Monuments in the Marketplace

In the book Cultures in Conflict, Ray Vander Laan noted that the agora was the place where people came to share ideas and goods. Vander Laan also noted the extensive presence of monuments and temples that populated the cities of Greece and Rome.  He further noted that we “are much more concerned about the honor due us and how we can receive greater honor than we are about honoring people around us or honoring God.“. What are some of the monuments and temples that populate our cities? What are some of the monuments that populate our homes?  What do these monuments reveal about us and what do they reveal about our relationship to God?  Would those who know us best agree with our assessments?

 In years past, the beauty shop and the barbershop were often pejoratively known as the ‘unregulated marketplace of ideas.’  Others might simply call these places ‘galleries of gossip.’ However, in modern times, the ideas seem to occur digitally through Internet forums in which the ideas are not only unregulated, they are often manipulated through subtle, yet sophisticated ways. If prior conversations were thought to be mere “echo chambers” in which we engaged with people who shared our preferences and biases, could it be that contemporary conversations are carefully designed mazes in which we are the laboratory mice?

 Most would agree that the culture is changing. Most would not agree whether the change is good or bad. Vander Laan posits a simple, yet provocative question, ‘When you find yourself in a new and different situation or environment, how do you go about discovering the “story” of that culture and its people’? We are praying that as you read this book, study the Bible, participate in worship services and attend small group meetings, you will help others as they wrestle with these questions and we pray that you will invite others to probe the temples that you visit and the idols that you erect.  

 We are looking forward to seeing you in worship, in small groups, in Vacation Bible School, around the church and in the community. 

In Christ,
Jon McCoy