Knowing Our Century: Part 2

Anymore, it really isn't enough to know our century. It's more like: "Do we know our decade?" I graduated from high school a mere decade and half ago. What worked in youth ministry in my day is met with looks of "Oh, please!" now.

A fellow blogger left this comment on the previous post: "One of my rules for living is 'When form supersedes function, we have lost our purpose.'"

A couple years ago, I went to the Servant Evangelism Conference in Cincinnati hosted by Steve Sjogren. In the early 80s, Sjogren was a missionary to Norway. We was struck one day when the Salvation Army band came marching down the street playing a tune. No one even bothered to look up as they did their duty to God.

In the late 1800s, the Salvation Army found it useful to send a band down the street. People would be curious and follow the band. When people gathered they would share the Gospel with them. That was a fantastic idea, in the late 1800s. No one paid attention any more. The form had outlived its usefulness.

I have been saying for years that there will never be another Billy Graham. Not because Graham was so special, but because his form of evangelism will no longer work.

Do we know our century? Do we know our decade?