In “New Models” I set out to explore the question of what new lifestyles are developing in the 1970s that serve to give a sense of personal integration and meaning and that also contain within them a commitment to social renewal. I explore three different models: the Militant Model, the Esoteric Model, and the Liberated Model. Briefly, the Militant Model corresponds to the lifestyle of the SDS-type radicals; the Esoteric Model to the young people who are pursuing Eastern spiritual disciplines; the Liberated Model to encounter group enthusiasts, and also corresponding to Charles Reich’s Consciousness III. I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each model in the following areas: self-awareness, sense of history, political stance, and transcendent values.
THE CHRISTIAN MODEL
Throughout the paper I suggested that Christians and Christianity may have something to offer to this new age. It is now time to outline what this contribution might be.
I believe that Christians could offer a new model--a new Way of Being--for our time. This model would contain the necessary elements for a radical transformation of the individual personality and the total society. To cite Paul, I believe that Christians can and ought to be the “representatives of the new humanity” (Colossians 3:12).
Representatives of the New Humanity! What a wonderful, stirring phrase! The Christian becomes not only a New Man or a New Woman, but he or she represents the New Humanity--a total vision of what it means to be alive and of what this world could be. But of what does this New Humanity consist? For this age, I would suggest that it consists of the following:
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