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.

According to Don Richter, culture is defined as "the way of life of a society-the shared learned behavior and its products that distinguish one community of people from another."¹ Every group of people on the planet has a culture. Usually we are not even aware of it. Additionally, we cannot escape it. Basically, we live in a certain culture just like a fish swims in water.² So, is culture a good thing?

Culture gives people identity. People often refer to other cultures in conversation. For instance, people may say that the Japanese do this or the Bedouins of Mauritania embrace that. The concept of culture allows groups to form a specific identity. Another thing that could be said positively about culture is that it allows people to live their lives with more certainty and security. I do not go about my daily life wondering how the world (generally speaking) will behave today. The same is not true if someone were to be immersed in a culture that was radically different. Although these aspects are positive in a sense, they do not address morality and specific lifestyles, which is the chief concern of the Christian when relating to culture.

Arguments can be offered that culture is a negative thing. One argument is that culture is in a sense discriminate to minority peoples and views. If a culture in general views drinking alcohol as acceptable, those who do not drink alcohol will stand out. Isolation or discrimination can thus result because of culture. Cultures can also embrace immoral beliefs and lifestyles. Unbiblical actions such as premarital and extramarital sexual activity are commonly accepted within today's society. Cultures can and do often hold values and lifestyles that are contrary to the Gospel; this makes it obvious for some Christians to view culture as a bad thing.

The third way of viewing culture is that it is neutral-neither inherently good nor bad. As mentioned earlier, everyone lives in a culture and cannot escape it. This culture can be morally good or morally bad. The actual idea of culture is not good or bad; it simply is.

Even though culture itself is neutral, Christians should always be conscious of how they relate to their surrounding culture. Seeing as how probably no widespread culture accepts all biblical and moral values, every Christian in every culture around the world must find ways to properly relate to their culture. My belief is that Christians are to live the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

Christians should advocate the Christian lifestyle regardless of the surrounding culture. Stanley Grenz agrees with this idea when he says, "We are called to express the Christian faith within the context of the world in which we live."³ On the other hand, Christians need to shy away from any part of culture that is contrary to biblical doctrine. If Christians are going to evangelize other people effectively, they must live in the same culture. However, they must reject components of that culture, and any specific ways of thinking within that culture, that go against the Gospel.

I believe Christians need to form "sub-cultures" within the larger culture. God's design for humans is to live in community.⁴ We are thus called to live in community, but not any community will do. We need to be actively involved in a Christian community. The people with whom you spend time often affect our lifestyles and decisions. To live as a Christian in the world, it is extremely beneficial (and I would argue needed) that believers become involved in a Christian community or church. If a believer begins to go astray, others in the community can help bring this person back. They can also offer encouragement and support as we all try to live out our life as a Christian. Is any Christian community perfect? Most communities probably are not, but I would argue that most are orthodox enough so that it is not an issue to worry about. The main thing is that Christians strongly seek their influence from this "culture" of Christians rather than the surrounding secular culture.

Let's look quickly at a specific example of culture's influence. The multitude of entertainment choices is a sticky situation for Christians these days. Christians should not casually adapt to their culture in regards to entertainment choices. What we watch and entertain ourselves with can and does affect us; it can even alter our behavior. Genetically speaking, what our sensory organs perceive leads to a change in behavior. Just as a child learns not to touch a hot stove after experiencing the pain of touching it, so people can "pick up" ideas and behaviors through entertainment.⁵ Thus, Christians cannot casually just entertain themselves with whatever they please.

Christians need to ask themselves the following questions when considering sources of entertainment:  "Does this specific form of entertainment bring glory to God in anyway? Does it dishonor God?" "Does watching or participating in this entertainment ‘grieve the Holy Spirit'?" "What, if any, value is there to watching or doing this?" and "Would Jesus watch this?" Jim Wilcox offers some insight into this issue. He believes that Christ would have watched movies and entertainment choices that lift up humanity in a good light, that brings Him closer to God and others, and such things that further the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, he argues that Christ would not watch things that embrace violence, sex, hedonism, greed, or sources of entertainment that go against any biblical principles.⁶ Overall, Christians need to be constantly cautious of what they allow into their hearts and minds.

For some, their spiritual lives and the rest of their lives tend to be segmented. They believe that going to church on Sundays and praying has nothing to do with the daily decisions that they make. The Bible seems to disagree. The Bible urges us to offer our lives as living sacrifices to God. (Romans 12:1) Every part of our lives should reflect the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Do we ever think about what we eat as connected to our spiritual lives? Jim Wilcox says the following about Christ's view on food:  "Jesus was neither obese nor bulimic. For Him, food was merely a means to an end, either a social tool to introduce the Good News of the kingdom of God to a group of unbelievers or a necessary fuel to get Him through the day."⁷ Perhaps Christians in America should give this quote by Jim Wilcox some thought in our society of gluttony and bulimia. What about the kind of jokes we laugh at? We should consider our speech because Paul says that there ought not be obscenity and coarse joking among us. (Ephesians 5:4) In truth, we need to compare the actions and thoughts throughout our daily life with what God teaches through Scripture and Christian tradition.

So, how should Christians live their lives in their culture? I think it would be a helpful comparison to further explore the idea of how we live in culture just as fish live in water. The Christian fish is surrounded by water and cannot change that. Fish need to surround themselves with a good school of other Christian fish who will swim the right way. Fish need to avoid certain areas of the deep that harbor danger and predatory fish. Fish need to seek to make wise decisions and to always remember that their true home is another pond.  Good reminders for living as a Christian in our world!

Notes

1. Don C. Richter, "Growing Up Postmodern:  Theological Uses of Culture," in Thinking Theologically about Youth Ministry:  Starting Right, eds. Kenda Creasy Dean, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2001), 64.
2. Ibid.
3. Stanley J. Grenz, Created for Community:  Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living (Grand Rapids:  Baker, 1996), 22.
4. Ibid, 23.
5. Jim Wilcox, What Would Jesus Drive...and Should you Care? (Kansas City:  Beacon Hill, 2004), 79.
6. Ibid., 83-84.
7. Wilcox, What Would Jesus Drive, 97.

 

Bibliography

Grenz, Stanley J. Created for Community:  Connecting Christian Belief with Christian. Grand Rapids:  Baker, 1996.

Richter, Don C. "Growing Up Postmodern:  Theological Uses of Culture." In Thinking Theologically about Youth Ministry:  Starting Right, edited by Kenda Creasy Dean, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn, 64. Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2001.

Wilcox, Jim. What Would Jesus Drive...and Should you Care? Kansas City:  Beacon Hill, 2004.