Arguably the best general description of the effect the New Testament Church had on its society is given by Luke in Acts 17:6.
When an unruly mob could not find Paul and Silas — the source of their
irritation — they dragged other Christians before the city officials and
declared, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come
here also” (Acts 17:6).
What was intended as a damning criticism, however, was actually an
unintended accolade because unbelievers were admitting that the early
Christians were having a substantial impact upon society, a society
characterised by polytheism, gladiatorial combats, sex outside of
marriage, divorce, infanticide, and abortion. This account sounds just
like life in early twenty-first century Western civilization, doesn’t
it? Well, it does, except for the bit about the church turning the world
upside down.
Our postmodern, pluralistic society is not far removed in essence from
first-century Graeco-Roman society. Ungodliness is still here,
immorality is still in evidence, and the life-is-cheap attitude still
pervades. But society in the West does not really notice or take
seriously the church. Why? Could it be because the reality of the living
God is not being seen in the Western church? Could it be because there
is no attention-grabbing evidence of the transforming power of the
gospel? Could it be because, to some extent, the sign ichabod
is metaphorically hanging over the doors of many sanctuaries and around
the necks of many Christians? And if all this is the case, why is it the
case? Could it be because, generally speaking, Christians in the West
are simply not as devoted to the Apostles’ teaching as we should be? I
am increasingly convinced that this is the case. Keep Reading>>>
