What is true?

About a month or so ago, I read a quote that really got me thinking a lot as I have been transitioning and thinking about life, mission, ecclesiology, etc. I just today began to process this deeply again, and felt like I could benefit from creating some space for discussion on this idea...the quote that brought about this process was a statement from Imago Dei’s website:

“In the church today we are guilty of pragmatism: asking the question 'what works?' before we ask the question 'what is true?'. The result is doing ministry for ministry's sake as opposed to doing ministry for the glory of God. [Rather], when we start with God (our theology), we realize that definitions of success are very different than when we start with pragmatism. From a clear understanding of the gospel we should adopt Biblical values into our lives that become the driving force behind how we do ministry (philosophy of ministry). With a Biblical understanding of how ministry is to be done, we gain a vision that is God honoring and Gospel centered. This [then] and only then results in the creation of a proper structure (function). Each piece is crucial to the next as one piece of the function of the church is built upon another. The Western church is in decline today because we have misunderstood the Gospel and we have not integrated its truth into our lives.” (emphasis added)

I take away from this quote deep implications on everything from the way I have seen myself and others 'do' church...I see big implications on the way I want to live out and be the church in my future...I see big implications on the way I want to interact with and lead my wife in our marriage together...I see big implications on the way I process, think, and live.

In so much of my life, I have been rewarded with figuring out "what works"...not necessarily "what is true?" I am rewarded by the result I get or acheive, not particularly how I got there.

There are so many quotes about 'the journey' instead of 'the destination', but there is a real reason as to why we feel these quotes are "cliche"...and I think that's because we like the idea of that, but few people really follow that axiom. I think we all really want to value the journey, and to really live out the things that are TRUE...but isn't is so much easier, and unfortunately often rewarded, to simply live out WHAT WORKS?

I don't disagree that sometimes we get to the same solution with either question, but I think that often, will have different solutions or answers, because we are asking a very different question!

And I think the reason we live by asking the questions "what works", is because that is the question we are taught to ask when we approach situations...I'm not really sure how I came to feel that this is the first question that enters my mind when I approach a situation or relationship or conflict, but it is. When I think about engaging a friend who is struggling, a conflict with my wife, creating a strategy to get something done, be it in church or in school or in work, or even in my smaller day to day decisions, often the first questions that enter my mind are..."so how will I accomplish this task? what can I do that will effectively work?"

These are great questions, and these questions come out of the sincere and honest effort to please and serve those around me and most importantly to please my God. They even come from the very good and true motivation on putting others before myself. I think they come out of my strong desire to really live out the love of Christ and his teaching in my life.

However, despite this great motivation, I don't think those are the questions to ask if I really want to please God, and I don't think doing what 'works' is what God needs...I don't think these questions are always what my wife or friendships or church need either. Asking myself "what does Ian think will work?" as the way I operate in my marriage, in my church, in my life, I think pretty obviously falls short of what God wants. It might ‘work’ for a little while, but I am always left feeling unfulfilled...my wife isn't being led anywhere, my friendships don't grow and flourish, my leading at church lacks purpose...the lives of those I am surrounded with are moved by pragmatic decisions, rathering than by truth...and pragmatic decisions may result in good...and they may result in bad...but truth always results in liberating and life-giving change.

And this has led me to decide that asking "what works?" is really a very dangerous dangerous question. Isn't that the quesiton that the world asks? Is this not the question that Satan wants us to ask? Does this not result in prioritizing my process over God's process? Does this not end up resulting in dishonesty? a lack of authenticity and realness? in misunderstanding and miscommunication? in function versus truth? Something I've been realizing the last several months, is that as great (and often NOT great) as my 'decision-process' may be, as great as I may have been raised to uphold good values, as much as I think and process or really process through how I can make something 'work'...when left to my own devices...no one ever really wins.

Really...in any situation, relationship, task, event that is in front of me...shouldn't I first and foremost aske the question "what is true?" or perhaps..."how will I honor what is right and true in this situation primarily, and allow that truth to guide me to the solution for this situation/relationship/task ?" I think the biggest change that happens, is that my definitions of success change...they change from what I think is success, versus what God thinks is success...and though I'd like to think these are often the same thing, most of the time, they are different...often VERY different. :)

So in application to my surrounding community, to my church, to my marriage, to my friendships...how can I begin to ask the question "what is true?" of myself and of others and we walk through life together.

1) When I choose a song to play at church, can I choose the song that most truthfully proclaims the beauty of God, rather than the song that I think is the most 'fun' or perhaps even 'fits' best? 2) In my marriage, can I ask 'how can I spend this evening with my wife in a way that will help us grow in intimacy and in love?' rather than, "what movie will we enjoy the most tonight?"
3) As I think about how to interact with my friendships, can I ask the question "how can I really LOVE this friend with the love of Jesus today?" rather than asking the question, "what do we always have the most fun doing?"
4) When confronted with a difficult decision, will I first ask "how might 'truth' prevail?" versus "how I might appease or escape conflict here?"

Perhaps others don't really wrestle with this. Perhaps it is my people-pleasing nature and my adherence to 'tact' (to a fault) that causes me to ask "what works?" instead of "what is true?"...but I feel that I can't be completely alone in this.

And I do want to finish by saying that even when we ask "what is true?" before (or instead of ) asking "what works?", perhaps we will come to the same conclusions! Perhaps the song which proclaims the truth in a most beautiful way is also the most 'fun' song, or the one with the 'best fit'. Perhaps the best way for my wife and I to grow together in a particular evening IS by going to a movie. Perhaps the way I can best love my friend is by not asking him big questions, but by simply playing a game of disc and having a beer.

But regardless of what the decision is, I think taking the time to ask the right question is worth it.

I want to really start asking that question in everything I do...

What is true?

living in the story,

ian