Culture in the Christian Worldview: Part III
Part III: The Christian and Culture
This is Part III in a three-part series on Culture in the Christian Worldview. Click here to read Part I and here to read Part II.
So far, we’ve looked at where culture comes
from and a framework we could use to consider it. What remains is to answer the
questions of why and
how Christians should engage
with culture. Daniel Strange’s book Plugged
In (see Resources) makes similar points (and in a much more persuasive way),
so I thoroughly recommend that to any Christian reader.
The Why
It’s Everywhere
Culture is everywhere. The reason I have used
the word ‘culture’ in these articles is because it is so broad, encompassing
what we read (on paper or online), what we watch (big screen or small), what we
listen to (music or words) and more. All human efforts communicate something of
our values, either explicitly or implicitly, and we are wired to understand
these messages, sometimes without realizing.
Culture is so inescapable it’s easy to switch
off and let these things pass us by. But by being passive, we shut ourselves off
from a rich and intricate world of meaning, and instead content ourselves with
low-resolution renderings of the world we live in. We are surrounded by such a wealth
of opportunities to engage with these great questions, we short-change
ourselves by missing them.
It’s Powerful
What we read and watch not only tells us
how the world thinks, but it can shape how we think too. As different ideas are
presented to us, we can learn, change our minds, or discover things within
ourselves that we hadn’t seen before (e.g., rooting for the villain). We use
the narratives we find in culture as ways of making sense of the world. Some
point us in good directions, and others do not. Stories are powerful, and we
are very easily influenced.
Many of the cultural expressions we
encounter do not seem to be ‘saying’ anything especially – we just want to
relax and be entertained. But even this approach to ‘art’ can tell us something
of culture’s values. There has to be some reason why we like the things we like. Otherwise, why watch or read
anything? Nothing is silent, or completely devoid of values. On reflection, we
may find more values being communicated than we might have thought. Perhaps,
then, it is even more important that we critically assess the worldview(s)
broadcasted to us.
Paul in Athens
Since cultural expressions are both
inescapable and potent, we have a responsibility to engage with them
critically, as active and aware participants in the world. By doing so we can
better understand ourselves, our neighbours and our current cultural context,
and can speak more incisively into our cultural values. We can also then
recognize the most pertinent aspects of the Christian worldview for our
contemporary moment. Consider Paul in Athens:
‘22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”’ (Acts 17:22-29)
Three times in this speech Paul refers to
the culture of Athens, and draws out from it some of the values defining
Athenian life and presuppositions. He springboards from these to the Gospel. In
verse 23, Paul identifies their instinct to worship and their acknowledged
ignorance at their altar. Paul affirms common grace, recognizing the
consistency of some of the Athenians’ worldview with what Scripture reveals to
be true. Verse 27 suggests the function of culture - it acts as a barometer for
our spiritual condition, and charts our trajectory back to Eden. Paul cements
the truth of this by quoting the Greek philosopher Epimenides and the poet
Aratus in verse 28. This tells us three things:
- Paul knew Athenian
culture: Rather than shunning the art, politics
and philosophy that characterized Athens, Paul has clearly encountered
these writers and knows that his audience would also be familiar with
them, and that these examples would resonate with the Athenians as
representative of what they believe.
- Paul understood Athenian
culture: Paul was able to connect the dots
between Athenian culture and what is true of the Christian worldview and
identify the insufficiencies of the Athenian worldview. The first
quotation in verse 28 is from a hymn to Zeus, so although the author does
not intend for it to vindicate the God of Israel, Paul is happy to co-opt
it for that use. Paul sees that truth is true, regardless of who says it.
As Christians, we are in a far better place to understand the world than most people. We know what it means to be human; a fallen image-bearer beloved by God. We know Christ as our Saviour, Brother and Friend. We are in a close relationship with the One who made the world for his glory, so we can understand things in their true context. Also, God has given us the Scriptures. Therefore, Christians have the potential to be the best literary critics, as we approach texts in their full and proper context. - Paul
completes Athenian culture: Simply drawing the
affinities between the pagan and Christian mindsets is not redemptive.
Only in Jesus can we find forgiveness of sins, and so Paul bridges the gap
between the scrambling philosophies of Ancient Greece with God’s command
to repent and believe the Gospel. Christ as Logos provides the answer to
each and every question, and it is our duty as Christians to extend these
answers to the lost world, as Paul does here.
