The Men of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32)
I was reminded this week of 1 Chronicles 12:32. That verse describes the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…”
As I look at our country, I wonder if there are any men of Issachar out there who understand the times and know what we should do?
Our Country at the Tipping Point
I believe our nation is at a “tipping point.” What’s a tipping point? The tipping point is Malcolm Gladwell’s magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and begins to spread like wildfire. Here’s an example. In 1984, Sharp introduced a low cost fax machine. They sold only about 80,000 that first year. For the next three years, businesses continued to slowly and steadily buy more fax machines until, in 1987, enough people had faxes that it made sense that everyone should have one. That year was the fax machine tipping point – Sharp sold 1 million that year…2 million by 1989.
Similarly, our nation is at a tipping point. The changes we’re seeing enacted at the moment didn’t happen overnight. Changes that have been coming for years have now reached critical mass. Ideological battles that have been waged for years have now been won and lost. The creep of naturalism in the universities of the 60’s has now become the postmodern thinking and direction of the nation. Some of what we might consider as core beliefs of our nation are in the process of being dismantled. Our economic structure is being changed from capitalism to socialism. We’re watching a sea change take place.
At the same time the nation is going through these drastic changes, the church is in the throes of change as well.
Our Church and Rummage Sales.
Anglican Bishop Mark Dyer once said that the only way to understand what is going on in the 21st century church is to first understand that about every five hundred years the church feels compelled to hold a giant rummage sale. I find Bishop Dyer’s statement to be amazingly perceptive, as it seems we may be in the middle of one now. Just look at our history:
- 500 years ago we had the Great Reformation (Catholicism to Protestantism).
- 500 years before that was the creation of the monasteries by Gregory the Great (which saved the message of the gospel from a ever-increasing corrupt church).
- 500 years before that was the split between East vs. West (over doctrinal issues).
- 500 years before that was the birth of the Church.
In the church’s rummage sale, she gets rid of its old baggage and re-makes herself. This can be positive or negative, depending on what the church jettisons. We’re in a rummage sale now, and the church is debating how it will re-make itself.
The Great Remaking
What will the church look like? From my vantage point, things don’t look too good. Some churches are chasing full-tilt after secular multiculturalism. They’re ordaining homosexuals, supporting gay “marriage,” and endorsing abortion advocates. Other, “emerging” churches are pursuing the postmodern agenda. Questions that were once cut and dried for Christians (efficacy of the Word of God, supremacy of Christ, reality of ultimate truth) are now more nebulous.
And then there’s the rest of us…the Evangelicals. Can we save the nation? Can we save the church? At the risk of overextending my quota of analogies, let me tell you about the Qin dynasty of ancient China. They were in desperate need of security against the barbaric, horse-riding Mongols from the north. So they built the great wall. They built it high enough so no one could climb over. They built it long enough so no one could go around it. They built it thick enough so no one could break it down.
It took generations to build the wall, and when it was finished, China felt at ease. But within the first 100 years of the completion of the Great Wall, it was breached and China was invaded from the north three times. Not once was the wall scaled, broken through, or gone around. Each time China was invaded, a gatekeeper was bribed and the Mongolians marched right through the gates. A lack of integrity.
Let’s use this as an analogy for the Evangelical church. When naturalism began to make inroads into the church in the 60’s (in our analogy, this philosophy is the fear-inspiring Mongols from the north), the church turned its focus on bricks and mortar. For safety and security, we began to build a wall. We tightened our theology. We solidified our doctrine. We emphasized fundamentals (thirteen to be exact). It took generations, but we built great walls.
In the mean time, we got the doctrines and missed the relationship with God (integrity). We know it all, even if we don’t necessarily live it very well. We know homosexuality is unbiblical. We know abortion is wrong. But we’re not winning the debate, because we’re not authentic in our love to the world and our relationship with God.
So here we are, we’re watching the gate. We know the wall’s there for a reason, but can’t remember exactly why. We know we’re not to let certain elements in, but not real sure which of these elements is dangerous. Our lack of spiritual integrity leaves us weary at the midnight watch.
And if, by chance those elements on the other side of the gate offer us fame, fortune, or pleasure, or threaten us, it won’t be long until you find the gates unmanned, swinging in the wind.
The church has been invaded – and the nation as well. And the Evangelical church has been asleep at the gate.
