We are foreigners in this land, living between the Kingdom that has come and the Kingdom that will be consummated, not being of the world, but living in the world. This unique situation puts us in complex situations. The clash between Christianity and culture has continued since the dawn of Christianity. We see this impact even in the Bible: can we associate with the unbelievers?Can we eat meat?
Voddie Baucham in an article entitled The Pilgrim in a post-Christian culture, referring to John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim, reminds us that:
- As pilgrims on this journey to Heavenly City.
- We must recognize that being born in faith in Christ is the end of our enmity with God.
- But by no means the end of war.
- Stubborn.
- Flexible.
- Swamp of mistrust.
- And Mr.
- Wise Second of the World.
- Everything stood on the way to the Christian way through the narrow door; however.
- In many ways.
- The worst was yet to come.
- Similarly.
- Our struggle against the world.
- Flesh.
- And devil only intensifies as we move from death to life.
Old thought patterns, cultural trends, and the constant bombardment of images and ideas can obscure the path to Heavenly City. Passing through the narrow door is not the end of the problem. The world may no longer be our “home,” but it’s still where we live. As pilgrims, we must recognize our need to constantly renew our minds. (Romans 12:2), mortify the flesh (Galatians 5:24) and resist the devil (James 4:7).
The purpose of this article is not to analyze on a case-by-case basis (and as there are cases!), but to help you have thought structures to be able to deal with each situation. Mark Driscoll suggests that we may have three different reactions to culture: receiving, rejecting and redeeming.
There are things in culture that are part of God’s common grace for all men, which a Christian can simply receive. That’s why, for example, I write on a Mac and post on this blog on the Internet without having to search for a computer or a communication format expressly Christian.
There are things in culture that are sinful and not beneficial. An example is pornography, which has no redeeming value and must be rejected by a Christian.
There are things in culture that are not bad in themselves, but that can be used sinfully and therefore must be redeemed by God’s people. One example that has had a big impact on the media is sexual pleasure. God created our bodies for, among other things, sexual pleasure. And although many have sinned sexually, as Christians, we must redeem this great gift and all its joys, in the context of marriage.
However, knowing how to act in each situation is not so simple, it requires a lot of discernment. We even need to assess the future consequences (which are often unpredictable). The decisions to be made are not in black and white. Are there many shades of gray? For example, today we talk a lot about repurchase of cultural products. events for evangelical purposes or contextualization of culture (and that is not wrong in itself), but let us not forget what history teaches us with the syncretism of the Roman Catholic Church. I repeat: it takes a lot of discernment!
Coming out of this wider field, there are times when we will be in a cultural war for the truth. Kevin DeYoung proposes three other points in this situation:
In the face of controversy and opposition, it is always tempting to retreat to friendlier borders, but working for the common good is part of love for others as ourselves. The pietist impulse to focus simply on the conquest of hearts and minds does. The role of institutions is not sufficiently taken into account and the importance of giving voice to the truth in the public arena, on the contrary, the progressive impulse to remain silent for fear of invalidating our testimony is a misguided strategy of winning the world by leaving it or this or an un sincere attempt to hide the fact that they no longer have ethical standards.
Whatever the pressure, we must never deviate from the word of God to please the powers of the world (Romans 12:1-2). This principle does not automatically determine the way forward in each sphere, because politics must sometimes be the art of But when it comes to our doctrinal commitments, our preaching in the pulpit, and our common values, we should not give in an inch if that inch takes us away from the truth of the scriptures (John 10:35). Whoever marries the spirit of this time is widowed the next day. The church is not based on theological novelties and souls are not gained with sophisticated ambiguity. Anyone who is ashamed of Christ and his words in this adulterous and wicked generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes to the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
If it is a battle, Christ’s disciples must be another type of army. Even when our emotions erupte, our compassion must deepen. There is no place for triumphalism, cynicism and discussions to see who scores the most points. We must be cheerful and cheerful, hopeful warriors. When we are insulted, we must not insult or threaten in return, but entrust ourselves to him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:23). We should not be surprised by suffering (1 Peter 4:12). We must not hate when we are hated (Matthew 5:43-44). And when we rest in peace at night, it is not because all men praise us or because culture reflects our values, but because our conscience is pure (1 Peter 3:16). In the fight against principalities and powers, we must never deviate, never give in, never give up love.
I hope this structure can help you in your interaction with culture, if you want to know more, a good starting point is Michael S’s book. Christian and culture. Horton (remembering that, as I said, this topic has been discussed since the dawn of Christianity).
For the glory of Christ and the good of the Church
Vincius Musselman Pimentel