Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance

by Os Guinness

The buzz among evangelicals today is about relevance and reinvention, about new ways of "doing church" through revising, innovating, borrowing, mixing, and experimenting. Yet, says Os Guinness, in our uncritical pursuit of relevance, Christians have actually become irrelevant. By our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more in line with the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and significance. Prophetic Untimeliness addresses this issue by giving practical, constructive solutions for living with integrity in the midst of modern pressures. Guinness explores what it means to be both faithful and relevant, and how to be truly relevant without being trivial or trendy. Readers will be challenged to develop "resistance thinking," an approach inspired by C. S. Lewis that balances the uncomfortable truths of the gospel with the pursuit of relevance. Only by being true to Christ and living with integrity and wisdom will we meet the needs of a world that is hungry for some really good news.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Cultural, Theology, Church, Nonfiction, Philosophy

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Os Guinness (D.Phil., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The American Hour, Time for Truth and The Case for Civility. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. He lives near Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[David Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking examination of the principle of relevance as it has shaped modern Christian methodology and theology. It is divided into three parts that serve as an introduction to the premise of the book, an explanation of the premise, and a recommended response. Part one hooked me, and part two is well-marked with highlights and underlining. There is much truth to be gleaned from its few pages. Part three was a little disappointing because I felt like the content was less shaped by the previous chapters than it was by a quote cited by Guinness in the opening paragraph. It felt forced and, at times, difficult to follow.

Nearly 15 years after its initial publication, this is still a very good volume. Guinness truly had a prophet's insight. It is well worth reading

[Rod Innis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. This is the second book by this author that I have read and
the themes blend. We need to focus on God's call on our lives as it is revealed in
His word the Bible. Our modern, time enslaved, world seeks to distract us from
what is important and many today have been distracted and have abandoned the
search for, the obedience to, and the sharing of truth from God's Word.

[Tyler Brophy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. I think it could have been much shorter tho haha

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Os Guiness makes an excellent observation about the quest for relevance leading to irrelevance in today's Church. I only wish he would have quoted Tozer instead of Nietzsche.

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one to pass along to the trendy bishop. I'm an artist; I know all about being out-of-step with the world. Guinness was preaching to the choir with this one.

[Douglas W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in 2005, and then again in 2019. 14 years between readings is not a lot of time, but its enough in our chaotic world for one to wonder about the book's continued power. However, when someone like Guinness writes about relevance, this should not catch the reader off-guard. Of course the material in the book still resonates! Challenging "relevance" by the world's definition is to automatically make the book timeless. This is essentially Guinness' point: to turn from worldly ideas of time and importance toward the timelessness and values of the Lord is to transcend that which is fleeting by seeking eternity.

[Cynthia Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made many acute observations about the Western Church in today's culture. However, it asked a lot of questions and offered few answers in return, leaving the reader quite unsatisfied.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relevant in addressing the current "youth culture idol" in the church. By striving to become "relevant" the church has missed out on discipling several generations. What a disaster.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good diagnosis and commentary.

“Essential for 'untimeliness' [true prophetic and penetrative discernment. Ed.] is appreciation for the historical, for no human perspective gives us a better counter-perspective on our own day.” - Os Guinness.

“One cannot stand out more clearly from the whole contemporary age than through the way one employs history.” - Nietzshe, Untimely Meditations.

“We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the past sixty centuries or the last sixty years.” - Bill Moyers.

“What is not sufficiently appreciated is the fact that historical awareness is one of the greatest fruits of Western (and therefore biblical) thinking. Along with science, history is one of the most striking accomplishments of the Western mind; unlike science, however, it is rarely given the recognition it deserves. The point is far more than a matter of prestige for academic turf battles. The issues behind the importance of history touch on our very character as human beings. As John Lukas has argued in his great reflections on the nature of thinking about history, Historical Consciousness, history is essential for our knowledge of ourselves as human beings. … History deals with us, and not as objects but as subjects.” - Os Guinness.

“History is essential for grasping human uniqueness. Whereas science deals with the predictable and the repeatable, with law and uniform regularities, history deals with one-of-a-kind human choices, with accidents, disasters, ironies, and events that are totally unforeseeable and unpredictable. If that is true, history provides a deeper and more comprehensive knowledge of our humanity than science does. … History is therefore utterly essential to human beings and to human wisdom. At its core, the story of anyone or anything is virtually the person or the thing themselves. The best avenue to understanding the nature of the person or the thing is to tell their story. As Shakespeare says in Henry V, “There is a history in all mens' lives.” What matters to us all, historians or not, is to give history its proper place as an irreplaceable source of human understanding and wisdom. Santayana's remark that those ignorant of history are condemned to repeat it has been echoed down the ages in countless ways, and needs to be restored to its place in our thinking today.” - Os Guinness.

“Being fond of the truth, I am an admirer of antiquity.” - Confucius.

“Anyone wishing to see what is to be, must consider what has been.” - Machiavelli.

“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living hand to mouth.” - Goethe.

“We learn from the study of history how mankind has learned nothing from the study of history.” - Hegel.

“Man's real treasure is the treasure of his mistakes, piled up stone by stone throughout thousands of years.” - Jose Ortega y Gasset.

“The further back you look, the further forward you can see.” - Winston Churchill.

“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between... The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of history blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading books.” - C.S. Lewis.

