WE live in a secular world where it is increasing the case that to be a Christian is a choice. It is no longer assumed that the next generation after we ‘boomers’ – whatever you call them – will be Christian at all.
But even in these changed circumstances we must be bold enough – vulnerable enough – to announce the gospel. As far as I can understand, each human being, no matter their choice of religion or spirituality, including the path of secular life, seeks fulfilment in a greater goodness than the present world seems to offer.
That is why I still preach. I believe that it is worth making the offer of a Christian way of life to fulfilment. As preaching, the Christian gospel simply CALLS out, and as a call it addresses itself to people while respecting their basic freedom to respond or not. That is the basic insight of secularization for me, namely, the freedom that people have to accept or not.
This was already present in the Gospels. See Luke 4:18 where the one who hears can always decline. That is what makes the preaching so vulnerable and, at the same time, so much in need of being contemporary in its message.
For it must always find the sound and music of relevance it is to stand any chance of eliciting a response. Thus the future of Christianity will rely, to a large extent, on remaining both a voice from ‘outside’ this world and a message that speaks to this world.