Applied Christianity

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Matthew.4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

For a long time, historians have been trying to make history relevant in the modern world. There was a time when the study of history was considered crucial for anyone thinking of a career as a diplomat, politician, or military officer. After World War Two, history lost its relevance for the younger generation, but in recent years, there has been a major effort by historians to make their subject relevant again.

Benjamin Shambough said historians were to begin “interrogating the past in the light of the condition of the present and the obvious needs of the immediate future to the end that the rational program of progress may be outlined and followed in legislation and administration.”*1 He is saying that history could and should be used to solve modern-day and future problems and situations.

The Belfer Centre describes applied history as the ‘explicit attempt to illuminate current challenges and choices by analyzing historical precedents and analogs.’*2

Christianity suffers from the same problem—relevance or a perceived lack thereof. More and more people see Scripture and Christianity as irrelevant in modern society. Secular psychology, courses, and ‘gurus’ are deemed sufficient for the modern person.

Studying Scripture usually conjures visions of theological degrees, courses in missiology, systematic theology, hermeneutics, eschatology, and so on all to be applied in the church or denominational system. But life is more than a Sunday morning. Six days a week we work, play, live in a secular system, and are confronted by situations and problems that need to be addressed but instead of searching for answers, we scratch around in secular sources.

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When Christians are confronted with problems that require a verbal or behavioral response, that response should be governed by the examples given to us in Scripture. The Bible contains just as many examples of incorrect and unethical behavior as there are of correct responses to situations and people. We can guide our course of action and replies by using both the negative and the positive.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

:17  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

 

Applied Theology “is all about the continuous and dynamic task of translating the Word of God into the situations where people live and work” *3 It is ‘concerned with the application of Scripture for the benefit of people in contemporary and future times’.

We cannot divorce our faith from our time spent in the secular world. The two must become one. Admittedly, there is the danger of using certain parts of Scripture to justify ourselves and then ignoring the rest, or ‘bending’ Scripture to suit our desired response. This has resulted in many falling away. It always starts small with ‘unimportant’ things and then it spreads to the greater, more important things.

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 

Applied Christianity is not so much about applying Scripture to our lives as it is about applying our lives to Scripture.

*1 Benjamin F. Shambough, ed., Applied History (Iowa City: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1912) ix – x.

*2 Harvard Kennedy School belfercenter.org/project/applied-history-project. Accessed 07 May 2023 17:29.

*3 Paul Stevens, The other six days. Page 9. Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source, 5 July 2000.