One More Thing…
The Seven Principles of Christian Nonconformity
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12.2, CSB
“I sometimes fear that we have so redefined conversion in terms of human decisions and have so removed any necessity of the experience of God’s Spirit, that many people think they are saved when in fact they only have Christian ideas in their head, not spiritual power in their heart.” – John Piper
Dear Church,
It could be that for us in the Anabaptist-Mennonite family of the Christian movement, conversion has become the hardest point of nonconformity for us to accept. Historic, “crusade” approaches to evangelism and conversion across the Swiss German Mennonite community as defined by evangelists like George R. Brunk II and the Brunk Brother Revival Campaigns have cast a firm point of view that shapes, for better or for worse, the contemporary Mennonite understanding of evangelism and conversion. In the main, many Mennonites express some degree of warmth at experiencing the invitation to live in the gospel from the environment of a tent revival, while just as many, maybe more, perhaps look back on such an experience as controlling and manipulative.
The challenge of Christian conversion is to recognize that it is not a once and done experience. Billy Graham, the greatest English-speaking evangelist of the 20th century said, “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” Conversion is a starting point for the journey together with Jesus. It is the fulcrum of the Jesus Way. Conversion is the nonconformist launching pad that sends us to the scriptures and calls us into community so that we can become disciples. Conversion is the starting point that leads us to reconciliation and the cross so that we live a life of active faithfulness. Conversion is the nonconforming way of transformation. As A.W. Tozer said, “If your Christian conversion did not reverse the direction of your life, if it did not transform it, then you are not converted at all. You are simply a victim of the ‘Accept Jesus’ heresy.’”
Conversion is not an ideological acknowledgement of a few theological propositions. Conversion is a way of life that leads us to a spirituality of discipleship and fuels are activism in the gospel.
So, let’s go, church (and be converted)
Pastor Jeff
jeff@bgmc.net
P.S. Well, the time has come for another trip to the West Coast. I’ll be at the A&N Diner on Monday, February 10 (7:30am-8:45am) for conversation. Debbie and I leave for a West Coast trip on Wednesday, February 12, so by all means go have a coffee with someone you love at the Broad Street Grind on Friday, February 14!