The 21st-century church is obsessed with relevance. Trend-chasing, algorithm-friendly, emotionally resonant — many modern expressions of faith bend toward what is palatable rather than what is true.
Relevance is a trap that comes at the cost of distinction. Jesus wasn’t crucified for His relatedness. He was crucified for making bold claims — about Himself and those around Him. He offended religious power and disrupted those who thought they knew Him. His kingdom made the kingdoms of this world jittery.
Making Christ relevant isn’t wrong. But when the gospel is repackaged to sound like a TEDx talk, it loses something. Holiness isn’t marketable. Discipleship isn’t easy. And resurrection power isn’t a bullet point list.
We don’t need to make the gospel relevant. It’s already relevant because it speaks to what it means to be human.
The challenge isn’t updating the gospel. It’s living it.
So maybe the question for 21st-century believers isn’t, "How do we stay relevant? "Maybe it’s, "How do we stay faithful?"
Have you read my testimony?
First published at Substack. Image by Whisk.
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