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Faithful Presence vs. Privatized Faith
Lastly, we must reject the privatization that secularism aims to relegate the Church to and instead pursue what James Davison Hunter calls “faithful presence.” Such a presence in our community looks like intentionally building relationships with those outside the faith and leveraging our spheres of influence to engage in thoughtful conversation around ultimate matters.
Secularism desires to silence Christians in public discourse. But as Michael Goheen says, “Some vision of truth will shape the public square. And if the gospel is true, then the truth, justice, and freedom of God’s Word should most faithfully correspond with reality and may find a response in the hearts of those who do not believe the gospel.” The gospel is public truth and is meant to be spoken in the public square.
A faithful Christian presence in our communities then calls for faithful public witness. This must be done thoughtfully and wisely. We should speak up when the opportunity presents itself in a humble and loving way. Christian leaders will need to provide robust theological, philosophical, and apologetic training to give believers confidence to engage thoughtfully in a non-combative way. Rather than being satisfied when our Church buildings are filled with consumeristic and private Christians, we must make disciples who are willing to speak the truth in love. To do this, we’ll need the Spirit-empowered boldness the early church prayed for (Acts 4:23–31).
Faithful presence in the culture is dependent on God’s presence in his gathered people. As we learn to pursue communion with God in potent and powerful ways, as we gather a life-giving biblical community in an attractive counterculture to an atomized and isolated world, and as we embody a faithful missional presence that learns the art of winsome and bold witness, I believe we can have hope that people’s lives—and even our culture—will be transformed by the gospel.
What is one way you can break free from your Christian bubble and live close enough to broken people so they can experience your faith?
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About this Plan
No matter how much content we consume, there’s still something missing in a disembodied and digital world that’s void of relationship and personal presence. The recovery of a vibrant experience of Christian presence is essential to a gospel encounter with our modern culture. What does such a pursuit of presence look like, and how is it a path to engaging those around us?
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