As a Missionary Kid (MK) and Third-Culture Kid (TCK), transferring from over 15 schools across 5 countries, I’ve seen and experienced Christianity across different cultures. An unsurprising realization is that Christianity may look different across different cultures. This ranges from worship and homiletic styles to interpersonal communication and events within a local church body. Obviously, some differences may simply be a matter of personal preference in which there may not be an objective or moral value to it (i.e.: chopsticks vs forks; different styles of worship, in which some are more expressive than others). At the same time, I believe that believers should not assume that all cultural aspects and practices are by default innocent, harmless, or pure. By the way, by “culture”, which is quite hard to narrowly define, I’m broadly referring to “the way of life of an individual” that is cultivated through one’s background (ethnicity, language, family, neighborhood etc.). If this is insufficient as a definition, please forgive me as I’m not an expert.
Also, the target audience of this post are professing, bible-belieivng Christians.
As CS Lewis once wrote that there is “no netural ground in the universe” (if someone knows where this quote is from, please let me know) and as Christ says in Mark 9:40 (cf. Matt 12:30; Lk 11:23) that “for the one who is not against us is for us,” it is safe to deduce that culture that is uncultivated by God and biblical values are cultivated by substances (thoughts, ideas, demons) that may be against Him. One cannot blindly assume culture as innocent. I’m not saying that everything belonging to a worldly culture is evil and wrong as we are still created in His Image. However, worldly culture may oftentimes be a deviation from the culture which God ordains.
Thus, as believers and people of God’s Kingdom, I believe the culture that the church should cultivate is Kingdom culture—the Spirit-filled and Spirit-driven way of life that is prescribed in Scripture. I oftentimes find that Kingdom culture is somewhat opposed to certain aspects of various cultures, both corporately in a large group setting (i.e.: ethnic culture) and smaller group setting (i.e.: family culture). Let me present a few quick examples of Christian believers that may display cultural aspects that are against Kingdom culture. These examples range from large group settings to small group settings.
**Disclaimer:
Please note that I’m not claiming that everyone of a certain culture acts and believes the same thing or shares the same tendencies. You will notice the use of “subjunctives” and conditionals—not absolutes.
Some of the examples presented below derive from my perspective, which is very limited.
Given that I am raised in an Asian background, some of the examples below may somewhat tend to target Asian tendencies.
6 Examples:
1. Communication in some cultures may operate passively. Someone embedded in such cultures may communicate less directly. They may not reveal what they truthfully believe. Such a manner of communication could come into conflict with passages in Scripture that promote confrontation and direct communication (e.g.: Matthew 18:20-25; Eph 4:15; 1 Tim 5:20; 2 Tim 4:2).
2. On the other hand, some cultures may be more verbal and outspoken. Someone embedded in such a culture may occasionally come into conflict with Scripture’s imperative to be “quick to hear and slow to speak” (Jas 1:19).
3. Some cultures may be more open to idolatry, as in, physical sculpted images. People in such a culture may adopt pagan sculpted images without seeing anything wrong with them because their culture does not see anything wrong with idols. This may come into conflict with what Scripture writes concerning physical idols (yes, idolatry is more than physical idols). Scripture affirms that there are demons behind idols (1 Cor 10:20) and God commands us to “keep yourselves from idols” (1 Jn 5:21 cf. Ezek 20:7).
4. Some cultures may be more reciprocal, in which giving or performing a good deed comes with an expectation of receiving something back in return. This may come into conflict with passages such as Luke 6:35, “…and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return.”
5. Fathers in some cultures could be somewhat more “detached” from their children in terms of interpersonal engagement. For instance, some fathers may provide, but not play with their children. (I’m not suggesting that “playing with kids” is a biblical mandate) Nonetheless, Scripture instructs Christian fathers to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” (Eph 6:4) which definitely demands communication and time. As a trivia note, the phrase “bring them up” is ektrepho, which is also translated in Ephesians 5:29 as “nourish”. It appears that the word itself connotes a continuous action, as nourishment takes time. Thus, perhaps it is safe to conclude that the command to “ektrepho your children” demands continuous interpersonal engagement.
