September 2000
As I began writing this, it became clear that I had bitten off more than I could chew in a short essay. I hope you will judge it accordingly, and find that it stimulates your own more complete thought.
Years before James Hunter’s book Culture Wars, I was convinced that the unrest most denominations in America had been experiencing since the 70’s had its roots in cultural changes. Recent conversations with others have led me to the conclusion that Christians need to revisit the issue of Christ and culture.
The fourth chapter of John records the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It is a well-worked passage (which poses its own danger), but let me suggest a twist to the dialogue recorded in verse 19-26.
This is rightly seen as a deflection of Jesus’ earlier comments. (But are those “five husbands” human males, or is Jesus’ comment symbolic of the “five books of law” which the Samaritans defended, yet did not live faithfully with any of them?) Another time….
This is also rightly seen as a definition of true worship. Jesus said the very nature of God demands worship in spirit and in truth.
The twist I suggest is that this may be Jesus’ critique of the cultural practices of both Samaritans and Jews. Though Samaritans worshipped in one place with incomplete understanding, and Jews worshipped in another place with more complete understanding, both were rendered suspect by the coming of the Messiah/Christ, who pointed to a different kind of worship. Worship at either Mount Gerizim (Samaritans) or Mount Zion (Jews) is inadequate when stacked up against worship in the fruition of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was not shy about worshipping in the Jerusalem Temple. But he also critiqued some of the practices. (I think of John 2:12-16 and all those “woes” in Matthew 23).
The cultural issue is a thorny one for Christians. We cannot escape culture. At the same time, our transcendent connection with God through Christ calls us beyond the temporality and pluralism of culture. Indeed, we are so deeply enmeshed that we have a difficult time separating essential “Christian” components from optional “secular” components.
I have been driven back to Richard Niebuhr’s little book Christ and Culture. The book is over 50 years old, but still has some good observations. Ironically, it also reflects Niebuhr’s own enmeshment with American culture in the late 40’s.
Niebuhr understood “culture” as the “artificial, secondary environment which man [sic] superimposes on the natural. It comprises language, habits, ideas, beliefs, customs, social organization, inherited artifacts, technical processes, and values.” That seems to be as good a definition as any.
However, one of my differences with Niebuhr is that culture is incredibly more complex than he imagined. Though he acknowledged the reality of pluralism, Niebuhr treated American culture as monolithic and synonymous with “civilization.” It seems evident to me that there are many cultures at work in America today. And not all are just variations of a theme. Further, individuals participate in several cultures simultaneously.
For example, even though I have lived in the Midwest for over 25 years, Deep South Culture was imprinted on me the first 24 years of my life. There are still things that Midwesterners do and say that startle me. And I still get strange responses to some of my behaviors and speech patterns. I have made women angry by referring to them as “Ma’am.” It is a habit I cannot seem to break.
At the same time I have a strong overlay of Midwestern culture. Californians see things differently. At the same I confess the impact of academic culture. Likewise as much as I may want to temper it, I am saturated with white, male culture. I also came of age in the 60’s. The list goes on, and you see the point—none of us is a pure child of one culture. Each of us participates in a complex array of cultures.
Another difference with Niebuhr is that I see culture as maddingly ambivalent. It is “both/and” as well as “neither/nor.” No culture has a monopoly on Christianity; no culture is a pure manifestation of the Kingdom of God. But God may also be the author of good things I have never dreamed of in other cultures.
In his letter to the Romans (3:23) Paul concludes his critique of both Jewish and Gentile cultures with the cry “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” Do any of the cultures we participate in escape such judgment?
On the other hand, James (1:17) declares that “every good and perfect gift is from above….” Does all the good in any culture come from God? Do all cultures potentially reflect some (albeit small) Godly goodness, since God has “spoken at many times and in various ways,” (Hebrews 1:2) and “has been made plain” to all (Romans 1:19)?
On a personal level, Paul confesses the internal struggle he experiences (Romans 7:21-26). Does this same struggle take place in society?
This is important because we struggle with cultural issues every day. Is this music o.k. for church? What about instruments? How should we dress? What kind of buildings should we worship in? Are some foods forbidden? Should we use electricity? Can the water in the baptistery be heated? What kind of art can we display in church? Is everything we read good and profitable? How far do we go in making nonbelievers comfortable and receptive to the Gospel?
Most of Paul’s letters, but in particular I and II Corinthians, could be read from a cultural struggle perspective.
There the ambivalence of life together is overwhelming. “You do not lack any spiritual gift” (I Cor 1:7), Paul asserts. Yet, within a couple of sentences he chides, “There are quarrels among you” (1 Cor 1:11).
In that context, Paul’s advice for discernment seems relevant:
· Remember who you are—a child of God, yet still capable of self-deception and pride.
· Be careful about going beyond what Scripture says--speculation is dangerous.
· Be discerning about moral behavior—both personally and within the church.
· Not everything is good; be a slave to nothing but God.
· Pay attention that your exercise of freedom does not discourage the faith of others—even if you are right!
· Don’t seek your own good, but seek the good of others.
· Practice your gifts for the common good, not yourself. Respect one another’s gifts.
Discernment is what we need most when it comes to issues of Christ and culture. Especially, that discernment needs to be applied to our own culture, removing the planks in our own eyes first (Matthew 7:3-5).
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