Proclamation and Presence

When we look at the story of Jesus, we see a fully integrated description of both proclamation and presence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus embodied God's reign of righteousness-justice, and his words and deeds were an inseparable representation of God's Kingdom. Jesus was fully present amidst the brokenness and lostness of our world, and he brought justice and restoration. Jesus proclaimed the worldview of the Kingdom of God as true reality, and he did so without apology.

As the church in the western hemisphere turned out to embrace a more Greek worldview, Jesus' model of holistic ministry was dissected. Debates between liberal and conservative Christians reinforced this split. More liberal Christians took it upon themselves to embrace works of justice for the physical world around them. More conservative Christians were concerned with the soul and the eternal outcomes of savlation and judgement. Jesus appears to cares for both of these things somewhat seemlessly.

Proclamation was the primary ministry of conservative Christians during the Modern era. At their best, they communicated the Gospel as truth with precision and reason. Unfortunately, proclamation of the Gospel too often stopped short of presence. Preaching, on-the-spot conversions, and church growth outcomes blotted out authentic community, transformation, justice, and ongoing discipleship. Proclamation outweighed presence.

Post-modernism is just that -- "Post." It is a shift away from the worldview of the modern era. It is likely that many young post-modern Christians will follow this shift from one side to the other as part of the "post" phenomenon. Many good things are being embraced -- relationships, community, authenticity, and justice. However, without proclamation of the Good News, this

shift will still fall desperately short. But no less so than previous generations.

The nature of the Kingdom of God and the ongoing ministry of Jesus (through His people) is to be holistic. God's people proclaim Jesus while demonstrating, through their presence, the works of His Kingdom. It is my prayer that during this time of cultural change and upheaval in the church, Jesus' followers can again embrace a holistic practice of the Christian faith that is modeled on Jesus.