Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Cancel culture in the church

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I recently became aware of the term “cancel culture.” The term is new to me but the idea behind it is not. I have experienced this, and unfortunately, I have experienced this in the church.

Cancel culture happens when someone says something that is unpopular and a group responds by acting as if the “offender” does not exist. Or, in its more punitive (and more juvenile) form, the group seeks to prevent the “offender” from ever speaking again.

Now on to the church.

There are popular methodologies for growing large churches. They usually are centered around being as close to the culture as is possible without stepping over any boundaries. What those boundaries actually are is anyone’s guess because anyone who questions the boundaries . . . well, more on that later.

It is almost axiomatic in these churches that bigger is better and anything that might be construed to be uncomfortable for outsiders should be eliminated because people might be turned off and not come back. Also, there is more emphasis on connecting with popular culture and less emphasis on preaching and teaching the Bible.

The purveyors of this strategy are so sure that it will work and that the results will be good, that they feel the need to squelch, downplay, or cancel any dissenting voice.

Now, who is not for getting more people out to church? No-one would be against having more people respond to the Gospel. But sadly, the one thing that is often missing from these large churches is the Gospel. We have replaced it with social justice or some other form of behavioral modification

Labeling is a key component in the cancel culture mechanism. Anyone who questions the methodology or the goals is either identified as “religious,” “legalistic,” or some other pejorative label. Being thus labeled the one in disagreement can be effectively barred from the conversation. Yes, cancel culture is alive and well in the church.

The problem with this is that to take out all of the uncomfortable stuff leaves us with something that is not Christianity. Jesus himself said things like “deny yourself” and “take up your cross.” Jesus indicated that those who are true followers will have to face difficulties and perhaps even death.

Jesus doesn’t seem to have followed that methodology of never making his listeners uncomfortable. He often offended his hearers by an unequivocal portrayal of what it means to be a follower of God.

Christ’s preaching was hard-edged and demanded a response. The preaching in the wannabe megachurches is often soft as a tub of Play Doh and demands nothing more than 20 minutes of your time and perhaps a “like” or two on Facebook.

The writer of Proverbs tells us that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17), but Play Doh doesn’t sharpen anything.

There is a part of me (and not the healthiest part) that wants a feel-good pep talk every Sunday. There is a part of me (still not the healthiest part) that wants to feel like I’m on the “right side of history” when it comes to social issues. But there is also a part of me (this is the healthy part) that knows that appealing to my pride is not going to get me on the right spiritual track. To feel good about being “woke” or on the “right side of history” does not draw me closer to God. In fact, by stimulating my pride it can actually draw me away from a deeper relationship with God.

As a result, I will ask the lead pastor of any church I am considering attending if he purposely seeks out those who are mature believers but might have a different view of things from his own. I am tired of churches were anyone who has a different option than the lead pastor is shunned or vilified.

The counter-cultural church

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Counter Cultural ChristianityIsrael and his sons encountered a warm welcome in Egypt because of the work that God had done through Joseph to save Egypt from starvation. The Israelites enjoyed a comfortable position in the land and the favor of the Pharaohs for many years.

Then things changed. Exodus 1:8 tells us, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (ESV)

From being the group that formed policy and whose culture and background were dominant in the society, the Israelites became slaves and outcasts. They became political outsiders. They were abused by the system and were persecuted for who they were and what they believed.

The solution to their problem was not reformation of the political system. Moses tried that and found that it didn’t work out so well when he killed an Egyptian middle manager.

The Israelites did not suddenly find favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. They did not regain their status as it was when Joseph was alive. God had to break the Israelites free so that he could begin a new work in them for the benefit of the whole world. When God did this, it got much worse before it got better.

When the communists took over China, they announced an end to Christianity in that country. Yet, the church in China is the fastest growing church in the world. This despite significant persecution that continues.

In the west, our political systems were founded on a Judeo-Christian worldview, the same worldview that is under constant derision by much of the ruling intelligentsia. We wonder at the breakdown of the moral fabric of our country, yet that breakdown is inevitable given the crumbling support for our moral underpinnings.

It may be that God will bring revival to the countries in the west. If so, the church should play a role in that revival by being the conduit for the good news of Jesus Christ. Or, God may choose to allow the west to continue to decline.

The health of the true church is not dependent upon the political system in which she finds herself. We do not need the support of the government for our churches to be healthy.

Whether or not we have the support of the current Pharaoh, Prime Minister or President, the church is called to be counter-cultural. When the government seems to support the church, we should not be lulled to sleep by that illusion. When the government is in open opposition to the church, we should not be overwhelmed and feel that God failed us.

In the end, it is to Jesus that every knee will bow (Phil 2:10). The church should be leading the way in this and bowing only to Jesus. That is the most real and best counter-cultural move we can make.

