What is the idol in the Inner West of Sydney?
Every culture has idols. Every culture has things it places above God and worships. And these idols present a twin challenge to a Christian seeking to bless and witness in a particular place. On the one hand they can function as a barrier ensnaring those who don’t follow Jesus to a particular way of life; if you are addicted to acquiring status via accumulating ‘cool’ goods, you will not be able to welcome Jesus or his message. But secondly it presents a direct challenge to Christians. The prevalence of an idol can mean that a Christian immersed in a culture immersed in an idol can themselves be tempted to fall victim to that idol.
Now of course all idols are wrong, and all idols present an empty way of life, and so all Christians everywhere will face these twin challenges to some extent.
But some idols are less empty than others.
Let me explain.
Some years ago I watched a Dr Phil episode (embarrassing to admit) featuring two engaged couples who were struggling because the men in the relationships were so consumed by pursuits outside work. In both cases the men were inappropriately consumed for someone hoping to be married, but their pursuits were very different in quality. One was an obsessive Dallas Cowboys fan; the other a coach in an evening basketball tournament designed to give teenagers an alternative to wandering the streets at night. Both had an ‘idol’, but one ‘idol’ was better than the other.
Which brings us to the Inner West of Sydney.
Here
it is Ok if you are not especially connected
it’s Ok is you are not especially wealthy
it’s Ok if you don’t have absolute physical beauty
It’s Ok if your not into sport
It’s Ok if your not in a family
It’s Ok if your not powerful
But God help you if you’re boring. God help you if you’re not living an interesting and meaningful life
Of course you don’t have to be completely interesting, that would start to look predictable. So for example I can offset the fact that I like commercial television with the fact that I live above a shop. Or I can balance the fact that I don’t mind McDonalds (notice I couldn’t quite admit to liking it) with the fact that I know what a piccolo latte is, and hang out at Coffee Alchemy more than I should.
Clearly I am tempted by this idol, but why is it ‘less empty’?
Because we go beyond what is seen to what is unseen, we admit there is more to life than survival, more to life than possessions, we all believe that work should contribute and not just pay, and you are welcome here no matter where in the world you come from – as long as you are interesting.
Most folk here are living their salvation, and have a hard time seeing why they need another one. And we Christians know they are wrong, but have a hard time feeling it. After all we love the same things they love. The solution is not, I think, to start drinking International Roast, we should continue to welcome the good things that come with interesting people – it is relatively easier to build friendships for one. No, I don’t think we need to stop loving our part of the city, but we do need to love Jesus more, much more – and we can still live lives that look different from those around us even if it is perhaps more difficult to do so.
[...] take it that those of us who follow Jesus will be with our culture on the first part, but distinct on the second. We will delight that our nation has been blessed with wealth to share, and can [...]