Is it possible that many of the common concepts held by Christians and churches today about sin, repentance, salvation, the kingdom of God, and being born again – some of the very things which seem to be at the centre of a biblical worldview – are in fact unbiblical? That seems to be what Ron Martoia is suggesting in his thought-provoking book Static. Martoia says that we should “tune out the Christian noise and experience the real message of Jesus.”
The author is not a fan of the pre-packaged one-size-fits-all style of gospel presentation, and he is not a fan of the use of Christian jargon for which outsiders tend to have negative preconceptions. He feels that evangelistic efforts are often unsuccessful because they are perceived as militant, imperialistic, intolerant and arrogant. Jesus never applied a formula to his preaching; he was sensitive to the situation of his audience and tailored his message accordingly. He never made an altar call or invited his audience to pray the sinners’ prayer.
I identify with many of the author’s problems with Christian jargon, although I do not agree with all of his solutions. In an effort to make it more accessible, the book has been written in the context of “conversations” with some friends, but after the first chapter I started finding this irritating and just wished it had been written in a shorter and more formal manner. Nonetheless, I found the book challenging and well worth reading.