Over the past few months, this question has been on the forefront of my mind and there is a big difference between the two. If the bible merely exists for permission purposes, then it is left to man to define and plan family, life, church, and Kingdom ministries on his own and then come to the bible to see if the bible permits such a definition or plan. However, if the bible exists for direction purposes, then the bible defines and plans family, life, church, and Kingdom ministries and man's job is to go to the bible to find definitions, plans, and methodologies and execute them. The former is pragmatic driven Christianity, the latter is theologically driven. I fall into the latter camp. The former always ends up man centered and the latter Christ centered. The former cannot be sustained because man can't sustain anything good on his own, but the latter is sustainable because it is out of the Word of God and the Word of God will never fade away. In my lifetime, pragmatism has given the church world the seeker sensitive movement among churches and now the emerging churches. Like the former, the latter is destined to fade away.
My camp often gets a bad wrap. Do I want methodology that works? Yes. But do I want the methodology for family, church, and life to be written by God? Yes! Do I support contextualization? Absolutely, but only to the point that it does not compromise in any way the Word of God.
My fear is that the majority of the evangelical world has fully embraced pragmatism and the bible has become merely the final gate to run before take off instead of the well spring of life.
I pray for more Christians, pastors, and church planters who will go to the bible for direction and not merely permission.
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