“Mere lip service to the importance of history will not do. We each have to build in a steady diet of the riches of the past into our reading and thinking. Only the wisdom of the past can free us from the bondage of our fixation with the present and the future.... I enjoy the classics immensely, but take in my main understanding of history through reading biographies. In tackling a major or minor biography every two or three books I read, I have found my awareness of history steadily expanding along with my appreciation of the colorful throng of men and women who make the human story so fascinating.” - Os Guinness.

“Every age has its strengths and weaknesses, its own outlook and blind spots, and therefore its own talent for seeing certain truths and not others. It is essential that we rise above the limitations of being children of our own age. Second only to our attention to the eternal, an appreciation of history saves us from the various perils of nowism, temporal chauvinism, chronological snobbery, generational conceit, and the parochialism of the present. The past is the greatest source of corrective wisdom that helps us to free us from these mental sins and be wise in our own day.” - Os Guinness.

Os Guinness, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003), 105.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That's all I know to say. I bought this book 5-6 years ago and can't believe I've waited until now to read it. Guinness' main argument is that while the church has sought so furiously to be culturally relevant, the church has actually lost all relevancy completely. The church is irrelevant. What is the answer? Holding fast to Jesus and God's timeless truth.

I am convicted over how my views of "progress" and "relevancy" have been shaped far more by American culture than the Bible. "Whatever is newest is best" and "the future is always better than the past" are foolish, light-weight, temporal approaches to life that have been born out of culture which seeks to dismiss God. This value system has shaped my reasoning more than I realize. More than all of us realize.

Regarding the literary aspects of the book, Guinness is a superb writer. He is clear, logical, and deep. The book may be short but it is not a quick read. In fact, his writing is so good I feel the need to go back and change some of my ratings on other books!

I know how cliche' this is, but Christians need to read this book. We need to rediscover how pursuing relevancy has actually made us irrelevant. Pursing what culture presents as the newest, greatest, bigger, better, faster, etc. is actually a never ending pursuit that results in wasted time - and wasted time equals a wasted life.

[Robert Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prophetic Untimeliness was an informative book. It gave me insight on how to live truly “redeeming the time”. I found the meaning of redemptive time and how it applies to meaningful and joyous living. Some of the principles found here were already evident to me. One of the most striking is that without God we are diminished as human beings. “…trying to exceed our human reach makes us not superhuman but inhuman and barbarous.”

I believe Guinness has reached his goal in writing this book stated in the introduction:

“What we need to do is not only explore how this self-inflicted stupidity (church leaders presenting the faith in so many weak, trite, foolish, disastrous, and even disloyal ways) has happened, but how we can do better in a day that is hungry for a word from God. That practical and constructive outcome, which lies at the heart of reformation and revival, is the real goal of this book.”

The heart of relevance for the Christian is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christians and the church itself “can make the gospel irrelevant by shrinking and distorting it in one way or another. But in itself the good news of Jesus is utterly relevant or it is not the good news it claims to be”. And add to that, “the dead hand of legalism is the antithesis of the gospel of grace”. So for me the simple answer for the believer in Jesus Christ is to fly to the cross!

[Scottalberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read it a second time (it's a shorter book). It's like the opposite of Facebook. Newest and popular-est is not automatically the bestest!

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word still sticks out to me about this book from when I read it a number of years ago: loneliness. Guinness isn't gimmicky and bemoans the feeble attempts of the church to be relevant in contemporary culture when they possess the truth of the Gospel. Yet, he's realistic and explains that the road to biblical relevance can indeed be lonely. Speaking the truth may not be popular, but it's always significant. But speaking the truth won't necessarily attract a crowd either. The message of the church is timeless, transcending all cultures, space and time. Failure to understand this will inevitably lead to misguided ministry efforts; methodology may trump the message. Guinness calls us back to being truth-bearers, popular or not.

[Mike Crews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! A timely book on the necessity of being untimely! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Guinness' writing is clear and concise, and his call for relevance rooted in faithfulness to the truth of the Bible and the Gospel is especially refreshing! In my own humble opinion every pastor, missionary, church planter should read this book before you are tempted to jump on the "missional" bus. Thanks Tim Campbell for sending me a copy. It will be one of those few choice volumes that deserves at least one re-read.

[Rob McFarren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off with great promise and a fascinating premise and observation of how he modern clock has impacted life. Unfortunately, the author used it as a jumping off point into some other areas which were not as compelling in their seeming security of knowing the right gospel. This book was good with some good frameworks presented, although I can tell I'm not in agreement to some of the conclusions he makes for what is worldly and what is Christian.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulls no punches.

[Walt Walkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Os really makes you think about what it really means to be relevant. I will probably read this one again...

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. Os shows us the cultural influence that we can never escape, the influence it has had on the church, and where the wind is blowing us as a nation.

[Laurie Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to an Os Guinness lecture yesterday morning and remembered just how good he is. Love his books, too. And this is my all time favorite.

[Chris Comis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff here.

[Kevin Phillips]

Great book! I've read it probably 5 or 6 times. Love how he brings in thoughts from people like Winston Churchill and sayings from cultures such as Philippines and Africa which speak volumes to our western, clock-driven society.

[Micah Russell]

Was a good book. I especially enjoyed the first few chapters on how time affects our thinking. I think the overall conclusion wasn’t my favorite, just because he deviated more from the initial concept than I expected. Still though, a good read, especially the beginning