We’ve Been Here Before

Part of being a 21st Century American involves deeply and sincerely believing that we are original. We are taught from an early age, that we are special, that our perspective is unique, that there has never been nor will there ever be someone like us. This lends an air of exclusive importance to our lives and legacies. And this line of reasoning extends beyond individuals to societies, countries, and entire generations. How many times have you heard something like this:

We are living in unprecedented times (“end times,” if you grew up in Evangelical Christianity). 

Never before has the world seen a nation/generation/opportunity/threat like this one. 

For the first time in the history of the world…

And, to be fair, on one level, it’s all true. Human beings are, both by nature and nurture, unique. Quite literally, there has never been nor will there ever be anyone like you. Further, largely as the result of technological advances, this moment is unique in both challenge and opportunity.

That said, as any good historian (or theologian) will point out, histories, both individual and communal, tend to be cyclical, with recurring themes and patterns that can clearly be discerned and traced with the benefit of distance and hindsight.

One such pattern that has been discussed often by social and religious scholars is the phenomenon of the 500-year upheaval. Students of Judeo-Christian culture will notice that roughly every 500 years, tracing back to the 1st Century (some Jewish scholars would argue that this pattern goes even farther), a combination of social, political, technological, and religious upheavals result in dramatic and seemingly rapid (though,, in fact, these things have been building for generations) transformation in society as a whole but, more specifically, in religious structures and institutions.

These upheavals are always challenging and painful, but they are also a gift given graciously by God to his Church to ensure its ongoing vibrancy and effectiveness. Over the course of centuries, the Church tends to collect encrustations that weigh it down, dulling its focus, dampening its potency, and diminishing its missional effectiveness. Like barnacles on a poorly maintained ship, these encrustations first slow the Church, then bring it to a standstill, and ultimately threaten to swamp it entirely. Encrusting issues can be doctrinal, ecclesiological, practical, or any combination of these. And it is important to point out that they are inevitable. 

A missionally potent Church is in the world and is, therefore, affected by the world. Despite what many church traditions teach, the Church exists to follow the example of its Savior who “made his dwelling among us,” or as Eugene Peterson puts it, who “moved into the neighborhood.” If we do this, we cannot help but be affected by the same forces that affect the neighborhood. Social issues, technological advances, political rivalries, economic instabilities, and more find their way into and exert their influence upon the Church. It is possible to maintain a clear sense of identity among these swirling influences but only through the most diligent and persistent effort. This kind of effort is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain over the course of generations. And I am only talking about the difficulty of maintaining identity in a single local church. This is to say nothing of the monumental challenge of doing so across the global Church. As I said, encrustations are inevitable, which is why God, in his grace, subjects his Church to upheaval in the hopes that the result will be reexamination, refining, and recommitment.

To some degree, this always is (and should always be) happening sporadically across the Church by the grace of God and through watchful, determined, and courageous leadership. But, as we have already discussed, every so often, the Church becomes so barnacle-laden that is no longer able to reach the world in any meaningful way, and unless it changes dramatically, it will become irrelevant. Thus, the 500-year upheaval. 

Anglican theologian Mark Dyer calls them “giant rummage sales.” In other words, as uncomfortable and painful as the circumstances that led to the upheaval are, they are nevertheless gracious opportunities to reexamine ourselves and to decide what still belongs in our House and what no longer does (or never did). Notice, we are not getting rid of the House itself, as some people, many Christians included, are inclined to do. The Church is still God’s plan to redeem the world, and a Christian without the Church is a branch that is no longer connected to the Vine. (I know that the Church is not the Vine. Jesus is. Our truest calling as Christians is to stay connected to Jesus. However, if a person is truly connected to Jesus, they will also be connected to others in Christian community. Therefore, if a person is not connected to other “branches,” how can be connected to the Vine?) The Church, encrusted though it is, is still essential; however, it must change, often dramatically, in order to reclaim its identity and missional effectiveness. So, in the opportunity provided by these upheavals, we must haul everything out of the House onto the front lawn and decide what stays and what goes. 

The results of this reexamination, as Phyllis Tickle notes in her book, The Great Emergence, are three-fold:

First, a new, more focused, flexible, and potent version of the Church emerges from the old.

Second, the old, still encrusted Church that has stubbornly resisted change, will eventually be forced to adapt (or die). 

Finally, as a result and now through two different streams, the new and the transformed old, the Gospel will reach places it was previously unable.

We are right now in the middle of a 500-year upheaval, but before we discuss the implications of that statement, we’ll need to take a moment to trace the pattern over the last 2,000 years to better understand the moment that we’re living and the opportunity provided by it. Over the coming weeks, I'll be outlining a brief history of upheavals as well as discussing the current moment we're living in and what it means for us as followers and disciples of Jesus. Fair warning: these first few posts might be a little dense as we take a deep dive into Church history, but I promise it’s all interesting and important stuff, and it’s all deeply relevant for our lives and the Church. Stay tuned.