Reserved parking spaces for hybrid cars, tables and chairs made from recycled milk and detergent containers, and vegetative green roofs – these are a few of the 20 features that McDonald’s has conjured up to attract the eco-concious population (see Korea Times Article).
On top of that, today’s McDonald menu is vastly different from its menu 20 years ago.
Why are they changing? What’s motivating them? Is it working?
One word – culture.
It’s all about culture.
For example, 20 years ago, were large companies really concered about their carbon footprint? Of course not! And that’s why we never heard much about carbon footprints back then. It just wasn’t a concern to the wider culture. However, what about today? Don’t you find that it’s hard to come across many companies that aren’t “going green?”
So why does this issue matter?
Well, if Christians are to really be genuine and not hypocritical, then that means that sharing the good news of Christ is essential. The amazing thing is that the good news of Christ is timeless, whereas the method of sharing it isn’t.
And that’s exactly it. Culture changes! Therefore, the method of sharing the good news of Christ must change as well.
Yesterday, my wife and I finally found a place to live in Korea. After 3 days of searching, and many hours of mediocre places, we finally found a place that’s perfect for us. We have a large living room, so we can have people over to entertain them (since the apartments are so small in Korea, it’s very uncommon to have people over), and we even have a second bedroom, so that we can house visitors. And the location? It’s right in the center of the international community in Seoul.
As a pastor, it’s really easy to hide in the church. There is always an endless amount of work to do, and a countless number of Christians that need discipleship. As a result, there is always the danger that pastors will live in a “Christian bubble,” lose touch with the culture, and become hypocrites. In other words, the danger is that pastors will stop sharing the good news of Christ with those who don’t know it and desperately need it.
My prayer is that I would never become that kind of pastor. Perhaps that’s why God blessed us with such an amazing place in the center of the international community in Seoul? We’re definitely not going to be hard pressed to find people in our neighborhood who need the hope of Christ.
Our prayer (my wife and I) is that we can be like a shining city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5). A city on a hill that is so bright, that it dispells the darkness surrounding it. (Isn’t it ironic how our apartment is actually on a hill?)