Evidently, Paul thought it important to be
conversant with his contemporary culture and the values it communicated. In
fact, it is seeing Athens’ culture that prompts Paul’s reaction; ‘his spirit was provoked within him
as he saw that the city was full of idols’ (Acts 17:16). Is this true of
us, Christian friends? We can certainly be outraged by what’s popular on TV,
but does this prompt us, like Paul, to connect these to the Christian
worldview? Or do we just complain and dismiss it? Culture - be that art,
politics, philosophy or literature – tells us where our society stands, what morals
it holds and its insufficiencies when measured against God’s revealed truth.
In light of what he sees, Paul cannot
remain silent. As Christians who know God, we cannot afford to be silent either.
God has placed us as ‘elect exiles’ in these cultures (1 Peter 1:1), and we
have a duty, I believe, to engage with our surroundings - even if, like Daniel,
we find ourselves in Babylon. God has placed us in this world, with the minds
and bodies that we have, with the purpose of knowing and glorifying him, as we
inhabit and fill Creation. This gives not only dignity to this call to consider
culture, but a compulsion to do it and to do it well to the glory of God. So
rather than asking ‘why?’, we should be asking ‘how?’
The How
Paul’s example is a model both for what we
should do, and how we should do it. So, at risk of repetition, this is how we
should interact with culture:
- Know
our culture: Rather than retreat to our comfort
zones, we must be like Paul in our civilization’s Areopaguses. Listen to
what people are saying, consider what we watch and read. I would suggest
this includes an awareness of the latest trends, so we can understand the
forces prevalent in our culture.
It is essential to bear in mind these parallel truths in 1 Corinthians 10:26 and 10:23. Verse 26:
‘For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof”.’ (10:26)
God is God, and as the only sovereign source of life and truth, all truth belongs to him. But this does not remove the sting and danger of culture, as we see in verse 23:
‘“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.’ (10:23)
The need to understand our culture does not
excuse being ignorant or naive to the dangers and damage of what surrounds us.
Sin is still grievous and our consciences tender. Engaging with culture is not
an endorsement of culture, and we must be vigilant to its temptations.
- Understand
our culture: Once something has piqued our interest
(or ire), like the idols and poetry of Athens, we must try to discern what
is being communicated, and the implications of this. What are the values
this film upholds (or rejects)? What about this book keeps us engaged, and
emotionally responsive? If we lived like this, what would the consequences
be? Paul identifies how the Christian worldview is shadowed in Gentile
culture. This is hard to do well, as we can often read our worldview into our culture. We don’t want to
trivialize the Christian worldview. I hope to unpack this tension in a few
posts shortly.
- Complete
our culture: Weigh our culture in the light of
Scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 commands us to ‘test everything; hold fast
what is good’. Once we have understood our culture, let’s learn to
recognize how this points to and falls short of God’s Gospel. Celebrate
what it gets right about the world, and complete the arcs where it falls
short, like Paul in Athens. My prayer is that this blog may demonstrate
this. Unbelieving friends will not turn to Christ because Saving Private Ryan demonstrates
salvation and sacrifice. But, they may come to understand that the reason
sacrifice resonates with them is that the One who created the world
sacrificed himself for us. They must come to see that the world can only
make sense when viewed in light of the Gospel. We must articulate the
Christian worldview.
I would add another principle to these,
absent in Acts 17 but in line with our cultural mandate and our urge to add to
God’s world:
- Create culture: Christians can also participate in this conversation by creating art of their own - a subject worthy of a dedicated string of articles. We are creative by nature and should think critically and purposefully about what we create, and perhaps, even gently, we can help steer the conversation, and lift our collective gaze in a heavenward direction.
Conclusion
Culture is
everywhere, and impacts our thoughts, ideals and imaginations. The world
encourages us to switch off and consume culture – be that literature, films,
music, etc. – but we are thinking beings and cannot afford to be passive.
Rather, and especially as Christians, we have a duty to engage with our culture
critically, weighing its values and implications against the plumbline of God’s
revealed truth in Scripture. He created the world, for his glory, and as such
all of our creative expressions end up reflecting or shadowing some aspects of
his design language. There is tremendous need and rich opportunity to approach
culture in this way, as individuals and as the church, to sound the depths of
the world God has made and how we and our neighbours try to make sense of it.
As Paul does in Athens, so we too must identify the tension points in our
culture, and connect the dots between these efforts to return to Eden, and the
gospel hope of re-creation God has opened to us in the Bible.
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