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 any person thinking of a career as a diplomat, politician or in the military. After World War Two, history lost its relevance for a 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 What he was saying is that history could and should be used to find solutions to modern day and future problems and situations.
The Belfer Centre describes applied history as the ‘explicit attempt to illuminate current challenges and choices by analysing historical precedents and analogues.’*2
Christianity is suffering from the same problem – relevance or a perceived lack threof. 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 theoloy, hermaneutics, escatology and so on all with the purpose of being applied in the church or denominational system. But life is more than a Sunday morning. Six days of the 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.
When we, Christians, are confronted with problems that require a verbal or behavioural response, that response should be governed by the examples given to us in Scripture. There are just as many examples of incorrect and unethical behaviour in the Bible 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 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, throughly 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.