作者：Tim Keller 譯者：駱鴻銘
在君士坦丁大帝之前，早期基督徒因為過於排外、狹隘、怪異而受到極大的迫害，然而與此同時，他們的人數也快速增長，尤其是在許多城市的中心（參見，如Alan
Kreider在 The Patient Ferment of the Early Church一書中所寫的「教會不大可能的增長」一章）。Early Christians before Constantine were highly
persecuted for being too exclusive, narrow, and strange, and yet at the same
time they were fast growing, especially in the urban centers. (See, for
example, Alan Kreider’s chapter “The Improbable Growth of the Church” in The
Patient Ferment of the Early Church.)
一直以來，這種現象被人稱為是基督教與羅馬社會的有效「宣教接觸」（missionary encounter）。當中既有冒犯人的地方，也有吸引人的地方，有對抗，也有說服。基督信仰並沒有為了獲得更多的信徒而去適應文化，但是它也沒有與世隔絕，一直保持只是少數人的信仰。基督信仰挑戰並批評文化，而信徒也為此受苦——然而這個信仰也讓許多人信服，每天吸引更多的人成為信徒。This has been called an effective “missionary
encounter” with Roman society. There was both offense and attraction, confrontation
and persuasion. Christianity didn’t adapt to culture in order to gain more
adherents, but neither did it remain a small, withdrawn band. Christianity
confronted and critiqued the culture, and believers suffered for it—yet the
faith also convinced many, attracting growing numbers of converts daily.
我們可以學到什麼？What Can We Learn?
很明顯，在西方社會裏，基督徒也被視為過於排外、狹隘，他們也很快被排除在許多政府、學術和大公司的工作之外，在許多方面都在社會裏被邊緣化。It’s obvious in Western societies that
Christians are again seen as too exclusive and narrow, and that they too may
soon be excluded from many government, academic, and corporate jobs, and be
socially marginalized in various other ways.
我們從早期教會可以學到什麼，好叫我們可以擁有自己的有效宣教接觸呢？What can we learn from the early church so
that we can have our own effective missionary encounter?
首先，我們必須避免這種想法，以為忠心的見證一定會帶來要麼是快速、爆炸性的成長（只要我們正確地掌握到了教會牧養的公式的話），要麼是長期的衰頹，不結果子，缺乏影響力。彼得前書二章11～12節給了我們一個簡短的原始宣教動態的總結。它用一個句子告訴我們，在教會外有一些人控告他們、迫害他們，而其他人看見他們的好行為就把榮耀歸給上帝。First, we must avoid thinking that faithful
witness will mean either fast, explosive growth (if we get the ministry formula
just right) or long-term dwindling with little fruit or impact. First Peter
2:11–12 gives us a brief summary of the original missionary dynamic when it
tells us, in one sentence, that some outside the church accused and persecuted
them, while others saw their good deeds and glorified God.
其次，我們必須避免同化或僵化。的確有些人會為了吸引群眾而淡化基督信仰比較冒犯人、對人有所要求的那一面。也有些人會堅持說，任何努力想要調整我們對福音信息的解說，以適應文化中一些特定的錯誤和渴望，都是錯誤的。然而，尼撒的貴格利在他的《偉大的教理問答》（Great Catechism）書中的前言裏，堅持說他無法靠同一些論證來同時贏得一個多神論者和一個猶太人。在不同的情況下，你都必須對福音作不同的闡釋。我們也必須如此。Second, we must avoid either assimilation or
rigidity. There are indeed those who, in order to draw thousands, play down the
more offensive and demanding aspects of Christianity. There are also those who
insist that any effort at all to adapt our evangelistic presentations to
particular cultural mistakes and aspirations is wrong. Yet Gregory of Nyssa, in
the prologue to his Great Catechism, insisted that you couldn’t win a
polytheist and a Jew by the same arguments. You must frame your exposition of
the gospel differently in each case. So must we.
以下是我們的宣教接觸必須包含的五件事。Here are five things our missionary encounter
might contain.
1. 面對公眾的護教方法，同時兼顧上層和街頭。1.
A public apologetic, both high-level and street-level.
早期教會開展出一種有效的公眾護教學方法（例如：殉道者游斯丁，特土良，俄利根，《致丟格那妥書》的作者[姓名不詳]，以及奧古斯丁）。我們不能僅僅給人一種純理性的辯護，也要能對文化說話。奧古斯丁發展出一種批判異教文化的「高派理論」（High Theory）。他為基督徒看似排外的信念辯護，例如：「我們的信念和生活，絕對不會瓦解社會結構，反而會鞏固。誠然，倘若你們繼續維持你們的多神論信仰，就不會擁有你們所想要的社會。」The early church developed effective public
apologetics (e.g., Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, the author of the Epistle
to Diognetus, and Augustine). We must not present a purely rational apologetic,
but also a cultural one. Augustine developed a “High Theory” critique of pagan
culture. He defended the exclusive-looking beliefs of Christians like this:
“Our beliefs and lives do not in any way weaken the social fabric—rather they
strengthen them. Indeed, you will never have the society you want if you
maintain your polytheism.”
