Culture is Not Our Enemy

“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23, NIV)

Water is essential to the life of a fish, but the fish is totally unaware of the presence of water until it is no longer there. The same is true of us and the culture in which we live. When Christians do discuss culture, we tend to identify some negative aspects of our cultural environment and give our attention to condemning those things.

In reality, we could not function without culture. Culture gives us language, customs, and values that unconsciously provide structure to our lives. Like the fish in water, we rarely think about culture until it starts to change. For Christians, culture can have both positive and negative aspects.

According to missional theology, part of our task as Christians is to be a contrast community within our culture, embodying eternal values and concepts based on the teachings of Christ. On the other hand, if we do not adopt certain cultural characteristics such as language, dress, or conceptualization, we cannot pursue our mission effectively.

Paul gives a good example of this in his proclamation on Mars Hill in Athens. He understands where he is, the language of his hearers, and their philosophical mindset. He uses these to establish rapport with them, even citing the words of two Greek philosophers and claiming the “unknown god” in their culture as a means of proclaiming the message of the Creator God. He finds a way to use culture to achieve his mission.

Down through the centuries, Christians have found ways to either use or reject culture in their missional task. This creates an ongoing tension that keeps us aware and sensitive to what is happening around us.

Let me suggest a few ways that we as Christians can engage culture.

First, know what is essential to your Christian faith and mission. Are my convictions based on my own study and faith experience or have I just accepted what has been passed on to me? What is at the core of my faith?

Second, seek to understand before condemning. We too often have a knee jerk reaction and immediately reject the new or unusual without attempting to understand the underlying values. Take time to explore and dialogue.

Third, broaden your experiences. Diversify your reading, listen to new music, and explore emerging media and performance venues. You may have some unpleasant experiences or run into some dead ends, but you will have clearer information upon which to make choices.

Fourth, find points of intersection between the culture and your faith. As we explore music, art, drama, and cinema, we will find themes that the Christian faith addresses and illuminates.

Take a few minutes today and think about the culture in which you live and what you can learn from it.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.

Barnabas File

Search This Blog