Schaeffer tried urgently to warn Christians in the West (erstwhile Christian societies), that unless Christians (of Schaeffer's generation) would determinedly take a stand against ungodliness in the culture, then, within the (then) coming generation, American society would become "totally secular." Schaeffer very clearly did see the problems that were confronting his generation. Yet, it seems to me, he did not as clearly perceive an answer to his own Question (except, to say that Christians ought to be true Christians).
Schaeffer was not the only one who saw the writing on the wall. A generation before Schaeffer, A.W. Tozer prophesied that a time was (then) soon coming in America, when that true Christians would leave the mainstream churches and, somehow, "build a new ark to ride out the storm." I would say that, perhaps, Tozer saw even more clearly than did Schaeffer that a time was soon coming (relative to their own generations) when that Christians were going to need to re-think and re-order their lives, in order to survive as Christians in America. That time has long since come.
Yet, unto this day, by far most Christian leaders appear to be completely blind, with respect to how drastically American society has changed during the past 50 years or so. Far more important, that apparent lack of understanding (or, worse, the lack of concern), on the part of most Christian leaders in America, has left the Church without any answer to Schaeffer's profoundly important Question (above mentioned).
Most Christian leaders, in this present generation in America, are largely disengaged from any real efforts to impact society; most often, because they are disinterested to do so. But that is not the case with leaders of other religions. Muslim leaders, for a notable example, appear to be very much interested and engaged to impact society wheresoever Muslim communities emerge. The photo, below, shows another example: in which several persons who (judging from their attire, they appear to be Buddhist monks) are seated in the front row at a large conference (sponsored by GOOGLE) that was called, "Global Future 2045 Congress, 2013." In that conference (and the video of that, here), Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering for GOOGLE, presented a lecture titled, "Immortality by 2045," in which he discussed ~ in ways I've never heard any church leader approach ~ how that science and technology has now brought us to the precipice of what Kurzweil and others have called the "post-human" era.
In another of his videos, Kurzweil posed the question: "Does God exist?"
"Not yet," he curtly replied to his own question. Meaning, of course, that humanity has not yet "evolved" to possess and demonstrate God-like power over Nature and reality. Nevertheless, he ~ and literally hundreds of thousands (at least) of other, very intelligent and influential people ~ firmly believe that humanity is probably within about a decade or two at the most of arriving at that point which they occultly refer to as the "Singularity." (See, my essay, here.) More than merely speculating about that, however, they are putting their money where their mouth is ~ by pouring Billion$ into research and development aimed at producing super-powerful, so-called "Artilects" (artificial intelligences).
I will continue to write about those developments; which are phenomenally important. But to return to my thesis:
It is high time that we must confront Schaeffer's Question!
Henceforth in this essay and in my writings yet to come (as the Lord may be willing), I will suggest some answers to that all-important Question.
The moral degradation of American society has now reached the point at which, I believe, it behooves Christians urgently to form themselves into communal enclaves (not communes), for the sake of their physical security and spiritual well-being. Of course, it is widely supposed that that is the basic idea and purpose of the local church; although, I am not aware of any local church that actually functions as a true community of Christians ~ at least, not in the sense I am trying to suggest.
A communal enclave, as I mean to portray that, though outwardly it may not appear to be noticeably different from a typical "church," yet its real difference consists in the Covenantal relationship which binds together the members of such a communal enclave. Incidentally, here is a definition of the word enclave:
"A portion of territory within or surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct."Pause, if you will, and allow that definition really to soak in.
That definition is the reason why I chose the particular image which appears at the top of this post. Years ago, I lived in the Mojave Desert in southwestern California. There, was a golf course nestled in the side of the mountains a few miles distant from where I lived. It was very easy to spot that golf course ~ even from more than ten miles away. That golf course appeared as a green island surrounded by an ocean of sand (as in the above image).
Spiritually and culturally, every (local) body of Christ should be like that. Tragically for the cause of Christ and for ourselves, though, it is rarely that way in reality. Practically every church of which I am aware or have been associated with at any time during the past two decades or more, has functioned, or does yet function more like a social club, with some kind of building loosely called a "church" serving as the meeting place for that club's activities. Outside of that, however, the members of such churches have little or no contact with each other. Worse, still, in most cases their 'social club' meetings are tightly structured and programmed from start to finish.
I could go off on a rant about the shortcomings of traditional "churches;" but I won't. Instead, I want to discuss a Plan of Action ~ which I intend as an answer to Schaeffer's Question.
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In a recent article by Matthew Vadum (source, here), he wrote: "Leftist and Democrat outrage is a constant no matter what." In other words ~ and I completely agree with him, nothing is going to change the minds or the conduct of those who are hell-bent. Importantly, that includes not only "Leftists and Democrats." But let me pick up where Vadum left off.
What Vadum did not explicitly state, in that article, is that America is hopelessly divided, and that this nation is already experiencing the early pains of civil war. But because bullets are not (yet) flying, and martial law has not (yet) been declared, therefore, most church leaders are content to maintain the "social club" model. But what are those leaders ~ together with millions of professing Christians ~ going to do, in the event that the Rapture may not occur (as soon as I think it will) and, thus, the situation in America must further progress to its logical ends ~ which is, chaos and destruction?
The very idea (henceforth, Idea), of local churches existing as functional, communal enclaves, could revolutionize every congregation that would seriously consider the meaning and implications of that Idea. Firstly, that Idea raises the (Biblical) principle of Covenant to its rightful preeminence in the Church. None can be in Covenant with other persons, who is not, first, in Covenant with God in Christ.
Such an Idea ~ of each local congregation being an enclave of Christian persons who are bound together in Covenantal relationship, yet, who live as Christians amongst their respective, secular neighborhoods ~ such an Idea as that, I say, should have the effect to help to purify the Church. If Christians would actually think of themselves (in the context of an enclave) as being like that lush, green golf course ~ albeit surrounded by an ocean of parched sand; if Christians would understand that such a characterization is neither imaginary nor unreal; if Christians would believe that there is strength to be obtained by binding themselves together in Covenant with the Lord: then, a much needed change would begin to occur. Who knows? Such change might even open the door for real Revival....
So much for this introductory essay. In part 2, I will pick up the Idea of "enclave," and discuss that against the background of the history of two cities, namely, Goshen, and Sodom.
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