Balancing Act: The Evangelistic Teeter Totter

When I was young I would go to a park that had a set of teeter totters (see saws to some of you). These particular teeter totters shared a common cross beam and were positioned relatively close together. Because of their close proximity I could stand on them with my feet in the middle of each teeter totter as if I was wearing a pair of skis. My friends and I would stand like this and attempt to manipulate the teeter totters up and down. It was real challenge bringing both planks into balance. Leaning forward or backward too much sent the planks to the extreme up or down position with a seemingly unstoppable momentum. Engaging the our world with the Gospel can be like my childhood game of riding two teeter tooters at the same time. In this case the teeter totter image serves to illustrate two spectrum on which a Christian must find the right balance or in the right conditions the proper extreme. The fist spectrum (teeter tooter) is that of Acceptance - Challenge. As people who love God we are called to love others. God's love and acceptance fell upon us as he called us to faith in Christ. This love fell on us in our current reality. So too we need to have a measure of acceptance of where people are in life. Our picture of people must be based in reality, who they are, what is happening to them and where they live. On the other hand our role is to bring the message of the Gospel which challenges people to change to a better way than their current state. Our mandate is to accept the reality of people while challenging their reality with the good news of the Gospel. On the second spectrum (teeter totter) Christ followers must address the continuum of Engagement and Separation. This is the "in the world but not of the world" conundrum. Some are comfortable jumping into the deep end of the pool and swimming in some very worldly situations while others shudder at exposure to anything ungodly. In the middle is a host of activities and actions that are matters of conscience. Needless to say this is a difficult spectrum to manage in fellowship with believers and it is a potentially deadly spectrum if addressed in isolation. Either extreme (chosen for the wrong reason) on the separation-engagement spectrum can leave a trail of human wreckage. Acceptance - Challenge and Engagement - Separation are the two teeter totters Christians live on as they seek to present the gospel in word and deed. Appropriately, each spectrum can be in balance or in the extreme depending on the situation. God is faithful and 1 Corinthians 2 gives us hope that the Spirit of God is with us to make us wise. Fellow Christ followers can help us. One such person is Kevin Vanhoozer. His book Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends is an excellent discussion book for church leaders who believe they need to pay attention to culture as they attempt to proclaim the gospel to their communities. Dennis Humphrey The Accidental Educator