| ReadBibleAlive.com
Front
Page |
| Series Theme: "Culture Wars" |
| Chapter 7: Battlefield No.1 - Culture
CONTENTS:
The Judah-Samaria divide Jesus & the Samaritans
PART 7.2 Culture? Introducing Culture Wars Culture? Twentieth Century Warnings And into the 21 st Century Enter Woke And Multi- Cultur alism Cultural Appropriation
PART 7.3 Conclusions Summary Conclusions Biblical Comment Postscript: A Godless Culture?
PART 7.1 Initial Biblical Perspective
Jn 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
We will in this chapter give some thought to the subject of culture, culture wars, and multiculturalism. However, as we said in the Introduction we will start with some biblical reflections to keep us ‘God-focused'. We note that the Jews of Jesus' day looked down on Samaritans – and the Samaritans knew it, as this woman's words above reveal. It is helpful to understand this history and then go on to note how Jesus responded to it.
The Judah-Samaria divide: After the reign of King Solomon, as an act of discipline by God, the nation of Israel was split between what became ‘Judah' in the south, comprising the tribal areas of Judah and Benjamin, which encompassed Jerusalem, and ‘Israel' in the north comprising the lands of the other ten tribes with Samaria becoming their capital.
Despite very distinct guidance and instruction by God, the leader of the north, Jeroboam, set up idols on the northern and southern boundaries of the new ‘Israel' in order to deter his people returning to Jerusalem to worship God. Moreover he basically established a new priesthood for the same reason. The north became known for its idolatry and none of the kings of ‘Israel' ever put the matter right and, despite there being notable inputs from God in the form of prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, the nation was continually being rebuked by God for its apostasy. This came to a head in 722BC when the Assyrians invaded and deported the majority of the people and brought in foreigners to inhabit the north.
Thus the ‘Samaritans' became a very mixed people and following the exile of Judah and the subsequent return to Jerusalem, it was Sanballat, thought to be governor of Samaria, who opposed Nehemiah and his people in the south rebuilding Jerusalem (Neh 2 on). Suffice it to say, in subsequent centuries the relationship with the two worsened, not improved. It is clear from the Gospels that the culture of Israel, focused on the temple and the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, was very much anchored to their past and, in theory at least, upheld the Law and the prophets. In Samaria they held on to the Law but otherwise in no way could they compete with the pride and traditionalism of Judaism in the south, and to a lesser measure in the north in Galilee.
Jesus & the Samaritans: John (chapter 4) shows us Jesus travelling through the area of Samaria (now the designation of the middle part of the three-part country of Israel - Judah, Samaria, Galilee), talking with a Samaritan woman without any hostility on his behalf, and leading a number of the local community into a place of belief.
Before he ascended, Jesus instructed his followers, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Post-Pentecost and the coming of persecution we read, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria,” (Acts 8:1) followed shortly by “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.” (Acts 8:5) Such was the move of God there that, “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.” (v.14)
In what follows, it is clear that, as far as Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the church, was concerned at least, Samaria was no obstacle to the Gospel. The ‘Good News' sees past all cultural boundaries.
[Note: where I use long quotes from modern writers, I may well restructure the layout of their quote to make it clearer on the page.]
Introducing Culture Wars: The Western world, the environment in which I live and write, has seen in the past century incredible changes, some in technology and science, some in ways of thinking and living, some good and some very bad. One aspect of this modern world has been what has come to be labelled the modern ‘culture wars' carried out by ‘culture warriors' defined as, “those who strongly support one side in a culture war (disagreement between groups with different social or cultural beliefs).” The emphasis is perhaps on the word ‘strongly'.
The focal points of these ‘culture wars' have been sexuality, gender, identity, and race, but at their heart has been what is sometimes referred to as ‘identity politics', defined as, “where people of a particular gender, religion, race, social background, social class are used for political agendas that are based upon these identities.” In recent decades we have seen it being used on both sides of the Atlantic, by both right and left of politics. It emphasizes difference, distinctives, and division.
