Living as a Christian in the World
From the beginning of time, culture has always existed. Every person lives in a certain culture and cannot escape it. To flee from one culture and escape it inevitably results in joining another culture. Throughout the ages Christians have been struggling with how to properly relate to the culture in which they live. The responses to this problem have been various.
Some have sought to create their own culture in which they can, in their minds, fully embrace what God has for them. Examples of these groups of people would be the Amish community or those who spend their lives in monasteries. Others have waved off the issue of culture entirely; the end result of this being that these Christians are indistinguishable from the surrounding culture. So, how should Christians live with and deal with their culture? First, let's look at a philosophical exploration of what culture is and if we should see it as good, bad, or neither. After this exploration, let's get some brief theological input to see how Christians are to view their relationship with culture. Finally, let's look at how Christians should specifically deal with areas of life such as what community they surround themselves with, entertainment, and basic decisions and actions of daily life.