It’s been said that history is a wonderful teacher, but a terrible master.
In this guest article, Trip Kimball uses history as a teacher. It’s a scholarly look into three significant ways that Christians throughout history have responded to the changes around us — both good and bad — to give us a better understanding of how to respond to today’s cultural shifts in a biblical way.
— Karl Vaters
Culture is dynamic. Fluid and fickle. Culture changes over time, sometimes with extreme pendular swings. Popular culture is reflective of shared beliefs, values, and social norms.
Each swing of culture has its own trends, like currents within the ocean, as movements within the larger cultural context.
People tend to respond in one of three general ways to pendular swings in culture: to reject, embrace, or engage each swing. Only one of these approaches is effective in bringing helpful change or productive dialogue.
These pendular swings of culture have one fixed point — human nature. They all pivot on self, our basic nature. Not our identity but our being, our innate essence centered on self-preservation.
On the surface self-preservation makes sense. It’s expected, natural. But when the self is corrupt or fragmented it’s not so good. At its basest level, self-preservation is bound to cause conflict. These conflicts disrupt our shared experiences, resulting in culture clashes.
These culture clashes are very noticeable in cross-cultural missionary experiences, but they also happen across and within sub-cultures.
1) Rejection of Cultural Shifts
Rejection is the preferred approach of those who oppose a culture shift, especially when it impacts them personally. It’s not just resistance but rejection — an unwillingness to accept or consider a cultural change.
Rejection of a cultural shift is a defense of what was, an attempt to turn back the tide of change. On the surface, to those who are opposing the change, it seems gallant and right. But it takes on a sense of righteousness. And indeed, it may very well be a righteous stance.
It’s not hard to find exceptional examples of resistance to evil. The prophet Daniel and his three cohorts (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) refused to worship anyone else but their God, the Most-High God, the Living God (Daniel 3:12–18, 26; 6:10–23, 26).
Their stand would cost them their lives, but God intervened.
Lessons from History
Taking a righteous stand against evil requires a willingness to die for righteousness’ sake. And God doesn’t always intervene.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a modern-day example of this. He was a Lutheran pastor/theologian who stood up to Nazism and paid for it with his life. His testimony is an example of resisting an evil trend.
Not all resistance to cultural change is so righteous or wise. The Jesus People Movement and the Charismatic Renewal of the mid 1960s and early -70s (parallel moves of God’s Spirit in America) were largely resisted and condemned by the established churches of that time.
The resistance proved foolish and fruitless. It reminds me of what Gamaliel warned Jewish leaders about when they considered contending with the followers of Jesus; …if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God (Acts 5:39).
This is as a lesson to consider when attempting to resist/reject present cultural trends. The resistance of Bonhoeffer and others in the German Confessing Church did not stem the tide of Nazism. That took a world war. And yet the Nazi mindset and influence lives on.
The Jesus Movement and Charismatic Renewal did prevail and reshape the practice of Christianity during the cultural upheaval of the 1960s and -70s. It powerfully impacted American culture, then sadly faded. What was once a powerful cultural influence morphed into the present common approach to culture.
2) Embracing Cultural Shifts
The flip side of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the German Confessing Church’s resistance to Nazism is the German Christian movement. This movement was composed of fanatic Nazi Protestants, a politicized church subculture that was devoid of the Spirit of God.
This movement embraced the political-cultural wave of Hitler’s Nazi regime. They reshaped theology to buttress their nationalistic beliefs, distorting the gospel into their own racist image.
Another spiritual movement in America during the 1970s and early -80s was a hybrid smorgasbord of Eastern religions and amenable philosophies. These quasi-religious groups became known as the New Age movement, a full embrace of the countercultural social revolution of the Sixties.
It epitomized what became known as the Me Generation of the Seventies.
A Personal Shift
Towards the end of 1969 I began to leave the emerging New Age movement in pursuit of Jesus, joining the nascent Jesus People Movement.
My wife and I, each on our own journey, came into a personal relationship with the Lord (and with each other). I remember our wedding day for a lot of reasons, but especially since it marked my departure from a time of wandering in the darkness and into the light of God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).
As the 1970s progressed, the difference between embracing and engaging culture became evident. The Me Generation fully embraced the main attraction of the New Age movement; a mystical pursuit of self. Its ripple effect built to the current cultural wave, the “I” Generation. Some may see it as the idealized self, but the idolized self seems more apropos.
In too many ways, evangelical Christianity in America tends to either oppose or embrace the current cultural wave. Both approaches fail to have their intended effect. Fighting culture wars is a losing battle and the if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them approach is futile and foolish.