Culture? But what is ‘culture'? 1951 saw the publication of ‘Christ & Culture' by H. Richard Niebuhr, an American theologian, considered by many to be a classic of its kind. He suggested that culture was the “total process of human activity” and the “total result of such activity”, and added, “It comprises language, habits, ideas, beliefs, customs, social organisation, inherited artifacts, technical processes and values,” but emphasized it is purely social, i.e. the interaction of peoples, not just what one single individual thinks. He reflected on Christ in culture, Christ against culture, and Christ changing culture.
Twentieth Century Warnings: In the mid-twentieth century, pastor-apologist-theologian Francis A. Schaeffer produced a book and video series entitled “How Should we then Live?” with the sub-title “The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture.” Nearing his conclusions, interestingly he warns against the ‘Manipulation and the New Elite', a term that now often appears in modern writings.
In 1981, building on Schaeffer's work, Charles Colson and his co-writer Nancy Pearcey, produced the similar sounding “How Now shall we live?” declaring, “We are experiencing some of the same sense of exile that the Jews did in the time of Ezekiel. • We live in a culture that is morally indifferent. • A culture in which Judeo-Christian values are mocked and where immorality in high places is not only ignored but even rewarded in the voting booth. • A culture in which violence, banality, meanness, and disintegrating personal behaviour are destroying civility and endangering the very life of our communities.”
He went on to declare, “The church's singular failure in recent decades has been the failure to see Christianity as a life system, or worldview, that governs every area of existence….. At its most fundamental level, the so-called culture war is a clash of belief systems .” There you have it – back in 1981.
And into the 21 st Century: In 2004 Nancy Pearcey, building on Schaeffer's work and her previous book with Colson, wrote, “Total Truth” with the subtitle, “Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity”. The appeal within her book was for us to clarify our ‘world view' and ‘develop a Christian mind'. Good reading.
A decade and a half on, Jeff Myers', “Understanding the Culture” – with subtitle, “A Survey of Social Engagement” – starts by defining Culture as “the way of life for a group of people, the culmination of human communication and wilful activity in a particular civilization.” He then picks up Niebuhr's challenge that Christ comes to transform culture and lays down the starting blocks of his book as: 1. See culture as part of our Christian mission. 2. Take culture seriously. 3. Create new culture.
Looking at history he considers • how “Christians acting on Biblical Beliefs advanced human rights”, • how they “brought about the abolition of slavery”, • how they “secured the basis for women's and children's rights”, • how they “established modern education”, • how they “formed the practice of modern medicine,” • how they “instituted principles of modern charity,” • how they “built the foundations of modern science,” and • how they “shaped the arts”.
His book then goes on in detail to consider aspects of modern life and how we can affect the culture. Again another good read for those looking for practical-life study materials for their church.
(Aside: It is interesting to note the number of Christian historians who, in recent years, have been putting the records straight as to the way the Church has impacted the world for good down through history. Examples: ‘The Triumph of Christianity' by Rodney Stark, ‘Bullies and Saints' by John Dickson, and ‘The Air we Breathe' by Glen Scrivener. Also of note is ‘Dominion – The making of the Western Mind' by Tom Holland. Look again at that list above.)
Global Cultural Differences & Importance: Erin Meyer is/was a professor of a leading international business school and has written ‘The Culture Map' , a book explaining how business personnel working in the global economy need to be aware of the different cultures found in different countries in order to talk the same language. In fascinating writing she illustrates how different peoples have different outlooks, approaches etc. because they come from different cultures. Concluding the book she writes,
We, as Christians, have chided ourselves in the past for speaking ‘the language of Zion', indecipherable to anyone outside the church. Today, we are now facing a situation where the world is talking a different language and we are the ones who sit bemused and confused. This series hopes to change that.
A Gospel Culture: The reality is that the gospel introduces us to a completely new God-culture where, as one speaker has said, goodness, beauty and truth are the primary characteristics. In a brilliant talk at the New Wine Conference this year (2022) Amy Orr Ewing contrasted the way of the kingdom and the way of the world in respect of leadership by picking up on two of Jesus' phrases, first, “not so with you” and second, “as I have … so should you.” e.g. “‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. NOT SO WITH YOU. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,” ( Mt 20:25,26) and “love one another. AS I HAVE loved you, SO YOU MUST love one another.” (Jn 13:34)
The Negative: Using these phrases she highlighted the shortcomings of modern church life in respect of leadership example, where numerous leaders have fallen in recent years: • Celebrity culture that exults in power and status, that distances the leader from the people, and is concerned for social media appearance (pride). • Exceptionalism – the lie that the enemy sows in leaders who are not in an accountability structure, whereby they think the moral rules are for everyone else but not them (deception). • Practising Deception - instead of confessing failures and repenting, covering up with more lies. (ongoing sin to cover sin).
