5 Ways To Be Irrelevant

I recently received the magazine, OUTREACH, and there is a great article titled, "Got Street Smarts?", and it focuses being culturally relevant and standing for truth. Of course there is a ridiculous amount of information on this, but I think that it is such a struggle to, as the article says, "follow in the footsteps of jesus and walk the tightrope between biblical authenticity and cultural relevancy". But they had an insert in the article, and the insert was written by Heather Johnson (I have no idea who that is) - but I liked it a lot. So, I'm going to put it down here. These are the Five Ways to Be IRrelevant.

Five Ways to be Irrelevant
1. STAY CLOSE TO HOME!
Don't venture too far from your home and church. For fear of being influenced by the strange habits of non-Christians, stay within the safe, known company of those who think like you. By doing this, you're guaranteed to never set a Christian example among the estimated 175 million American unbelievers. Moreover, unbelievers will not be able to teach you anything about their struggles and challenges with their personal faith and beliefs - or lack thereof.
2. READ ONLY CHRISTIAN MATERIAL.
Because other books and magazines may address controversial, challenging topics, stick with only the Bible and Christian classics. This ensures a limited perspective on the world and culture. Steer clear of books like The New York Times Bestseller "THE LANGUAGE OF GOD" by Francis S. Collins, which argues that faith in God and faith in science can co-exist.
3. CONSIDER TECHNOLOGY AS SOMETHING ONLY FOR THE YOUNGSTERS.
Don't worry about new technology - blogging, podcasting, etc. After all, there are only 73 million Americans under the age of 18 who are more familiar with Web sites than books, and more accustomed to iPods than VCRs. By refusing to learn about new technology and how it can be used for more effective means of outreach, you can make sure that you or your church won't be of any interest to today's younger generations.
4. DON'T USE MODERN-DAY EXAMPLES
When you preach, open with corny jokes and use only dated stories to illustrate Bible lessons. Your unchurched or dechurched visitors will have a tough time understanding and relating. If you use the Bible, but then choose to also share secular examples from current movies or songs that many people are familiar with, they might better understand God's message and its applicability in their lives.
5. DON'T MAKE RELEVANCY A GOAL.
As you and your church leaders set goals, don't prioritize relevancy. By doing this, you'll be sure to follow steps 1 through 4.


This is not a rant against the church or anything like that. I love the Church, because it is the body of Christ. But, let's lose sleep over being relevant to the people that God brings into our lives, and contextualize it to our society. Take it as encouragement to move closer to what Jesus did - and not bend from the truth in doing it!

Dwight