There’s good news and bad news in Alan Hirsch’s and Lance Ford’s book Right Here, Right Now (Baker, 2011). And the bad news is quite bad:
- Christianity is quickly fading in the Western world, especially in North America.
- Most churches and Christian organizations have either turned inward or have been come ineffective in re-engaging the changing culture with the gospel.
- Even outward oriented congregations and organizations who have embraced more effective approaches face significant limitations in their ability to impact a post-Christian culture.
But here’s the good news: you and every Christian you know are the key to reviving the Christian faith. The ultimate solution to the bad news is not just stronger churches or more effective Christian organizations. They solution is a wave of ordinary and average Christians who infiltrate and impact the culture on a day to day basis. The authors believe that “All Christians, whether suburban or urban, blue collar or white collar, have already been sent by God on a mission and they have tremendous kingdom potential in the here and now of their current situations.” For the Christian faith to radically impact the Western world, each and every Christian must learn once again to live every sphere of life on mission for God.
What does this look like? Hirsh and Ford propose that we embrace four “moves”:
- Move out (find ways to get into contact with non Christians, wherever they may be).
- Move in (better understand the post-Christian culture of these people).
- Move alongside (create genuine friendships with non-Christians).
- Move from (clearly live in contrast to the dehumanizing and sinful aspects of the culture).
Moving out is critical, Hirsch and Ford state, because too many Christians operate with a salt-block mentality. Just like a farmer places a salt block somewhere expecting the horse or cow to come and lick, many Christians rely solely on church events to which non-Christians are to come and “lick.” What’s needed is a salt-shaker mentality. Similar to the way we place a salt-shaker at the table where people gather, Christians must learn to go where people gather. They must bring the salt to the people rather than asking the people to come to salt.
Moving in is important because many Christians have become so disconnected from the post-Christian culture they no longer understand the values and lives of those who live within it.
Moving alongside may be the most difficult because Christians and non Christians alike live within compartmentalized “silos.” We have separate home lives, work lives, church lives, exercise lives, recreation lives, etc. As a result there are few opportunities for relationships to easily form and faith conversations to take place naturally. Hirsch and Ford urge Christians to do whatever it takes to swim against this tide and form authentic friendships with non Christians. Ultimately, they charge each Christian to practice hospitality as a way of reaching out. They write, “People should be able to experience a foretaste of heaven from our families and our homes.”
Most of Hirsch’s and Ford’s attention is directed at “Moving from.” The authors fear that too many Christians in North America have unwittingly adopted sinful practices from the culture. Their salt has become salt-less. This section is thus filled with a prophetic call for Christians to regain their distinctiveness. They write, “The most consistent way to challenge the destructive forces in popular culture is to live contrary to them—to actually be the change we want to see.”
The authors especially target our view of and use of money. They argue “the average American Christian is just as drunk on consumerism as the non-Christian at the other end of the bar.” This section is filled with practical ways that Christians can pursue simplicity and generosity and thus have more resources available for blessing others.
The book has weaknesses. It reads like the script of a conversation and thus frequently backtracks, overlaps, or jumps ahead in ways that can cause a reader to wonder where the conversation is headed. In addition, the book needs more practical application regarding the first three moves. The greatest application is given to the fourth move, leaving the reader with questions about how to truly engage in the first three moves. Finally, the authors give little attention to how readers might not only live out the gospel but also share the gospel. How does the average Christian talk about Jesus in a post-Christian world? This question is not answered in this book.
Weaknesses aside, the book is an excellent beginning point for Christians who want to know “What can I do?” It provides a helpful first-step for considering a practical and comprehensive model for living out God’s mission “right here, right now.”
