Hatari: Pragmatism

Pragmatism may be the dominant philosophy of the twenty-first century but it is not a new mentality. In fact it is at least three thousand years old:

According to the psalmist, “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’” (Psalm 4:6). That is, most people want to know who will help them get the things of this world and give them peace of mind. But the psalmist says, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when grain and new wine abound” (Psalm 4:6-7). Nothing in this world can compare with seeing the light of God’s glory in the face of the eternal God-man. (Lundgaard, Through the Looking Glass, pp. 35-36)

Harrison, team leader of iServe Africa, has long warned us that pragmatism is one of the most insidious threats to the Kenyan church. It is more subtle than a blatant prosperity gospel that promises perfect health and wealth if you ‘sow a seed’ (i.e. ‘give to my ministry’). Even where we explicitly teach against the prosperity gospel we can end up making church a place where we come to get a ‘blessing’ and resolution to immediate problems – financial, relational, health. Very easily man is at the centre and Christ only turns up for the altar call.

In the forthcoming Utumishi wa Injili course we want to think through what gospel ministry really means. What exactly is the gospel? Is it a message that, Yesu ata ku-sort, or is it about ‘seeing the light of God’s glory in the face of the eternal God-man’? What would it mean if we really grasped this gospel for ourselves, as churches? What would it mean for ministry to be gospel-driven and gospel-shaped?

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