Asking the Right Questions

I just finished leading a short class on the meaning of conversion in the Methodist tradition. One of the participants in the group had a very wise observation. He noted that many people in our current culture have no concept of a need for turning from something to something else. Many people, he observed, basically say, "Why should I turn to Jesus? My life is fine." Especially in affluent America, this is probably more true than Jesus-followers care to recognize.
People aren't asking about conversion.

As I view myself, other church leaders, and churches in general, it seems that often we try to address this cultural disinterest by trying to market Jesus as the answer to questions people are already asking. These questions might include, "How can I be successful?" or "How can I get what I want in life?" or "How do I get people to like me?" I've seen churches and Christian groups organize their presentation of Jesus around marriage issues, family relationships, business acumen, physical health, financial management, and a host of other issues. Well and good...

I wonder if our greater mission, though, is not just to answer the questions that the secular world encourages us all to ask, but to challenge the presumptions of those very questions themselves. Maybe Jesus came not to answer existing questions, but to invite us to challenge the world view that evoked the questions in the first place. The noted spiritual writer, Richard J. Foster wrote about the Desert Fathers. Of them, he writes, "Their world asked, 'How can I get more?' The Desert Fathers asked, 'What can I do without?' Their world asked, 'How can I find myself?' The Desert Fathers asked, 'How can I lose myself?' Their world asked, 'How can I win friends and influence people?' The Desert Fathers asked, 'How can I love God?'"
(Richard J. Foster in Freedom of Simplicity)

Just a thought...maybe it's not just about answering the world's questions, but helping the world to ask the right questions. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.