Current Events Monday: All Things to All People?
Buda’s own Brandon Hernandez made headlines recently for what he calls “The Texas Tailgate.” No, this isn’t some large BBQ buffet line at the local football stadium. The tailgate belonging to Hernandez actually refers to a hairstyle known as the “mullet.” You read that correctly…Hernandez has a nickname for his hair. But why is something like this such a big deal? Well, The Texas Tailgate has been named one of the Top 25 mullets in the United States in the stiff competition at the annual US Mullet Championships.
You can read all about it by clicking on this link to the story from KXAN news: Central Texas man in 2022 US Mullet Championship (kxan.com).
You may not realize it at first glance, but Hernandez’s sharp mullet may get us thinking about the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul the Apostle wrote eloquently about one of his evangelistic strategies, claiming that he preferred to “become all things to all people” in order that we may win more souls to the Kingdom than he would otherwise. Paul did not mean to infer here that Christians must become chameleons and even compromise our ethics to fit-in or gain popularity in any given culture. Paul is however suggesting that he would gladly utilize the beliefs and patterns of behavior of other people groups—some of which may be vastly different from his own—to present the gospel message with clarity. In other words, Paul desired to identify so closely with others that he would live as if he were one of their own that they may hear the gospel that much more clearly. If he could hurt with them, then he could show the cross and the resurrection to them.
For instance, Paul advocated that more seasoned Christians abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols. But why would this be an issue? Even though there was nothing morally or ethically wrong with eating meat sacrificed to idols, Paul noticed that eating such meat was a stumbling block to the faith growth of younger Christians. Paul wanted the older believers to walk in the shoes of the younger and then bring them to a better place of maturity.
Paul also exemplified his teaching by refusing among some groups to be paid for his preaching and missions services. Some cultures viewed payment of preachers as an atrocious form of corruption. In order to win some to the Lord, Paul willingly gave up income.
What we’re saying here has tremendous value for our witness today. Some Christians become so adapted to the world’s systems that the power of the gospel message is lost or rendered ineffective. Others may become so strident or legalistic in their presentation of the gospel that it flies over the heads of those who would otherwise listen should the message be more palatable to the cultural context.
It may be most fair to say then that, while the gospel remains unchanged, our methodology of presenting the good news depends much on our immediate audience. The way we talk about Christ with a professor at Yale will likely be quite different than with a top 25 mullet grower. Nevertheless, God may be calling you to grow your own “Texas Tailgate” that some may come to know Him.