I have often asked myself, where does my biblical worldview end and my culture begin? Am I guilty of reading into the biblical text ideas that are actually based in American culture or conservative politics? These questions are important to wrestle with for a few reasons. First, all who claim to follow Christ want to do so faithfully. We don’t want to attribute things to Jesus that aren’t from Him, because then we are believing erroneously. Second, missionaries have to wrestle with these questions because they want to allow people of any background to be able to follow Christ without having to completely remove themselves from their culture—as if that were possible (Richard Twiss, Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys). Third, looking at history teaches that failure to separate culture from Christianity can lead to a perverted form of Christianity that is subjugated to the state (think of the Russian Orthodox Church working hand-in-hand with the KGB, and the church in Germany largely supporting Hitler). Finally, if we blend culture and Christianity, the result is a falsely sacralized culture, where rather than speaking truth to the wider culture, the Church puts its stamp of approval on it. To do so is a serious failure of the Church, and also destroys the credibility of Christianity when it seems utterly absorbed by political self-interest.
This problem is rampant today in the US. In part because we see the US as being exceptional, starting from the very beginning with founding documents infused with “God talk.” If God repeatedly referred to Himself as the God who led the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and into freedom, then surely a free republic like we are must be blessed by God; so the thinking goes. Neverminded that blacks were enslaved, Native Americans were being slaughtered and driven off their land, and women had no vote. Our views within the church today on many issues are likely more informed by our politics than our faith, though many have trouble seeing that fact. Too often, Christians are conforming to our secular culture while inaccurately interpreting the biblical to support their positions.
When the culture has so thoroughly mingled with Christianity, how do we decouple the two in our own lives? The challenge is rather like a fish becoming aware of water. One easy place to start is with a healthy sense of incredulity towards anyone who declares how Christians should think or act who does so in a for-profit capacity. That includes people in media and politicians who want your vote and donations. Their motives are likely self-serving. We also need to become more wise in our interpretation of scripture. There are some pastors whose biblical exegesis is very much culturally based, so sadly, we can’t necessarily rely on our pastors. Checking online commentaries and reading the works of the early church fathers helps us get beyond our own cultural limitations when it comes to scripture. The same applies to reading theologians from outside North America and Europe. Making the effort to broaden one’s theological horizons in this way isn’t easy, but can reap significant benefits in spiritual maturity.
Our world needs Christianity to be true to the teachings of the Bible. We cannot allow the Church to be captured by our culture. If we don’t make the effort (and pay the cost), Christianity will continue to be seen as less and less relevant in the world. We need brave Christians who will save the Church from our culture.
