Christians & Culture
Among Christians, there are two extreme views on how to interact with our culture. The first is what I call a separation mentality. This approach says that we shouldn’t hang out with those who aren’t like us because they do things that God disapproves of, and if we spend enough time with them, their bad behavior will rub off on us and we’ll become corrupted. For this group, Christianity sometimes gets reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts. “Don’t have non-Christian friends.” “Don’t touch alcohol.” “Do listen to only Christian music.” “Don’t go to movies,” etc…
On the other extreme is what I call a tolerant mentality. This approach says that we should hang out with those who don’t share the same faith or practices as us, but we shouldn’t mention anything about sin or hell, or the exclusivity of Christ because that would be intolerant and push people away from ever embracing Christ.
Of course, the thing about both of these groups is that they are both wrong for different reasons. The tolerant mentality is wrong because it dishonors God when we fail to tell others the truth that sin separates us from a holy God, and that repentance and faith in Jesus is the only “way” (John 14:6) to heaven. The separation mentality is also wrong because Jesus told us that we are the “salt of the earth,” (Matt.5:13) and for salt to work effectively and preserve something, it can’t be clumped together. We must be spread among the culture and people we are trying to see preserved and saved.
Interestingly, Jesus spent a significant amount of his time with unbelievers. So much so, that on a few occasions, he got accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard” (Matthew 11:19). But, it’s important to see that Jesus never compromised when it came to speaking out against sin or speaking up for the truth. Mark’s Gospel gives us a glimpse:
Mark 2:16–17 says that, “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the ‘sinners’ and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’ 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
If we claim to be Christ’s followers and we are seeking to imitate the path he trod, then it means walking the line carefully between loving the sinner and hating the sin. This, of course, is easy to say and hard to do. More than hard, it can be very complicated and challenging, because when you disagree with someone’s beliefs or lifestyle choices, you run the risk that they may interpret it to mean that you dislike them as a person.
When I was doing my B.Sc. at McGill, I took a class which involved being assigned a small group to complete various group assignments. There was a homosexual girl in my group who identified herself as such publicly. Our group naturally spent a fair bit of time together outside of class because of our group work. As a result, we all became friends over the course of the semester. One day, however, the issue of alternative lifestyles came up in conversation, and she asked me what I thought.
As a Christian who takes the Bible to be God’s authoritative Word for my life, I told her that since Scripture calls homosexual behavior sinful, that I agreed with what it said. I told her that I didn’t think it was worse than other sins because it is listed in first Corinthians six among a list of other sins like gossip and drunkenness that will keep people from entering heaven. Furthermore, I told her I believed it is a sin that can be forgiven. There and then was the end of our friendship. She yelled at me and told me that if I was going to be so intolerant of her lifestyle that our friendship was over.
Sooner or later, in your Christian walk, you’re going to have to make a choice. It may not be this issue. It might be another issue. But, you will have to speak out your convictions, and if they clash with the convictions held as generally acceptable in our culture, then you may find yourself in some awkward and difficult circumstances. But, let God’s Word encourage you with this promise from Hebrews 13:5–6, which says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”
You are “the salt of the earth,” and sometimes salt gets stepped on and thrown around. But, when you make a choice to speak up for Christ and defend his Word, know that He is with you, helping you all the way.
