Re: Entitlement

[Trevor Mattiske]

Rob wrote:
The wonder of the gospel is that this is actually good news as it sets us free from ourselves for communion with God, other people and creation. God transforms us, not because we are entitled, but when we are not entitled.

Ann wrote:
The problem for those of us who recognise that prosperity theology is not the Gospel is that we often preach a message not very different, by encouraging a sense of self-worth, but not balancing it with concepts of discipleship, self-giving love, taking up our cross, etc.

Trevor responds:
Jumping ahead a couple of steps in the thinking process, these responses suggest that (IMO) the real problem confronting the Body of Christ is not the pews full of greying heads, nor the arguments about gay clergy, ministry of women etc etc.

ISTM that the real problem for the Church is how to present a believable message which is the complete reverse of the culture of the day. How does the Church present messages like "take up your cross and follow me" or "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die" to a society which is bombarded from all directions by messages of self-fulfillment, a society which is being filled with expectations of entitlement? How does an apparently weakening Church swim against such a tide, a tide powered by the major political and commercial forces in society, a tide which is constantly reinforced by a compliant (and self-interested) media?

For me, a depressing thing about most recent election campaigns has been the sameness of the messages from all sides, namely "Have we got a deal for you", with the emphasis on the "you". Somewhere in all that election rhetoric, was there a vision of a better Australia, a fairer Australia, a more compassionate Australia, an Australian community? Did I miss something in the 15 second sound bites?

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