不過，除了高層次的批判理論外，也必須有街頭層次的護教方法。我們必須說明世俗文化對意義、滿足、自由、身份認同所作的主要承諾是無法得到滿足的。我們需要許許多多「紀傳體的（memoir）」護教方法——考慮周詳的、容易明白的、各式各樣遇見基督而生命被福音改變的人的故事。我們也需要許多簡明易懂的書籍，展示基督徒對性的看法的「深層邏輯」。最後，在一個後基督教社會裏的公眾護教方法，必須為教會在過去和現在的失敗，公開地悔改。But besides high-level critical theory, there
must also be street-level apologetics. We need to show how the main promises
secular culture makes regarding meaning, satisfaction, freedom, and identity
can’t be fulfilled. We need an explosion of “memoir” apologetics—thoughtful,
accessible, and wildly diverse stories of people who encountered Christ and had
their lives changed by the gospel. We also need a host of accessible books
putting forth the “deep logic” of Christian sexuality. Finally, public
apologetics in a post-Christian society will have to include public repentance
for the failures of the church in the past and present.
2. 反抗主流文化2. A counterculture.
和早期教會一樣，我們必須成為另一種具有以下特徵的社會：Like the early church, we should be an
alternate society with several characteristics:
a. 我們的標誌應當是令人驚艷的多種族（multi-ethnicity）社會。基督信仰在這世上無疑是種族最多元和文化最多元的信仰。對基督信仰來說，這個因素證明基督信仰是非常值得信賴的。不過，西方教會往往不注重種族多元性。教會會的公開發言人必須盡可能從不同的族群裏選出。We should be marked by a striking
multi-ethnicity. Christianity is far and away the most ethnically and
culturally diverse religion in the world. This is an enormous credibility
factor for Christianity. Yet the Western church often doesn’t look multi-ethnic
to its culture. The public spokespersons for the church should be from as many
different racial groups as possible.
b. 我們在文明禮貌（civility）上必須是時代先鋒，和反對我們的人建立起橋樑。最早期的基督徒受到最惡毒的迫害，並且遭人殺害，但是教會卻實踐饒恕、不求報復。在西方，基督徒目前並未遭受這樣的待遇，然而許多人卻以同樣輕蔑的語氣和攻擊來回應甚至只是口頭的批評。基督徒應該成為和平使者，而不是不斷奚落批評我們的人，「坐褻慢人的座位」（詩一1）We
should be pioneers in civility, in building bridges to those who oppose us. The
earliest Christians were viciously persecuted and put to death, but the church
practiced forgiveness and non-retaliation. Nowhere in the West are Christians
facing this, yet many respond to even verbal criticism with like-toned disdain
and attacks. Christians should be peacemakers instead of pouring scorn on our
critics and “sitting in the seat of mockers” (Ps. 1:1).
c. 我們應當以慷慨、照顧窮乏人、致力於社會公義而著稱。教會應當成為著名的努力照顧窮乏人和社會邊緣群體的主要機構，為窮人和社會邊緣人的利益向政府和商業活動發聲。We should be famous for our generosity, care
for the poor, and commitment to justice in society. The church should be well
known as the main institution working to organize poor and marginal communities
to advocate for their own interests with government and business.
d. 我們應當致力於生活的聖潔，成為當代性文化的反對者。今日的教會不僅要在自己人當中維持傳統的性倫理，更要學習如何評論社會的一些虛假故事，因為這些故事構成了我們社會對性的做法和觀點的基礎。We should be committed to the sanctity of
life, and to being a sexual counterculture. The church today must not merely
maintain the traditional sex ethic among its own people, but it must learn to
critique the false cultural narratives underlying our society’s practice and
view of sex.
3. 在各種行業中「忠心的在場」3. Faithful presence within the vocations.
今日教會必須用召命（vocation）的教義來裝備基督徒，使他們的信仰和他們的工作整合在一起。在各種職場範圍內，這個「忠心的在場」（faithful presence）會帶來資本主義的改革（藉著自我管理來恢復金融市場的信賴感），帶來政治的改革（不只是要恢復中道路線，更要恢復兩黨的合作），帶來學術、媒體、藝術、科技的改革。（要更深入了解什麼是「忠心的在場」，請參見James Davison Hunter的書： To Change the World 和與這本書對話的TGC’s
eBook）。Today’s church must equip Christians with a
doctrine of vocation to integrate their faith with their work. This “faithful
presence” within vocational fields would help lead, among other things, to a
reformation of capitalism (restoring trust to the financial markets through
self-regulation), to a reformation of politics (restoring not just centrism but
bipartisanship), and to a reformation of the academy, the media, the arts, and
technology. (To better understand “faithful presence,” see James Davison
Hunter’s To Change the World and TGC’s eBook interacting with it.)