The Positive: Using the second phrase she set goals for a holy church: • Sent – “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Jn 20:21) – to give his life for the world, to demonstrate ‘the Word', and to reveal being ‘the Truth', so should we. • Servant-hearted – “I have set you an example (foot washing) that you should do as I have done for you.” (Jn 13:15) Humility. • Selfless, Sacrificial Love – “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (Jn 13:34) Love flowing from lives laid down for one another. Our model for church life.
These two perspectives demonstrate how the world's culture has seeped into the Church's culture, a not uncommon feature throughout Church history and for which the Lord holds us to account.
Enter Woke: We, in the previous chapter, considered the meaning of ‘woke' but where we are considering culture, it is worth noting the comment on this facet of modern culture wars by Williams in her “How Woke Won” : “Whether you are with them or not, woke ideas have permeated every part of our society, shaping what we get to watch on television, at the theatre and at the cinema, as well as the adverts we see, the news we read, the way we interact with our friends on social media and with our colleagues at work….. woke thinking now shapes the education of our children, the universities that train our graduates for the workplace, the justice system that polices our behaviour and the businesses we shop at.” What she is describing is the culture in which we now live in the West.
And Multi- Culturalism: In his book, “The Noble Liar”, writer and BBC broadcaster Robin Aitken, explains, “The title of this book draws on a concept originated in Plato's ‘Republic', a noble lie is a myth or an untruth, knowingly propagated by an elite, in order to promote and maintain social harmony or advance an agenda.” (Note again the occurrence of the word ‘elite'.)
After showing how multi-culturalism grew out of efforts in Canada in the 1950's to assuage the feelings and rights of French-speaking inhabitants of Quebec as against the rest of English-speaking Canada, he wrote of, “undeniable rights to cultural equality,” where “two cultural traditions of equal worth sat alongside each other,” and goes on to comment, “ The activists who seized on multiculturalism as a mechanism to disrupt national cultures in other countries had no such justification. The idea that all cultures are of equal worth - which is how multiculturalism came to be interpreted in Britain - is pernicious and wrong. The example of female genital mutilation shows why.”
He continues, “Furthermore any objective comparison between a culture that allows FGM and one that forbids it would conclude that the latter is superior to the former. That is because by prohibiting FGM the law is being used to protect the innocent victims.”
He points out that a report entitled “The Future of Multiculturalism in Britain”, published in October 2000, suggested that Britain would become a “community of communities where each separate community would show respect for every other community by not giving offence.”
As an instance of abuse that followed this, he cited the Rotherham sex scandals where there appeared to be systematic rape and sexual abuse of young mainly white girls by a gang of Muslim men, and he comments, “It was not of course that anyone in a police station or social work office sat down and decided that it was OK for Muslim men to coerce young white girls into sex on some spurious cultural grounds. What happened was that the entirety of official Britain was cowed by a bullying cultural elite whose weapon of choice was to label any dissenter ‘racist' - a term which has proved career ending for scores of officials and politicians.” (Note yet again that reoccurring word ‘elite'.)
To summarize - originally multi-culturalism was to highlight the needs of equal cultures but, - activists used it to create a concept of accepting all cultures as equal and deserving of respect, - whereas it is patently obvious that some world cultures tolerate behaviours that western civilized cultures deem immoral if not illegal in Western countries. - the demand to accept all as equal has thus become a tool of the culture-activists, seeking to pull down historical communities and traditional values. We will examine this elsewhere under the subject of ‘Modern Intolerance'.
