1. Is the church in North America effectively proclaiming the gospel as public truth? How should the church be doing this? What do we mean when we talk about the "church" in this context? Explain and discuss: "the only hermeneutic of the gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it." In very practical terms, what does this mean for individual Christians and the church today where you are? Discuss and evaluate Newbigin’s six characteristics of the faithful church.
2. Again, how do we biblically understand church? How does our answer to this affect our view of "ministerial leadership"? Discuss this key issue. In Reformed thought there is a distinction between church as organism and church as institute. What are these and are they helpful in the issue being discussed? Explain. How do the two positions noted by Newbigin relate to Bosch’s discussion of the two major emphases or approaches in the history of missions?

These two questions have brought lengthy answers and comments to my mind. Bear with me as I try to extrapolate and answer these questions somewhat satisfactorily.

North America Churches (or, Christians in United States) are doing both good and harm to the overall approach to evangelism and its endeavors. I think a simple but great way to boost the effectiveness of preaching the gospel message is simply to do proper research; better preparation for the culture is undergone for the missionary/evangelist.

The Church should be bold and apologetic – that is, God's people should give a real defense for the hope that is within them. Now, that applies at least to the church solely as God's people; as an organism; as it was originally defined by the first church which was powered directly by the Holy Spirit during the New Testament. In regards to the church as an institution, I simply can't say how that role would play out simply because it's hard to exegetically arrive at anything because the church was early and immature in that period. Post-canonical studies in that area might be more beneficial as that was the time where the church took governmental and structural form.

However, in this day and age in the West, I think too many Christians aren't being bold enough. I compare us with the vigor and passion of Christ, Paul, and all the apostles. There was a fire and mission that drove them to do some serious things; whether running around snapping the tails of donkeys with a whip in the temple (before turning over turning tables) like Christ, or venturing into the world living dangerously amidst floggings and shipwrecks like Paul. The church today, as a general statement, is too timid and too indirect. Now, I say this primarily to the institutional church. But, that's why our ministry's (liveoffensively.com – this is very easily misunderstood mind you) motto is "Don't be a Christian Wuss Bag", because we want our brothers and sisters in Christ to rise up and engage the culture as opposed to passively sinking into a quiet, complacent stupor. Other ministries like xxxchurch.com that witness to pornographers and porn stars at erotica conventions all over the world are taking the gospel to them with focus, guts, and boldness.

That [motto] speaks in a way that people can understand – one that is culturally embodied so to speak; it's different, provocative and outrageous. But, that's why it speaks – because most of the ideas and things that are happening in the United States as a whole societal structure are indeed outrageous. John Calvin knew this concept of language and cultural adaptation very well. He insisted on citing Plato and Socrates and countless other famed non-Christian philosophers of the day so that his readers would understand what he was trying to say. He spoke their language, knew their ideas and what was right and wrong with them. I believe he (for the most part) successfully did this without sacrificing the purity of the gospel message in the process.

Homosexual marriage, evolutionary theory, and mass pornography addictions are self-destroying and de-valuing beliefs and lifestyles that are absurd and off the wall when we compare them to the Christian worldview. We must realize, these are the issues of the day, the strongholds and beliefs that must be torn down in strength and force – yet with compassion if we are to advance the kingdom righteously.

So, what really does anti-porn tours and t-shirts that say "I'd rather be a prude than have genital warts" do? We are doing exactly what Newbigin advised – putting the world's understanding of reality to the test. We're making them think through their "secular" worldviews that have their own presuppositions that they know can't be defended. But, to bring the gospel to any culture, including the West, we are going to have to understand it and the people of it, as Newbigin taught so strongly, and we can't do that by just sitting in our pews. This all does not mean of course, we approach non-Christians the same way they approach us. What I'm saying is, we must allow for some linguistic and cultural accommodation/adaptation if the world is going to understand the gospel for what it really is and that it will relate to them on a personal level, and that these movements – like our ministry, Live Offensively for God – is the modern day manifestation of Newbigin's principles.

"Don't be a Christian Wuss Bag" is a modern day way of stirring up the younger Christians in this pluralistic and anti-religious society so we can change the world like Christ wants us to. In regards to age, Jeremiah, David, and the disciples weren't called by God because they were older, in fact, they were quite young and all of them changed the course of history. Now, the motto is really asking, "What are you really doing for Christ? What are you really doing to help your pastor's porn addiction or your friend's homosexual lifestyle?" And I will go further and say this: "Is what you and your church doing really working?" We covered this earlier in class when we talked about the fruit and numbers that are in favor of our evangelistic efforts. So then, what's the real benefit of certain theology and certain approaches if they don't work in the end? That's exactly why some of us as a ministry went on a "Porn No More" tour across the Pennsylvania region loitering outside XXX stores on the street and holding up signs. We didn't see any other way to directly respond to this perversion of beauty and sexual relations. You see, if that's what it takes to engage in meaningful conversation with the hearts of lost sinners in hopes of planting seeds of the gospel, than that's what it takes. We must value the sinner. If God offered himself to be spat and beat on by Roman soldiers and nailed to a cross for sinners that – at least at one point in their lives – hated God, then I think we can have at least some active compassion for those same sinners in order to bring them the good news of forgiveness of sins, whether they like it or not. I think most institutional churches would have a hard time doing or supporting those kinds of efforts, even if it brought souls to Christ. But, if our culture wasn't that way we wouldn't have to be this way either. It's a hard calling. This parallels with some wisdom by C.S. Lewis that said, the only reason we need good philosophy is because of the bad philosophy. What's interesting about the way Christians are involved, like in the anti-porn tour, is that this was the way Christ behaved all along when he walked the earth. That was his approach, its nothing new; just see the way he treats sinners, like the woman at the well. As a side note, I want to contrast this approach, boldness but with sincere hearts, with some of the other recent ones in our country. There were (August 2006) a group of "Baptists" holding signs that read, "God Hates Fags" in front of the Amish parents who just had their children molested and gunned downed during school in Pennsylvania. It's heartless, they're saying the wrong things to the wrong audience, and they're doing it for unjust gain publicity. That is something Christ would never, ever do.

