“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:5-6 NKJV
Aristotle once described the challenge of culture as the dilemma of a fish in water (Mohler, 2011, p.xv). Christians are like Aristotle’s fish which Mohler (2011) describes as being completely unaware they are wet or swimming in a cultural context that is more complex than ever experienced in the history of the Christian church (p.xv). Despite the ubiquity of culture and its pervasive influence, Morrow (2011) says that defining it can be a challenge due to the diversity of ways the word itself is used (p.31). Defining culture is nevertheless necessary because understanding the world and how God’s people are to relate to it is at the heart of developing a philosophy of cultural engagement. Indeed, Tim Keller poignantly stated that there is no more crucial issue facing Christians today than the relationship of the church and the gospel to contemporary culture (Morrow, 2011, p.15). In light of that, theologian Kevin Vanhoozer suggests that culture is the environment and atmosphere in which we live and breathe with others (Morrow, 2011, p.33). Andy Crouch is said to have described culture in a transferable way as simply what people make of the world (Morrow, 2011, p.33). Crouch (2008) does so because his perspective views culture as more than just a set of ideas but as primarily a set of tangible goods (p.10). Culture has also been described as religion externalized because it is defined as the outward expression of the core values, inner virtues, and vital aspiration of a people who live together in community. This is my personal philosophy of cultural engagement that is built upon a resolute biblical foundation at the heart of a comprehensive Christian worldview. These principles have been demonstrated through my life and ministry having served at churches, camps, and conferences across the United States and in six foreign countries to the praise of God’s glory in Christ Jesus and the good of multitudes far and wide.
Biblical Basis for Engaging Culture
My personal philosophy of cultural engagement is built upon a five-fold biblical foundation at the heart of a comprehensive Christian worldview which includes the following: 1. Vertical Reality of Yahweh’s Sovereign Majesty, 2. Dominion Mandate of the Imago Dei, 3. Ekklesia as Pillar and Ground of the Truth, 4. Modern Exiles in a Pagan Culture, and 5. Missional Mandate of the Grace Commission.
Vertical Reality of Yahweh’s Sovereign Majesty-Isaiah 6:1-8 cf. Romans 11:33-36
During a time of national crisis, Isaiah, the eighth century B.C. court prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah, received a glimpse of the Holy One of Heaven and Eternal King who is high and lifted up reigning in majesty supreme. A reverential fear of the LORD as the God who is the Great I AM is at the heart of a comprehensive Christian worldview driving cultural engagement (Pr 1:7; 9:10). God’s thrice holy character and nature is the absolute standard of righteousness which governs the aesthetic virtues of that which is good, beautiful, and true as demonstrated through cultural texts (Ex 20:1-3ff; Deut 6:4).
Dominion Mandate of the Imago Dei-Genesis 1:26-28 cf. Psalm 8:6-8
Almighty God uniquely created mankind in His image on the sixth literal day of creation week just several thousand years ago (Gen 1:31; Ex 20:11). As the crown of creation, mankind was entrusted with a stewardship responsibility of the cultural mandate to take dominion of the earth for the glory of the Creator. This agency of dominion included filling the earth with worship through procreation and vocation as vice-regents of the Creator (Gen 2:15, 24). Mankind is responsible before God to engage culture for His glory.
Ekklesia as Pillar and Ground of the Truth-2 Timothy 3:16-4:8 cf. 1 Timothy 3:15
The Church, the Body of Christ, in general and the local church in particular is at the heart of a comprehensive Christian worldview or philosophy of cultural engagement (Eph 3:10). As a distinct facet of the dispensation of grace, local churches are designed to be the established testimony of the Pauline gospel to their respective communities in every culture among all nations worldwide (1 Cor 9:19-23). Church is not peripheral but central to engaging culture as it is the God-ordained pillar and ground of doctrinal, moral, and ethical truth (1 Tim 1:3; Titus 2:1).
Modern Exiles in a Pagan Culture-Acts 17:16-34 cf. Jeremiah 29:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Christians must intentionally engage culture rather than be offended to the point of isolation or delighted to a level of assimilation as demonstrated by Paul surrounded by idolatry in ancient Athens and as Yahweh instructed the exiles of Judah in the pagan society of Babylon. God’s people must understand that although they are in this world, they are not of this world but are citizens of the government of heaven (Jn 17:14-18; Phil 3:20). This tension yet includes a responsibility to uphold civil magistrates in prayer being duty-bound to intercede on behalf of those who have not only been appointed by Almighty God but also are accountable to the KING of kings and LORD of lords who desires all mankind to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (Rom 13:1-7; 1 Tim 2:1-4).