4. 福音派立場和取向4.
An evangelistic stance and approach.
沒有任何一個福音派的陳述可以順應每種文化，因為向每個文化，我們都必須以一種簡明易懂的方式向他們傳達罪和救恩的基本道理。福音是藉著「顛覆式的滿足」（subversive fulfillment）來和其他宗教與世界觀建立關係的——換句話說，世界採納的是一種能滿足他們的、扭曲和偶像崇拜的手段，來滿足他們的渴望。而福音則是藉著駁斥這些手段，來滿足該文化最深層的渴望。There’s no evangelistic presentation that
perfectly fits every culture, since every culture needs the basics of sin and
salvation to be communicated in a comprehensible way. The gospel relates to
other religions and worldviews by means of “subversive fulfillment”—that is,
the gospel fulfills culture’s deepest aspirations, but only by contradicting
the distorted and idolatrous means the world adopts to satisfy them.
今日的教會必須發掘各種向我們文化及文化的各種亞族群呈現福音的方式，不只是透過宣講，更要藉著每個基督徒學習如何在他們生活的各行各業裏，公開見證他們的信仰。（要更深入瞭解早期教會如何傳福音，參見Michael Green的書：Evangelism
in the Early Church和 Evangelism through the Local Church，來思考今天可能的做法。Today’s church must discover various ways to
present the gospel to our culture and its various subgroupings, not merely
through preaching but through every Christian learning to be public about their
faith in their walks of life. (To better understand how the early church did
evangelism, see Michael Green’s Evangelism in the Early Church and Evangelism
through the Local Church to consider what’s possible today.)
5. 在數位世代塑造基督徒靈命5. Christian formation in a digital age.
早期教會在一個異教文化中塑造人成為生氣勃勃的基督徒。它的成員對金錢、性，和許多方面的優先順序，有著非常不同的見解。Alan Kreider指出，早期基督徒是藉著將近三年的教理問答訓練（catechetical training），藉著他們社群和人際關係的力量，也藉著豐富多彩的崇拜來達成這樣的特殊性。The early church formed people into vibrant
Christians in the midst of a pagan culture. Its members had sharply different
priorities concerning money and sex, and in many other regards. Alan Kreider
points out that early Christians achieved this distinctiveness through up to
three years of catechetical training, through the strength of their community
and relationships, and through rich worship.
今天的教會也面對同樣的挑戰。在一個世俗文化及其講述的故事當中（例如：「你必須忠於自己的感覺」，「你必須作讓你感到快樂的事」，「沒有人有權利告訴其他人該如何生活」），我們如何用聖經講述的故事來造就基督徒呢？我們也面對和過去不同的事：通訊科技。在一個數位時代，一個人每天可以吸收成千上百的字眼和觀念，會侵蝕在面對面的互動中好不容易建立起來的基礎。在這種處境下，我們如何塑造人成為獨特的基督徒呢？The church in our day faces the same
challenge. In the midst of a secular culture with its narratives (e.g., “you
have to be true to yourself,” “you have to do what makes you happy,” “no one
has the right to tell anyone else how to live”), how do we form Christians
shaped more by the biblical narrative? But we also face something different:
communication technology. In a digital era, a person can daily absorb thousands
of words and hundreds of ideas that can undermine the power of what happens in
face-to-face interaction. In this situation, how do we form people who are
distinctly Christian?
這必然至少要包括：(a) 新的要理問答工具，介紹基督教真理的基本要道，作為對現代文化晚期故事的一種直接對比（例如：「你們聽見有話說——但是我告訴你們」；(b) 結合古代崇拜禮儀和當代文化形式的崇拜；(c) 善用藝術，用眾多故事來講述基督信仰唯一的故事。 (d) 牧師和平信徒領袖的神學訓練，以帶領這類靈命塑造的實踐。（關於基督徒靈命塑造的資料，參見James K. A. Smith的You Are What You Love，以及他的文化崇拜禮儀系列，以及New
City Catechism）。This will entail, at least: (a) new tools of
catechesis formed to present all the basics of Christian truth as a direct
contrast to the narratives of late-modern culture (e.g., “You have heard it
said—but I say unto you”); (b) worship that combines ancient patterns of
liturgy with cultural forms; (c) great use of the arts to tell the Christian
story in stories; and (d) theological training of both ministers and lay
leaders to conduct these kinds of formative practices. (For information on
Christian formation see: James K. A. Smith’s You Are What You Love and his
cultural liturgies series, as well as the New City Catechism.)