Why doesn't the church really engage this culture? Do we doubt the power of the Spirit? Can someone who's been addicted to pornography for 30+ years and someone who thinks we came from hydrogen gas really come to know the truth and be cleansed of all unrighteousnesses? I think they can. In fact, that is exactly why Jesus died. And if we truly love the sinners as we are called to, we must remember that they cannot believe without first hearing the gospel preached to them. Yes, that means we will have to move out – a somewhat centrifugal approach if you will.

Newbigin supports what I'm saying at this point, he knows the church suffers from "timidity." He says we are afraid of the charges of arrogance, impudence, and insolence. The result is that the gospel remains in the private sector; we dare not proclaim it as public truth.

I believe these kind of direct, well-researched, sociologically balanced, and sincere efforts are leading the way to changing the spirit of the United States and beyond. In other words, the steps being taken by some of these para-church ministries are changing the world. And I honestly believe these kinds of ideas are the inherent result of Newbigin's theology and teachings – though I bet if he saw what XXXchurch.com and our ministry is doing he might object simply because it's so radically different than ever before and something he couldn't imagine. But, it has to be that way by nature – that is the culture we are embodied in. We wouldn't have to deal with this pornography thing if 3/5 evangelical pastors didn't look at it once a month. Similarly, Jesus wouldn't have had to spend so much time ridding of falsehoods about the Sabbath if it wasn't an issue in that day and age. If people are radically removed from Christ, we have to be radical in bringing them to Christ. I could give countless examples, but the question then is what other alternatives are working? Adding additional programs to the mega-church has shown to be ineffective across the land and the organism of the church is often hard to find – at least in an organized way (isn't that supposed to be the institutional church anyway – an organized people of God?). After all, that's just inside the church, in a mostly controlled environment. Who can't fake their personality and look righteous two hours per week? With the church as an organism you don't have that problem – you have a closely knit community that works during the week, on the streets, at work, and holds each other accountable. This was the initial idea of church to the first church fathers and for the most part, I think we've lost it. I think many have lost that level of intimacy and personality. Rick Warren started out with a church, intimate allies getting together in a house praying and wrestling with the Scriptures. Now what does he have? A church? No, an industry.

Dare I say these types of upfront efforts in preaching the gospel and exposing sinners like liveoffensively.com are rare. I've seen far too many attempts fail at this stirring of God's people to rise up and be men and women of courage. They fall down in the dust and result in a passive, resonated, Sunday school meeting that consists of sports stats, coffee, and krispy kreme donuts. That doesn't speak to today's generation of Christians or non-Christians, and that doesn't prepare us to preach the gospel to our culture – a culture that is offensive, vulgar, dangerous and violently opposed to Christianity.

I argue, and Newbigin may or may not agree, that we need to come to realize we are in a great war between good and evil, and until you see reality in that context (a war), you will never have a proper understanding of true missions and evangelism, nor will you be able to interpret the events around you as they really are. I could write many volumes on what happens to a person when they shut out the possibility of the metaphysical world, but I have nor the time or patience to do so.

Now, we are not to stay home and isolate ourselves because things out there are rough and tough; Christ told us this would happen. He said we are going to suffer and be scoffed at, but the church organism must permeate the culture and world. Why? Because the church as an institution by its very structure (as a building, geographical location, and an entity that is more static than dynamic) cannot and often will not undergo such missions. When is the last time your church elder said, "Hey there! Come join our men's group! We're picketing another porn store this Saturday afternoon"?

An even bigger problem with today's inactive and uncaring Christians (or the culturally embodied version, "Wuss bags") is that we're starting to believe the lie that our faith isn't worth it. It's not worth talking about it, it's not worth carrying signs in front of a xxx store for, and it's certainly not worth dying for (John Piper preaches on this a bit). That's the great lie, and we must refuse to believe it if we are to remain faithful to God and His people.

I think Newbigin's quote at the end of chapter eighteen fits perfectly with the goals of the No More Porn Tour and this discussion as a whole.

"It will only be [that is, the gospel will challenge life of our society] by movements that begin with the local congregation in which the reality of the new creation is present, known, and experienced, and from which men and women will go into every sector of public life to claim it for Christ, to unmask the illusions which have remained hidden and to expose all areas of public life to the illumination of the gospel." (p. 232)

Newbigin lays out what the real church should look like in six characteristics. I really like what he said and I think these are and should be very central to every Christian:

• It will be a community of praise.
• It will be a community of truth.
• It will be self-less and others oriented.
• It will be a nurturing community.
• It will be a community of mutual responsibility.
• It will be a community of hope.