Consider this. Mere opposition to the cultural wave builds a wall neither side can, or is willing to climb. Pursuing this approach results in the inability — perhaps unwillingness — to reach out to younger generations.
When well-intentioned Christians embrace the cultural flow of expressive individualism (the “I” Generation) they stop being light and salt to the world (Matthew 5:13–15). Instead of influencing the culture for good, they get swallowed up by the cultural tide. This leads to a shallow, compromised, pseudo-Christian faith.
3) Engaging People within Cultural Shifts
Engaging people within the culture means we neither fight nor embrace the culture itself. The key is engaging people. Remember, culture is dynamic. It will change over time.
People are people. Our basic nature doesn’t change. Internal change only takes place when a person’s basic nature , their soul, is transformed with new life.
This is what Jesus referred to as new birth (John 3:3–8), something God brings about by His Spirit touching our spirit, our nature. The Lord produces this spiritual transformation in us as we personally trust in Him and surrender our lives to Him.
Jesus, the Great Engager
Jesus was a master at engaging people within their culture, whether they approached Him as friend or foe. He related to people without typical cultural filters. Even His primary followers had different backgrounds and livelihoods.
A classic example is Jesus engaging a woman of questionable character at Jacob’s well near Sychar in the region of Samaria. It was culturally inappropriate for a Jewish man to engage a Samaritan woman in conversation.
Consider His disciples’ reaction as they return from a shopping excursion to find Jesus talking with this woman: At that time his disciples returned. They were surprised that he was talking to a woman. But none of them asked him, “What do you want from her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” (John 4:27 GW).
As the story continues Jesus uses this opportunity to train His disciples to follow His lead. He wants them to see how to engage with people of different ethnicities and cultures (John 4:31–42).
When confronted by Jewish leaders about an adulteress (which required stoning her according to Jewish Law), Jesus used the situation as an opportunity to display His discernment and wisdom (John 8:1–11).
Somehow Jesus convinced these leaders of their unworthiness to judge this woman: When they persisted in asking him questions, he straightened up and said, “The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground. One by one, beginning with the older men, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the woman (John 4:7–9 GW).
Jesus didn’t overlook the woman’s sin while granting His mercy. Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Where did they go? Has anyone condemned you?” The woman answered, “No one, sir.” Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you either. Go! From now on don’t sin.” (John 4:10–11 GW)
We also see Jesus’ graciousness in His encounter with the rich young ruler. Jesus listened to him, then allowed the young man to declare his moral goodness (Mark 10:17–27). Jesus told him something difficult, then showed compassion for him. Jesus looked at him and loved him. He told him, “You’re still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!” (Mark 10:21 GW)
Jesus engaged a variety of people in unexpected ways throughout the Gospels. He shows us how we can engage people in gracious and respectful ways.
Reaching Younger Generations within a Cultural Shift
If the Evangelical church wants to reach younger generations with the gospel, it needs to engage younger people in dialogue, develop genuine relationships with them, and do this with respect and love, just as Jesus did.
Years ago a friend of mine, a well-known career missionary, shared a message at a missions conference on the importance of dialoguing when sharing the gospel. He used the example of Jesus as a young man in the Temple (Luke 2:41–49). My friend pointed out three things: Jesus sat among the teachers, He listened to them, and asked questions.
If we want to engage people, we need to spend time with them, listening, asking, and answering questions with humility.
A Message to Boomers
I’m a holdover from the Jesus People movement and a baby boomer, so I say this as a boomer to boomers; we need to do more listening than talking. We don’t know everything.
Even when we think we do, we need to follow the lead of Jesus in the Temple, with the Samaritan woman, with the adulteress and her accusers, and with the rich young ruler.
Dialogue was an important element for the fruitfulness of the Jesus Movement. I remember many conversations with people who were gracious with all my questions. They helped me move past less fruitful conversations.
But I also remember when I was approached with prepared, one-way presentations of the gospel. When I realized these people weren’t interested in engaging me personally, it turned me off.
And then there was the time I was thrown out of a church because I asked challenging questions. Needless to say, this hindered my acceptance of the gospel.
A monologue approach comes across as self-righteous or self-important. That didn’t work then and it won’t be effective now. Humble personal engagement is far more effective.
Personal engagement with humility is a simple yet effective way to approach cultural shifts.
If you’d like to consider this more from other sources—here are three I’ve found helpful.
- 3 Reasons Upcoming Cultural Changes Will Hit The Bible Belt Especially Hard – And What To Do About It (Karl Vaters)
- Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age (Alan O Noble)
- God of Tomorrow: How to Overcome the Fears of Today and Renew Your Hope for the Future (Caleb Kaltenbach)
(Photo by Andres Alvarado | Flickr)
