Many sincere and dedicated Christians point to the path of relevance as a means for enjoying a post-Christian witness. They want to explore new ways of doing church—ways that focus on seekers’ needs, which appeal to today’s entertainment-saturated audiences, and don’t make church difficult. Philip Ryken, however, sees danger ahead. Rather than confronting the relativistic and narcissistic mindset of our world, this way may very well accommodate it.
In City on a Hill, Ryken asserts that the church needs to walk a different path—a biblical path which leads to exalting God and him alone by:
When the church does what it was called to do, it will give the world what it needs most—the life-giving message that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord.
“For the honor of Jesus Christ, a twenty-first century church needs to develop and maintain a strong teaching pulpit, an effective network of fellowship groups aimed at meeting individual needs, a program of Christian education to promote the steady growth of God’s family to spiritual maturity, and, in cooperation with other Christians, an evangelistic outreach to the local community and to the world beyond.” (Page 33)
“What we should do instead is live in the present, learn from the past, and anticipate the future, while always looking to the Bible.” (Page 23)
“ these post-Christian times are characterized by relativism and narcissism” (Page 18)
“However, as Christians it is not our responsibility to save our culture, if indeed it ought to be saved.” (Page 20)
“The only church that will survive in post-Christian times is a church with a passion for God’s Word” (Page 25)