6. Some cultures may emphasize more on filial piety (honoring the elderly). This could go both ways, good and bad. With certainty, Scripture instructs believers to honor their parents (Eph 6:1) and to not rebuke an older man (1 Tim 5:1). Hence, believers originating from a culture that emphasizes filial piety may find such biblical instructions easier to adhere to—great! On the other hand, since people in filial piety culture tend to deem people of advanced age as more mature and worthier of respect, this may thence naturally translate to the church where elderly Christians somehow are more spiritually mature and have more say on biblical and spiritual matters. This could be dangerous as age may not necessarily equate to spiritual maturity (cf. 1 Tim 4:11-12; Jer 1:6-7; Titus 2). Think of how doomed a church would be if all the congregation naturally looked to the older Christians as spiritual leaders because of their age…and not their spiritual record.
The point I’m trying to convey is that, as believers, we are called to promote Kingdom Culture. I believe that every true believer would try to do so, but oftentimes an obstacle that stands in the way of developing a biblical, Spirit-filled culture is our hidden cultural influences and presuppositions (also shaped by our culture) that may not stem from a Christian or biblical root. It is key that we identify these issues. Again, I’m not presenting absolutes.
An Analogy
If I could provide one quick example and analogy before presenting biblical exposition, consider a child raised in an abusive family (childhood abuse).
I hope everyone reading this would agree that it is vital for the child to acknowledge the “wrongness” of his/her parent’s actions and that both physical and emotional abuse is not ok. I hope you would also agree that if the child encounters a person out of romantic interest, only to discover that he/she also has similar abusive tendencies, the child should immediately leave that relationship. The danger is that, given that the child is raised in such a family culture, he/she may consider it normative (or “ok”) for abuse to take place or be prone to revictimization.
(According to IBCCES, one raised in an abusive relationship may continue to seek relationships that are emotionally abusive. Furthermore, a research study done in 2012 shows “a significant association” between physical abuse and revictimization.)
What this means is that, only through firstly identifying the cultural specifics that he/she was raised in—namely, an abusive and uncomfortable family culture—can this child grow and prevent such harm. (this should be purely logical…not even spiritual) Nonetheless, the same applies to the Christian faith in our spiritual growth and endeavors for the Gospel.
Biblical basis
The Kingdom of God is oftentimes known as an “upside-down Kingdom”, that is, it subverts many ways of the secular world. Thus, the notion of identifying cultural “differences” or practices that are unbiblical and anti-Gospel is a biblical notion throughout both testaments.
Without getting into the specifics of the Old Testament, consider Deuteronomy 18:9b (cf. Lev 18:3; 20:23; Jer 10:2), “…you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations,” such as the practice of divination, fortune telling, and child sacrifice (18:10-14). Clearly, the practice of child sacrifice was considered culturally acceptable among Canaanite tribes—but not in the eyes of God. God’s people were living in the land of pagan culture and practices but firmly instructed to subvert the culture of the land.
Many passages can be used as examples in the New Testament, but let’s consider Paul’s address to the Athenians in Acts 17. The Greco-Roman world was highly superstitious, paganistic (17:22), and polytheistic, with people worshiping an “unknown god” (17:23). Idols were everywhere. Yet, Paul made an offensive and counter-cultural monotheistic claim, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth…” (17:24) Even though Paul would have been accustomed to the ancient pagan world, he did not accept pagan rituals nor compromise Christian truth with that culture.
Nonetheless, I believe Scripture is clear concerning a believer’s engagement with culture—that we should be aware of our culture and examine it carefully against God’s Word.
Concluding Thoughts
Culture is quite hard to define as it encompasses a ton of things that contribute to our noetic structure (all our beliefs) and epistemology. Yet, as Christ demands a holistic submission to Him as King and a holistic life filled and engaged with the Spirit, the Christian walk demands us to constantly re-examine ourselves—our thoughts, beliefs, and actions—as well as the roots that shape our identities (i.e.: beliefs and behavior).
Nonetheless, I believe that the more a believer engages with God in prayer, worship, and Scripture, the more the Spirit reveals our cultural tendencies and epistemological roots. I believe the Lord desires a holistic transformation and progression into holiness and that demands a deep internal search within ourselves. (this is perhaps similar to Augustine’s double knowledge)
With certainty, I’m still growing and realizing more previously hidden cultural beliefs and behaviors that may not necessarily be biblical—massive thanks to my wonderful wife; but at the end of the day, may we all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Pet 3:18) while growing in the knowledge of ourselves so that we may grow better in His likeness.
Reflection questions:
- What is the culture I am raised with? Are any of these beliefs and practices potentially antithetical to what Scripture mandates?
- Ask some close friends about some tendencies that they see in you (both good and bad). Where do those tendencies come from? How did they develop?
- Think of a Christian brother or sister that you highly respect, or that is highly regarded in your Christian circles. Are there differences in lifestyle?
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