The ancient society where Christianity emerged consisted of a wide variety of local cultures, all united under Roman rule. Greeks and Jews mingled, and the cities of the Empire allowed a cosmopolitanism that had rarely existed before in Western history. The early followers of Jesus were challenged to share the gospel message in a context where all truth was relativized under the coercive power of the Roman state. In that society, people could worship whatever gods they chose – so long as they also worshiped Caesar.
The God whom I worship, and the gospel that I proclaim, stands in stark contrast to the worship of wealth and human power that lies at the center of American society. The “upside down Kingdom” of Jesus reveals the weakest to be the strongest and that those who put themselves first may find themselves left out. The good news of Jesus represents a direct challenge to the core assumptions of this present age.
Despite all of the persecution, torture and summary executions that the early Christians faced, the early Church did not condemn the whole of Greco-Roman society. On the contrary, the early Christian community made great efforts to communicate the good news in terms that would speak clearly to the wide variety of cultures and experiences that made up the ancient world. Rather than insisting that everyone become a Jew, the disciples proclaimed a new way that was open to all people, regardless of their ethnic or cultural affiliation.
How can I share the good news in ways that affirm the diversity of culture, language, identity and experience that I encounter in my city? How can I lift up that which is good in my cosmopolitan society, while at the same time challenging the harmful foundation of greed and pride that has taken us captive? How can I model and preach a gospel that, rather than eliminating our differences, places all of us on a new foundation in Jesus?
I’ve been wanting to comment on this one for a while.
I love this concept and how it is central to the Quaker ideas of “walking cheerfully over the earth, answering that of God in everyone”, and “Jesus is the answer to thy condition”.
One thing that I’ve found interesting about Jesus is the great lengths (and repetition) he took to teach his disciples a position of faith. Faith in itself is a huge topic that takes great care to express well, but I suspect that it might be central to this idea of “all things to all people.”
A second thing that I suspect might be central to the idea of “all things to all people” is the Apostle Paul’s radical understanding of what Jesus accomplished on the cross: Grace versus Law, and the corollary of the New versus the Old Covenant — Which can unfortunately sound heady, but it makes a lot of sense to me to think of it in terms of relationship and motivation, like Paul’s example regarding two different marriage partners in the first half of Romans 7.
So, that said, I’m convinced that we are free in Christ to live radically transformed lives that flow out of gratitude and love rather than out of manipulation and control. I’m also convinced that it is important to believe in the possibility of the impossible in Christ, to believe in Christ’s authority, and to believe in the importance of prayer and walking in relationship with our Heavenly Father.
And in light of that, I’m surprised how difficult it is… not from the relationship with God point of view, that’s a joy, but regarding all the other people who are not as committed to Christ who attempt (either intentionally or unintentionally) to pull one away into expressions that do not flow out of Christ, expressions that do not embrace risk and trust in Christ, etc.
As an aside, I’ve found this book quite encouraging. There really is so much to learn on this topic from so many sources. If anyone knows of more, I’d love to know of them.