Missional Mandate of the Grace Commission-2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2 cf. Ephesians 3:8-9
Every Christian is an ambassador for Christ whose heart has been transformed by God’s love through the gospel of His grace and has been deployed to live on mission “in Christ” with the same message that changed their life for eternity. This message of reconciliation is for everyone and includes no required expressions of faith as did the gospel of the kingdom under the prophetic program because the revelation of the mystery of God’s grace entrusted to and through Apostle Paul teaches that Jews and Gentiles have both been reconciled to God through Christ’s finished work (Eph 2:8-18 cf. Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38). The sobering reality of this mandate is that unless Christ’s ambassadors intentionally transcend cultural boundaries to take the gospel of grace from where it is to where it is not, multitudes will never have the opportunity to even hear of Jesus Christ besides potentially trusting Him as Savior (Rom 10:14; 15:14-21).
Theoretical Basis for Engaging Culture
Understanding that as religion externalized, culture is defined as the outward expression of the values, virtues, and aspirations of a group of people who live together in community. My personal philosophy of cultural engagement is therefore also built upon a five-fold theoretical framework informed by a comprehensive Christian worldview rooted in Holy Scripture which includes the following: 1. Foundation, 2. Nucleus, 3. Substance, 4. Scope, and 5. Responsibility of Cultural Engagement.
Foundation of Cultural Engagement: Biblical Authority
Standing upon the absolute authority of the Word of God from the very first verse is the fuel of creation apologetics and the foundation of cultural engagement. Evolutionary philosophy is based upon autonomous human reason and has produced a secularized culture that is increasingly hostile to the exclusive truth claims of biblical Christianity. Ham (2018) notes that whereas the gospel message has not changed, the way it is presented in this culture does need to change or be reset for the world we now live in (p.10). For example, a comparison of Peter’s sermon to Jews in Acts chapter 2 and Paul’s sermon to Greeks in Acts chapter 17 illustrates this accordingly. In contrast to those in Jerusalem, the Athenians possessed no foundational knowledge of the one true and living God’s revelation of Himself in Scripture regarding creation, sin, redemption, and judgement (Ham, p.19). Paul’s apologetic approach to cultural engagement therefore contextualized the gospel for what Ham (2018) calls an Acts 17-type culture (p.67). Guinness (2015) poignantly states that the proper business of apologetics is urgently needed in our far more post-Christian times than previous generations (p.110). Furthermore, Guinness (2015) explains that the discipline of apologetics is pre-evangelism for those who are unaware of their spiritual plight and the authenticity of the gospel’s remedy (p.110).
Nucleus of Cultural Engagement: Biblical Family and Church
Biblical family and church life is designed by God to be the countercultural nucleus of engaging culture through the inward-outward discipleship paradigm (Kinnaman, 2016, pp.248-252). Good faith Christians are described by Kinnaman (2016) as those who understand the calling of vocation as a balanced dynamic between an inward cultivation of our spiritual lives and an outward expression of our faith in the world (p.251). This nucleus is composed of both family and church as Hunter (2010) affirms that Christians must cultivate tension with the world by affirming the centrality of the local assembly (p.282). In tandem with this affirmation, Crouch (2008) beautifully expresses that the family, so seemingly insignificant in an age of technology and celebrity, is still the heart and soul of culture where most people are called to cultivate and create (p.12). Speaking of the church in his critique of Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture, Carter (2003) poignantly states that it is always against culture and, by virtue of being who it is called to be, also transforms culture (p.398). Such could also be said of the countercultural dynamic of biblical family life (Deut 6:4-9; Ps 78:1-8; 1 Thes 2:11-12).