Addendum: The Britannica website includes the following: • “multiculturalism, the view that cultures , races, and ethnicities , particularly those of minority groups, deserve special acknowledgment of their differences within a dominant political culture. • “There are two primary objections to multiculturalism. One is that multiculturalism privileges the good of certain groups over the common good, thereby potentially eroding the common good in favour of a minority interest. National unity could become impossible if people see themselves as members of ethnic or racial groups rather than as citizens of a common country. The second is that multiculturalism undermines the notion of equal individual rights, thereby weakening the political value of equal treatment. Equal individual rights could be set aside or deprecated in favour of rights that are possessed by the group. • “Multiculturalism raises other questions. There is the question of which cultures will be recognized. Some theorists have worried that multiculturalism can lead to a competition between cultural groups all vying for recognition and that this will further reinforce the dominance of the dominant culture . We will consider this last item elsewhere when considering the divisive nature of the culture wars.
Cultural Appropriation : Another aspect of how culture is being used to ferment discontent is cited by Joanna Williams again (see above), citing another writer, “who chastised women who wear hoop earrings. ‘Hoop earrings are my culture, not your trend', the headline read. Pivet urged teenage girls tempted to wear hoop earrings too ‘think twice'. Hoops are worn by minorities as symbols of resistance and strength she wrote. Apparently hoop earrings are the property of women of colour and white girls who wear them are guilty of stealing the identity of oppressed groups who fought against ‘colonial structures'.” Another writer she cites, “describes cultural appropriation as taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions or artefacts from someone else's culture without permission. This can include unauthorised use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine or religious symbols.” A clear-minded view of this must conclude that such views are highly divisive and only go to exacerbate differences and potential conflict.
PART 7.3 Conclusions
Summary Conclusions: So we have observed that • culture is all about the thoughts, ideas, outlooks, expressions and outworkings of life of any particular group of people. We have also noted that various Christian writers have pointed out that Western culture has developed to be amoral and self-destructive and certainly dismissive of Christian values. What we have briefly observed is how the Christian worldview differs from the different aspects of the so-called culture wars. We have briefly noted the concept of ‘woke' which, as one modern secular writer has claimed, has permeated every aspect of modern Western life, i.e. the central feature of modern Western culture. We faced the concept of multiculturalism as we have been experiencing it in recent years, not merely the acceptance that there are various subcultures within society but the claim that they are all equal and all demand uncritical acceptance. Such claims, we might suggest, are in order to give credence to some of the woke claims being presented today. Finally we noted ‘cultural appropriation', the claims of one culture against another culture for ‘copying' their culture, a sign of insecurity that should instead see such a thing as an expression of admiration. Biblical Comment: The Bible's fundamental claim is that this is God's world and has been designed by Him to work in particular ways. ‘Right' might therefore be considered that which is in line with His design and ‘wrong' that which conflicts with His design. We have already in the Introduction, specifically considered the fact that this is now a ‘fallen world' and how that conflicts with God and His original design. However, in this present context, that of considering cultures, we should simply observe again what we said in our Introduction to this series, that this entire series is designed to see the culture wars from a biblical and Christian viewpoint and therefore ALL human cultures will, in some measure, conflict with the kingdom of God that Jesus works to bring in, in that they are the expressions of sinful mankind.
As Bible-believing Christians we should not, therefore, be surprised at what we see going on in Western society – only be saddened by it, pray for it, and work to graciously be salt and light (Mt 5:13-16). Claims to ownership of a particular culture are shown to simply be yet another expression of self-centred godlessness; the thought that God doesn't want us to share in the rich diversity of creative life on this planet is a very narrow-minded and godless attitude.
Postscript: A Godless Culture? Our temptation might be to completely write off modern Western cultures as godless and unrighteous and doomed (all of which are true) but that gives the enemy too much credence and we should hold back the word ‘completely'. Why? Because this is still God's world and Jesus, as we shall see in detail later on, is ruling in the midst of it and there are clear signs, in the godless world as much as the Church-world, that he is working to change people's minds and potentially the culture. (In chapter 23 we shall see and challenge the lie that ‘all things of the West are bad'!) Because mankind is made ‘in the image of God' there will always be expressions of care for others, sometimes putting others first, and even laying down lives for others. Godless most of modern society may be, but not all of it is bad.
This we will see as we progress. The battle is, as it has always been, between believing in God and His design and believing in godless humanity and its attempts at life without God. For a time there were signs that the enemy was prevailing in Western cultures, but there are now clear indications or signs of some change taking place. The recent years of the culture wars have largely been one-sided with the ‘godless team' making the running but, as we've previously suggested in the Prologue, there are signs that this is starting to change.
|