Praxis: Our Way of Being in the World
Culture in Action
While “praxis” may come last in our thought process and discussion of cultural architecture, it comes first in the perception of those who will observe and experience our culture. We have explored the significance of our story, our world view answers and our symbols, to ensure that our praxis stands on firm, coherent and consistent footing. We do this because the world that watches us reads the entire process in reverse, from practice to meaning.
As is usually the case with the application sections of a sermon, the praxis quadrant of culture offers the most latitude for creativity and adaptation. This is the point at which we might undergo a kind of “vision statement” exercise, beginning with the foundation of meaning established in story and worldview answers, and embodied in symbol, to define the unique ways a given community lives out the meaning of the gospel in its context.
Essential Elements of Praxis
Certain general categories of praxis will be essential.
First, will need to define how we will live in community with one another. Since the very beginning, the church’s impact on the world around it often came as a result of the visible the body life of its members.
Related to this, we must address the ethical and moral conduct of those who make up the people of God. What consequences do our identity, our redemption, and our mission have on the choices we make in daily life?
We will also need to define our way of living in relationship to the world. How do we relate to the cultures around us? What does it mean for us to be on mission in their midst?
Last, but not least, we must address our praxis before God. How do we define and practice our life of worship, corporately and individually? What does it mean in practice to be a disciple, a follower of Christ?
In light of Andy Crouch’s insight that we can only change culture by creating it, I would suggest here that any culture that seeks to influence the world must include a praxis of cultural engagement and productivity. A community with a truly missional ethos will nurture the creativity of every member, encouraging and equipping them to see the secular settings in which they live and move as fields of mission, and the everyday products of their lives as acts of witness. The most significant praxis of a missional culture is lived out not in the confines of the church, but in the marketplaces of the world.
Example: Culture-building in a Sermon Series
As I prepare this post, the preaching team of which I am a part is planning a long sermon series on the book of Acts. As we study the texts of this book and talk through our approach to preaching it in our setting, we see ample opportunity to lay the foundation of story for our church’s culture. Even as Luke describes the life of the early church, he ties it constantly to the life of Israel. The abrupt and open ending to the book also reminds us that this story continues in our own body life today. Acts reminds us where we are in God’s story.
We will also find many places to erect the pillars of our worldview precepts. Our church’s answers to the identity, location, sin, and solution questions are expressed in two statements. Our “identity statement” says, “We are a gospel family, being transformed by Jesus, for the blessing of our city.” Our “vision statement” is that “every man woman and child have multiple opportunities to hear, see, and respond to the gospel.” Finding ways to reinforce this framework as we walk through the book of Acts will be almost too easy!
Of course, Acts will also give us excellent moments to cultivate our symbolic world as we discover the prominent place of the table and of baptism in the early church. The story of Acts will even add substance to the symbolism of our own church’s name, “Tapestry.” The weaving together of nations, ethnicities, and cultures throughout the book will remind us of the aspirations and the ideals that our name suggests.
And what of praxis? As we have studied through the book, three application themes have surfaced that we believe will be important to emphasize for the culture of our church. Acts will challenge us to a prayer-filled life, a shared life, and a bold life. These application themes emerge from the text, challenge us at the point of our growing edges, and point us towards the a strategy for action that is consistent with our patterns of meaning.
Planning and executing this sermon series has become an exercise in cultural architecture. As we walk chapter by chapter through this important book of the New Testament, we will be doing much more than merely commenting on, or even applying, this ancient text. We will be telling our story, announcing our core precepts, holding up our symbols, and calling our people to a coherent praxis that flows from all of these. In this process, we hope through our preaching to continue the ongoing task of building a culture that can stand in clear contrast and as a compelling alternative to the cultures of the world around us.
In the next post (the last in this series), we will explore two test cases to illustrate how an intentional ministry of cultural architecture might impact the way we engage the world around us.
