02 November 2014

Culture "Wars"

I've been bugged for a while now by the claims of evangelical Christians that America is a godless country that needs to return to its Christian origins. The dead horse of how awful culture has become - homosexual marriage, sex & violence in the entertainment industry, and of course the shame of substance abuse - is trotted out to be beaten to death on right-wing media outlets. And as a Christian, I agree, these are terrible depredations. But what of it? How are we as Christians to interact with the culture? A recently popular article on Facebook made the claim that the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) slogan should have us passing another beer to a friend who was already drunk, but is that Biblical?

Obviously, I think not. The majority of that article was spot-on, claiming that a WWJD Christian would be out with the "sinners" of our society - notably, as defined by societal mores, not necessarily Biblical guidelines. Paul tells Timothy to drink a little wine, and Jesus' first miracle in John 2 was turning something like 420L of water into wine so a wedding feast could continue. (And I have no idea what first-century weddings were like in Palestine, but if you'd run out of wine and needed that much more, unless the whole village was invited, I kind of doubt it was a 1-glass limit.) But does being friends with "sinners" mean becoming a "sinner"?
Yes and No. Yes, people may view us as sinners based on their conceptions of morality. No, we are not to become sinful to reach those who are lost. However, we are clearly to befriend them, not pass by on the far side of the road, lest their wounds - emotional, psychological, and otherwise - besmear us. Just because they are trying to self-medicate doesn't mean they don't need medicine. In truth, they need the great physician who can heal their souls, not a substance that can dull their pain or numb their wits.
So, what better opportunity to reach out than when society says it's Okay to externalise your pain, projecting it through your dress, entertainment choices, or alcohol consumption? Rather than bemoan society's newest "low," we should spend our energy in prayer for those who are hurting. And I use scare quotes because we ought to remember that not only did Jesus become incarnate in the backwoods of the Roman empire, His kingdom made some of its greatest advances in the midst of persecution and death at the hands of what could be considered the most licentious culture Western civilization has known. So why should we fear that "America has become godless" when the Church historically has made its greatest strides in times of moral depravity?
The famous "Love" passage of the New Testament, I Corinthians 13, was written to a church located in a city that was known for its temple prostitutes. How to better proclaim truth than by defining & demonstrating Biblical love for a sex-crazed society? Rather than fighting piddly "culture wars" by trying to prevent gay marriage or the decriminalization of marijuana, let's try to live such Biblically-winsome lives that the society says "That group of people cares about me. Why?" For we do not struggle against flesh and blood, which will invariably give themselves up to their sinful lusts, but against an Enemy who wants to distract us from the real war being waged for our souls.

6 comments:

  1. "But does being friends with "sinners" mean becoming a "sinner"?"
    Here's where you lost me, Robert. You see - I'm already a sinner. I have absolutely no virtue to loose by hanging out with sinners - any goodness - any sense of justice, any inclination for righteousness is a gift from God. It is Christ who sets us free - and his grace can't be tainted by association. We are free to love on others as extravagantly as he has loved us. In my opinion, we lost the culture war the minute we decided to fight it, rather than getting on our knees and washing the feet of those around us.
    In other words - I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion - just don't make so much of a distinction between 'them' sinners and 'us' sinners. It's 'we' sinners who need a savior.

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    1. Jean, thanks for clarifying. That question was intended as rhetorical, and I believe the next few sentences in the original post clarified my pseudo-dichotomy of being viewed by the culture (secular and religious) as a "sinner" (think Mark 7 - He eats with sinners and tax collectors!) versus sinning in order to evangelize. That is, I wholeheartedly agree with you that *we* sinners need a Saviour, and that I am no better than those to whom I hope to reach out; my point was that outreach does not justify licentious behavior. Jesus never cheated anyone of their money like the tax collectors He befriended; nor did He prostitute His body like Mary Magdelene. At the same time, He did not pass judgement on those who did. He loves us in our weakness, but does not succumb to it Himself.

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  2. I also think you make a good point - the culture wars are driven by fear. It's a reactive force - "what'll this do to the traditional family?" "What'll they teach my kids?" "What effect will this have on XYZ?" Many Christians are so focused on the problems of the secular culture that they can not see the negative influences caused by their own fear, isolationism, and (often) ignorance. It is a sign of a church trying to bring about change in it's own strength - rather than through the power of God's spirit.

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    1. Thank you - and so much of this is frustrating precisely because the conversation tends toward legalism vs. antinomianism, while not simply defaulting to "In the world, but not of it."

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  3. Robert - I was thinking of you last night while I listened to Alistair Begg. I think he beautifully merges the idea of doing good works while maintaining personal purity. We don't shrink back from sinners - but we also don't adopt their habits or behaviors.
    http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/work-word-part-three/
    If you have some time, you should give it a listen.

    P.S. When is little Baby girl due? Will y'all be around TN the Sunday after Thanksgiving?

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  4. Thanks, Jean, I'll check that out!

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