Unbelief and its consequences

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In Numbers 20, Moses is commanded by God to speak to the rock to initiate a flow of water to meet the Israelites needs.

In a fit of anger, Moses instead strikes the rock and the water gushes forth. God responds to this action by telling Moses, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)

In Moses’ previous episode of bringing water from a rock, he was commanded to strike the rock. So what is the big deal about Moses doing it the same way the second time? Isn’t God’s reaction a little extreme?

The short answer is no, God’s reaction is not extreme even though my initial reaction is to think so.

Faith and UnbeliefMoses’ problem is also my problem, I struggle to believe God and act on that belief when He tells me something. God identifies Moses’ problem as lack of faith when He says, “because you have not believed . . . ”

I have observed in myself and others the tendency to do things in our own wisdom and relying on our own talents. Often, a train wreck ensues.

When I was young, much of  the church withdrew from the surrounding culture. We looked different and were often identified by the things we could not do. The church was intentionally out of style. The church stood firm on trivial issues like men’s hair length and women wearing pants. We successfully conveyed the message that those from the surrounding culture were not welcome in our church unless they cleaned themselves up to look like us.

Because withdrawal didn’t do anything good for the church or the culture, Evangelicals then tried to change the culture through political action. Political action succeeded in allowing the church’s detractors to portray Christians as right wing extremists who are determined to take people’s freedom away. This thought is with good precedent. Every time the church has gotten political power, it has gone badly for the church and the surrounding culture.

I do not see either of these responses modeled in the New Testament. If the Apostle Paul was so inclined, he could have found many things about the Roman government worthy of criticism, yet such criticism is noticeably absent from Paul’s letters.

Nor do we see Jesus withdrawing from the surrounding culture. Jesus interacted with everyone, religious or irreligious alike. He encountered the culture where it was at and shined the light on that culture.

When the church responds badly to the surrounding culture, it is an indication of lack of faith, a demonstration of unbelief. Like Moses striking the rock, we can lash out at the people around us in unrighteous anger. Or, we can withdraw and refuse interaction with those who need our message the most.

The third way is the way of Jesus. We are called to lovingly interact with the culture. We should not condone those aspects of it that are contrary to Scripture, but should acknowledge that we all fall short of God’s standard. It never ceases to amaze me that the only group that hated Jesus was the religious right. The sinners and others who acknowledged their need flocked to Jesus and were accepted by him.

This third way is sometimes messy. Some people will misunderstand. Yet this is what we are called to do. It takes faith and obedience working together to do this.

We would do well to emulate the one who we claim to worship. Acting in unbelief does have consequences. Just ask Moses.

What do you think? Your comments are encouraged and appreciated.

A lesson on the culture war from “War Horse”

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Stuck in trench warfare

In the movie War Horse, there is a scene where the horse is trapped in barbed wire between the opposing trenches. A young British soldier calls a truce and walks to the horse to cut him loose from the wire. A young German comes out to assist him. Each finds humanity in the other and the viewer gets the sense that neither of them is eager to resume the bloodshed and would prefer to go home.

War HorseAs I read the dialog regarding issues associated with the “culture war,” I cannot help thinking of that scene. We are like armies in our trenches and most of our respective arguments fall in futility on the ground between us. Those who support traditional marriage are labeled as “homophobic” or worse, regardless of whether they have expressed any hatred or fear of homosexuals. On the other side, homosexuals are accused of seeking the moral ruin of America, a charge that is neither accurate or fair.

Breaking out of the trench

I would remind followers of Jesus Christ that the one we follow told us that our defining characteristic is to be love. Jesus did not say we would be defined by our finely wrought theology. Nor did he indicate that we should be defined by our organizational prowess. It is love that is to distinguish us from the surrounding culture.

Yes, we can disagree with the culture around us, but we are to do it with love and grace. The lesson we should learn from the Moral Majority is that it is possible win the battle but loose the war. To get the upper hand in legislation does nothing to change the hearts of men and women. To win a battle in the legislature is of temporary help only.

We are called to make disciples. We do this by preaching the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Part of sharing the Gospel is being honest about what God says about our sinful nature, no matter how we choose to express our sin. We are all in need of what Jesus Christ offers. Our preaching will only be received if it is given with love and grace.

Our only hope is to get out of our trenches like the two young soldiers and begin to get to know about the other side. We will never bring reconciliation by lobbing accusations and arguments toward the other trench. If we are to win the war, it will have to be with many meetings in the disputed area between the trenches.

Only God can change hearts and for him to use us we need to reject the safety of the trench (or church pew) and make contact with our perceived antagonists. I am sure that we will be changed for the better in the process and we just might find a way to bring relief to those who are seeking it in the wrong places.

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