Ridgell's Originals

 Church and culture do not mix.  Never have and never will.  And that makes it difficult and stressful to be a community of faith in our world.  Always has been.  Always will be.

Because we are different.  We have a different world view.  We have different -- and often competing -- agendas.  

The church has historically, and I think correctly, believed in unchanging truths.  God. Jesus.  Scripture.  These have been true, they are true, and they will be true.  Of course, the church reflects it's culture to some degree because that is the world in which we live.  But Scripture is clear about choosing God over the world we live in.  Clear about our real kingdom allegience.

Culture changes.  Take American culture the last 100 years and marriage.  Man and a woman.  Only.  For life.  Then same sex marriage.  Now Polyamory is on the way to full acceptance.  There have been cultures where it was acceptable to capture your wife from another tribe or village.  Or buy your wife.  Or have multiple wives.  The church has historically held to monogamous union between one man and one woman as the view seen in the Bible.  

The church has historically upheld the value of human life.  But culture has sometimes endorsed and approved slavery, genocide, and euthanasia.

Culture has always rewarded greed, ego, and lust. Not so among God's people.

So I think the church has three choices.

Embrace culture.  That will often mean teaching what the Bible does not.  It will mean taking political stands.  Supporting the current government powers.  And I have never heard of a church that will admit to this.  But it happens.  See Nazi Germany for one example.  

Accommodate culture.  Do not embrace culture but try to keep a foot in both church and culture.  You see this most often when churches do not overtly endorse the evil things in culture, but they stop teaching about them.  See many of the American churches today.

Or stand against culture.  I don't mean a culture war.  I am not even sure the job of the church is to reform culture.  After all, there has not been a Christian nation in 2000 years.  Even when it was overtly attempted.  See the Inquisition.

And I do not think our battle is against the people of our culture.  The church does want to save the people of this world.  And it is hard.  The church has often failed to live up to our calling.  Both as individuals and corporately.  And we never will get it right.  Because we are not perfect. 

And I think this is the only real choice. 

But we have to try.  And here is what will happen.  People will say bad things about us.  That we are unloving and judgmental.  But our lives will make them wonder.  And it will lead to persecution.  

Just like Jesus said.

So when you worry about what is happening to the culture you are living in... maybe it is just playing out exactly like it always has.

And one last piece of good news.  200 years from now someone may be communicating this exact same discussion.  Because unless Jesus returns, the church will still be here.  And so will culture.  One of them remains the same.  And one of them is ever changing.

Choose wisely.

Labels: Church

# posted by Steve @ 6:00 AM