TALKING AT PEOPLE TO TALKING WITH PEOPLE

Current culture elevates the voice of the individual more than previous generations have. For instance, the way we watch television has changed. Before, we would sit and watch the program. Now, we watch the program and ‘text’ in a vote which influences the direction of the show. The shift away from being ‘told’ what is good and entertaining, is shifting toward each of us having a voice in that conversation. We get to decide who the next singing sensation will be and which dancer is the most graceful. For years the Church has stood up and told people what the Word of God is and what it means and cared very little of what the gathered community of faith had to say on the matter. The Church needs to be “conversation-al” rather than “dictation-al”. We need to move out of our pulpits and down from our stages and invite people into conversation about the Living God. Just as few people want to live under a monarchy, we need to stop treating the Bible and the message of Christ as though we “church people” are the monarchy of the Word telling people what it means and how to live. Rather, to become a cultural architect is to acknowledge the value of every person and engage everyone in a conversation, because each person matters – not just the monarch.