Substance of Cultural Engagement: Biblical Truth
Boldly engaging the culture of the modern era through a comprehensive Christian worldview must be carried out with the robust substance of biblical truth otherwise known as the content of sound doctrine (2 Tim 1:8-14; 4:2-4). In this spirit, P. T. Forsyth, a Scottish Congregationalist minister and theologian at the turn of the twentieth century is noted by Keller (2015) to have said that in the history of the church, it’s greatest effectiveness was always when the world was not echoed, or attempted to be led, but much rather confronted with biblical truth (p.96). The old Scotsman further explained that the Christian preacher is not the successor to the Greek orator with all his eloquence but of none other than the ancient Hebrew prophet as an emissary of Yahweh (Keller, p.96). Understanding that not all Christians are called to be preachers who deliver expository sermons any given Sunday, Keller (2015) explains three levels of Word ministry that do include all believers in some way (p.1). Whether it is informal communication with friends, neighbors, and co-workers, the more prepared nature of teaches classes or leading a small group, or through the formal preaching of sermons in the context of Christian worship, all believers are called to engage culture with biblical truth in some fashion (Keller, p.4). Substantive biblical doctrine and Christian apologetics must be used to challenge what Keller (2015) describes as the baseline cultural narratives that are in direct opposition to the truth (2 Cor 10:3-5; Col 2:6-10) (p.115).
Scope of Cultural Engagement: Biblical Worldview
The missional scope of gospel application is greater than the breadth of cultural engagement in the modern era because a biblical worldview encompasses the urgency of the human condition in every era of history. At the heart of this initiative is the gospel which Platt (2015) describes as the lifeblood of Christianity and the greatest offense to culture (p.1). Apart from the gospel, there is no push-back from the world because it is the gospel which actually creates confrontation with the culture around and within us (1 Cor 1:18, 21) (Platt, p.1). As the foundation for countering culture, the gospel compels Christians to engage with genuine compassion for the spiritual plight and unjust physical suffering of men, women, boys, and girls many of which have never heard of Jesus Christ (Platt, p.xvii). Compassion fuels resolute conviction because the world could change one heart at a time if the transforming power of the gospel were to shine into the darkness of such hopelessness (2 Cor 4:6). Conviction through the obedience of faith leads to the courageously initiation of decisive action for the sake of a cultural engagement on behalf of a dark world in urgent need of living hope in Christ (2 Cor 4:7). Once again, good faith Christians are described by Kinnaman (2016) as people who contend that every sphere of human endeavor including science, commerce, business, and politics are at their best when approached from a distinctly theological point of view (p.14). The late apologist Francis Schaeffer issued a prophetic indictment against the evangelical world decades ago when he predicted that the future would be a further disaster if the Church does not take a stand for biblical truth and morality in the full spectrum of life (Platt, p.19). Kyrie eleison.
Responsibility of Cultural Engagement: Biblical Accountability
Christians are morally accountable before God for the stewardship responsibility we have been entrusted with for the sake of engaging culture with the moral back pressure of the salt and light of biblical truth in every arena of life. Out of love for God first and neighbor second, Mohler (2011) affirms that believers care about marriage, sexuality, children, the dignity of human life, and a host of related issues (p.xviii). Kinnaman (2016) notes that what he describes as good faith is beneficial for not only the faithful but for nonbelievers (p.14). A comprehensive biblical Christian worldview or philosophy of cultural engagement that is faithfully and consistently lived well is the good faith that Kinnaman (2016) rightly suggests may be the best hope for our neighbors and society as a whole (p.15). This is the similar sentiment that Hunter (2010) expresses in his theology of faithful presence in the context of a new city commons (p.279). In the midst of this diverse arena that the community of faith is exhorted to a commitment to the highest ideals of human flourishing (Hunter, p.279). Faithful Christian witness in the context of the modern cultural milieu requires that believers think deeply about the relevant issues of the day and respond with decisive action out of being compelled by God’s love for a world in need of truth for the glory of His name (2 Cor 5:14-15).
References
Carter, Craig A. (2003) The Legacy of an Inadequate Christology: Yoder’s Critique of Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture. ATLA Religion Database
Crouch, Andy (2008) Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press
Guinness, Os (2015) Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press
Ham, Ken (2018) Gospel Reset: Salvation Made Relevant. Green Forest, AR: Master Books
Hunter, James Davison (2010) To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. New Work, NY: Oxford University Press
Keller, Tim (2015) Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism. New York, NY: Viking
Kinnaman, D. and Lyons, G. (2016) Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books
Mohler, Jr., R. Albert (2011) Culture Shift: The Battle for the Moral Heart of America. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books
Morrow, Jonathan (2011) Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Platt, David (2015) Counter Culture: A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Poverty, Same-sex Marriage, Racism, Sex Slavery, Immigration, Persecution, Abortion, Orphans, and Pornography. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House
