The Reformed Faith and Starbucks



Rick Warren will soon be on Starbucks coffee cups!

"As for the Sudan, I completely agree with you that we haven't had to go to the firing line for our faith lately. What should we do about that?" - Charles

This comment is only the latest to spur me on towards thinking about how American/Western Christians deal with the differences of life experience compared to African Christians. My struggle: getting whole milk instead of skim milk in my extra-grande-cupalicious-mocha-frappucinno-light. Their struggle: getting shot in the head while taking care of children. Does anyone else see a disconnect? Didn't Jesus say we would encounter persecution for our faith? Is Starbucks really the agent of that persecution? I doubt it.

So the question becomes "What do we do about it as good evangelicals in this situation?" I think the obvious answer which keeps coming up in most circles is to become a missionary so that you get shot in the head. The down side to this is that not many people really want (feel called?) to this from America, so instead we just feel guilty about going to Starbucks or whatever other Christian/Capitalist venture we support. I think both these solutions are really Satanic tricks to be honest and I have been struggling to find a good alternative that fits with God's personal call on my life (and others by extension) and the overall Biblical message of cosmic redemption. So this will be a short exposition on some conclusions I have come to and maybe a practical application or two. Yeah right.

I think the main problem in the West which leads into this mission/guilt complex is that we don't correctly understand our situation in the world. For some reason we (I) think that the West is as Jesus as it is going to get and this produces the uncomfortable position of not wanting to go on to something else (like Africa, which doesn't have Crispy Creme or Jesus). But this is absolutely false! I think in many ways American (and the West) is in worse shape as compared to Africa on the kingdom of God front. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that marytrs in Africa should be happy to be there as opposed to being stuck in a stipmall, but what I am saying is that Christianity and everything else is clear cut in Africa in many ways it is not in America, or at least this is what I hear from missionaries who have worked there. And that is what I think the majority of evangelican Christians in America are probably called to: get America to love Jesus. Seriously! I am not going to cart out the "back in the good old days" slogan appealing to Leave It to Beaver or any other sureal impression of America; that is not necessary. One only has to look around and think about our culture and it is immeadiately obvious that Jesus is not done with us yet so we shouldn't be resting on our laurels.

What then should America look like? Let me quote a bit from Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch prime minister who made a valiant effort at bringing a Western country under Christ:

"One desire has been the ruling passion of my life. One high motive has acted like a spur upon my mind and soul. And sooner than that I should seek escape from the sacred necessity that is laid upon me, let the breath of life fail me. It is this: That in spite of all worldly opposition, God's holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God."

Wow. Just re-read that passage about his driving goal and passion in life. Amazing. It is the "pseudo-Christian" attitude of seperation of Church and everything which has gotten us into so much trouble in the States, I think. We evangelicals have been afraid to stand up for the "holy ordinances" of Christ and have settled for more meager results. But that is not the vision of the Scriptures nor is it the vision of the Reformed Faith which finds a creed in another one of Kuyper's statements:

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

The Reformed Tradition, especially as seen through Kuyper, Dooyeweerd, and Van Til, gives us the necessary tools with which to make this nation and world God's kingdom. In this all embracing view there is no seperate space for anything but the Lordship of Christ. This whole progamme rests on the foundational principle that life and everything in it is not for man but for God alone. Listen to Cornelius Van Til:

"It is the Bible alone that speaks of such a God. And the Bible speaks of his absolute authority. This God always speaks with authority. This God of the Bible, who speaks authoritatively through his Word, is the presupposition of the intelligibility of human experience. He is recognixed in the Reformed Faith as the final reference point for all human predication. In this respect the Reformed Faith really stands squarely opposed to all forms of non-Christian thinking. Non-Christian thinking takes man as the final reference point in predication. It places man where the Reformed Faith recognizes God."

Now I am well aware that these all embracing claims will sound quite outdated and outlandish to "postmodern" ears which hate anything that smacks of totality, but I really think we need to get over the metanarrative phobia. The insight of recent philosophy is important and crucial to tear down man made structures of thought and imperialism; but if those places are not filled with the Sovereign God's imperialistic vision of the kingdom of God, we are really left with nothing but a jumbled mess. So I acknowledge the need to be careful with totalitarian language while at the same time being willing to concede that the Covenant LORD might actually have an overall plan which He is working in redemption history with us as key players in the effort.

So the question becomes: "What does this Reformed position look like on the ground?" Due to length of article I will have to leave some implications I have come up with until next post (particularly in what I see my calling to be: education. The "Christ in Math class" will be addressed!), which is good because I think this total vision of Christ's Lordship over all needs to seep into our Western minds. But as one quick implication, I think it means we need to read our Bibles (especially the OT) while sipping on our extra-mocha-grande-cupalicious-frappucinno with skim or whole milk.