Living in the World

Living in the World

Jeremiah 29:1-7

            Since its inception Christianity has struggled in its relationship with culture.  Do we participate in what is going on in the world around us?  If we do, how much?  In which areas?  Do we accommodate Christianity to the culture in which we live, or do we seek to change culture to reflect Christian ideals? 

            In his book Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr presents three ways Christians have tried to solve this dilemma:  1) Christ against culture; 2) the Christ of culture; and 3) Christ above culture.  He finds problems with all three approaches. 

            Just by naming the approaches we can see that all three are unsatisfactory answers.  Christians must live in the world.  We cannot separate ourselves from it.  Those who choose a monastic life still must interact with the world at some time and in some ways.

            Nor can we accommodate our Christian beliefs to the beliefs of culture—any culture.  There are aspects of culture against which we must stand.  No amount of theological gymnastics will produce a solution that will please both the world and any meaningful definition of Christianity.

            If we accept that we must live in a specific culture, and that we cannot divorce ourselves completely from that culture, which aspects of culture do we adopt, and which ones do we avoid?  To a great extent, this must be an individual decision. 

            Do we join the military forces of our country or do we refuse to take up arms?  If we refuse to fight, do we agree to serve in a non-combatant role?

            Do we participate in the political process? Do we run for office?  Do we vote?

            Do we purchase things we feel we need, or do we become totally self-sufficient?  How far can we lower our standard of living before it produces discomfort?  How much discomfort can we live with?   

            Do we make use of the education provided by public and private schools, or do we educate our children at home?  If we chose home schooling do we take advantage of curricula developed for that purpose or do we teach only what we see fit to teach in the manner we believe it should be taught?

            I realize I am just touching the surface here, but it is an attempt to begin a discussion of the issues, some of which have been with us since Christianity’s inception.

            God, through Jeremiah, gives a partial answer.  God’s people were to live in the Babylonian culture as they would at home.  Marry.  Have families.  Plant gardens and eat the food from them.  Above all, seek the welfare of the culture, for that is where they will find their welfare.  God did not instruct them to desert their religion.  Far from it.  They were to remember YHWH and follow YHWH’s commandments—but within the culture where they found themselves.  They must live as normal a life as possible while maintaining their relationship with the God of their ancestors.

            Karl Barth, the great twentieth century theologian proposed another solution.  He said, “A Christian must stand with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.”

            We can’t forget God’s instructions as to how we should live.  We dare not forget the situations that exist around us or the problems that cause suffering in the culture in which we exist.  Rather, we should seek to transform our culture in ways that conform to the words Christ has left with us, in order to help bring the kingdom of God to earth.