today's Australian teenagers and the ancient Scripture texts. Now while I still believe all these things may have their place in a holistic response to the challenge we have before us, I have this sinking (pun intended!) feeling that we are just 'shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic'.

I am currently re-reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic, "The Cost of Discipleship". Seventy years ago, he spoke out against what he believed was the death knell of his beloved Lutheran Church in Germany. It was what he called "cheap grace". By this he meant an understanding of grace that received the forgiveness of Christ through belief, but would not embrace the call of discipleship. He identified cheap grace as "an intellectual assent to the idea" of grace without the subsequent death of self that true grace requires. To accept Christ is to follow Christ! For the Christian who would live by the mantra of cheap grace, let them "rest content with worldliness and with the renunciation of any higher standard than the world". Cheap grace presents faith in Christ as an 'add-on' to a safe, affluent, bourgeois, middle-class lifestyle. This practise justifies the world rather than the sinner! Bonhoeffer predicted that cheap grace would be "utterly merciless to (the) Evangelical Church". It is the secularization of the Church.

I get the feeling we are tinkering with the tools and giving scant attention to the message. What are we actually inviting teenagers to come and join, and by what process are we bidding them come? What are we actually telling them a disciple of Jesus must become? As far as Bible engagement goes, I'm beginning to think our efforts are futile unless our message is cased in the basic notion of completely forsaking all worldly narratives for the one true narrative of the Word of God.

The Cost of Discipleship

I work for SU Queensland and our organization was treated to some inspiring Bible teaching at our recent Staff Conference held on the Sunshine Coast. Stephen Gaukroger (UK) was our guest speaker and he led us through a challenging series from the first 6 chapters of the book of Daniel. His talks were very much concerned with the question of how God's people can remain true to Him in a secular/pagan world.

During one of his talks, Stephen made the intriguing comment that in our current secular/neo-pagan world (in the West), evangelism of young people is relatively easy ('converts' readily available - especially when attained in the consumerist arena of emotive rock concert experiences) but discipleship of them is virtually impossible. He compared this to the pagan kings of Daniel's time who, when repeatedly confronted with the awesome reality of the living God, acknowledged Yahweh, but would not grant Him exclusivity in their pantheon of other gods.

In order to follow up on some of these thoughts, I have begun re-reading "The Cost of Discipleship" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic on Christ's Sermon on the Mount, written in 1937) as Gaukroger suggested. I have been deeply confronted about the exclusive nature of the calling of Christ. Bonhoeffer sums it up brilliantly when he exclaims, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die". Are we calling young people to forsake all for the way of the Cross?

Obviously I have been thinking about the place of the Scriptures in all of this. Discipleship cannot be about getting young people to add on all the paraphernalia of Christianity (read your Bible, pray, go to church, wear WWJD braclet, buy Hillsong United CD). Discipleship must be about assisting young people to reject all narratives that the world offers (there are many!) for the one narrative of the Way of the Cross. If we try to get young people to add the Bible to their life as it stands, I think it will be powerless and disengaging. We must encourage young to make this story (Biblical revelation) their own story exclusively. They must be encouraged to listen to no other voice but the Word of God.

Big ask...but the stakes are high! Maybe I should begin by getting this right myself?!