There’s always a new trend to try on social media. This year alone has seen the ‘somebody’s watching me’ dance, the emergency contact who is actually a bit daft, and images of people reworked through AI as muppets, action figures and anime. If you’re unaware of those, you can look them up and thank me later for the hours you wasted!
Trends likewise come and go in our faith. Some of these trends are short-lived, whereas others seem to stick around for a while, and sometimes have elements that are imbibed into the Christian culture more or less permanently, at which point they become traditions more than trends.
Some of us will remember the WWJD bracelet trend (for the record, I never had one!) with the imminent reminder to live a Christlike life using the question, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ There wasn’t anything wrong with this, and to some, they may have been helpful. During the COVID pandemic, there was a trend of churches doing video montages of their singers and musicians playing worship songs. Given our context at the time, this was a helpful reminder that though separated by necessity, the church was still united with a heart to worship God.
Discernment is necessary in thinking through all new practices. Some Christians have a real gift for discernment, but for all of us, it is valuable to have it to some measure. What’s more, it’s something we can grow, like a muscle, as we use it more. How then might we begin to exercise discernment?
Getting the essentials in place
Having a good framework for our beliefs and practices is a useful starting point. There are various beliefs and practices that hold primary position. These are clearly taught truths in the Bible and cannot be compromised on, otherwise they would ruin our faith. Primary doctrines include the resurrection of Jesus, salvation by grace and the authority of Scripture, to name a few. Essential practices would include the need to gather together with a local church and prayer.
Beyond the essentials, there are practices and truths that some will disagree with other genuine believers on, both upholding the authority of Scripture. Baptism is one obvious example; who we baptise, when and by what mode. We hold important convictions on these, but they shouldn’t be confused with the essentials.
Some trends may compromise our beliefs and practices on these levels. If a trend compromises an essential, then it clearly must be avoided. If it comes into conflict with a secondary-level belief or practice, then it must be carefully considered. Such a framework will help protect what is essential and important in our faith from compromise.
Exercising wisdom
Discernment of most trends will be within the realm of wisdom. Wisdom is not an exact science that operates with blacks and whites, but an art form that works within the spectrum of colour and shades. You get a feel for that as you read through the book of Proverbs. One course of action might apply for one scenario, yet an entirely different course of action might be best with an ever-so-slightly different scenario.
That doesn’t make wisdom anarchic. Just as an artist will operate with rules and principles, such as perspective and colour theory, so in exercising wisdom, there are principles we draw from the Bible in how exactly we choose a particular course of action in any one scenario. We’re trying here to think through what is beneficial and edifying, what is better and wise.
So far in this article, we have been almost entirely theoretical, so I want to work through one example with a recent trend I’ve come across, which is to do with the name we use for Jesus.
You shall call him Yeshua?
Increasingly, some Christians have begun referring to Jesus by his Aramaic name, Yeshua. At first glance, it might seem like it’s the right thing to do. In the first century, Aramaic was the common language. If we were there with Jesus, we would have heard his family, disciples and others referring to him by the name Yeshua. Is it more accurate to refer to him by that name?
For one thing, I would say that it isn’t necessary. Those who wrote the New Testament could have easily used Aramaic as their language of choice, but instead used Greek as the universal language of the time. They were very happy to refer to Aramaic words when they felt it important to do so, yet not one New Testament writer refers to Jesus by his Aramaic name. They always use his Greek name. Since the New Testament writers translated Jesus’ name into the language they used for writing the Bible, and since we rightly translate the Bible into our language, there is freedom for us to carry on using our English equivalent, Jesus.
It is not necessary, and yet there are dangers. Using the name Yeshua could create within a person a sense of being superior, of feeling more pious or spiritual, because they know better than others. It’s all too sad when some Christians think of themselves as better than other Christians, whether with our theology, our forms of worship, or our practices. As much as we want our worship to be as fitting a way as possible, and as much as we may want to be better informed, it should never create any sense of superiority. Unity is an essential, and this trend is at risk of compromising that, so we should be cautious.
Perhaps the biggest concern of using Yeshua is the connections with groups whom we might call Judaisers. In the New Testament, such a group was undoing the saving work of Jesus by requiring Jewish practices that are fulfilled by Jesus and are no longer necessary. The book of Galatians was written for just such errors. Yet, such groups continue today, and using Jesus’ Aramaic name risks associating us with these groups that are compromised on the essentials.
Though it would not be wrong to use the name Yeshua to refer to Jesus, weighing it up, I am inclined not to. It may not directly compromise an essential, but it is linked to those who do and could lead us to compromise on unity by feelings of superiority.
Being discerning, not dismissive
We may be inclined to groan at everything new. ‘There is nothing new under the sun,’ we might chime. Yet, new ideas can bring a freshness to our faith, help us identify blind spots and think more sharply about things, even when we don’t go along with them. Trends can help encourage Christians, particularly those of younger generations, to take their faith seriously, fostering partnership in the gospel and inspiring them to share their faith. For example, the recent recovery of spiritual disciplines, including rhythms of reading, meditation and prayer, could serve some very well in a world that never switches off.
It is always worth discerning the implications of any new trend. Some trends, like using the name Yeshua, we might avoid; other new practices we may be able to embrace and encourage in others.
