Culture clash

When I hear the word “culture,” I usually think of the differences that exist between others and myself. Our move to Fresno, Cal. from Abbotsford, B.C. to attend seminary was an encounter with another culture. I realized I could no longer order “pop” at McDonalds nor find a “washroom” in the mall. When I crossed the Pacific Ocean for the first time, I expected to experience a different culture. Walking through a squatters’ village in Davao City in the Philippines, where every home had a rooster on a leash and dogs ran around freely, reinforced my expectations. Every summer I eagerly look forward to Saskatoon’s Folkfest and the opportunity to taste unique foods representing many different cultural groups. I’m fascinated and delighted by the diversity of cultures around me.

Yet something seems to change when we talk about culture in the context of the church; it now takes on a menacing appearance. “We must not allow culture to influence how we interpret the Bible!” Culture now holds a dangerous threat.

On one hand we can celebrate cultural differences and on the other hand we must be wary of culture. So what do we really mean by “culture?”

What we commonly refer to as “culture” is really a modern invention.¹ The Latin term, cultura, which initially referred to the cultivation of crops and raising of animals, was later used to talk about human development. By the 18th century, culture became synonymous with civilization and civilized society.

In Western Europe, there was one idealized view of what it meant to be civilized or cultured. Culture represented what was considered noble in society; what was refined, rational, and respectable. Culture was the goal towards which humans strived. Cultured persons were those who had been shaped by the values and virtues representing the best of human society. Culture meant a step up from barbaric savagery.

When Christian missionaries first went out from Europe they took with them this sense of culture and sought not only to “convert the heathen,” but to civilize the people. However, these missionaries eventually began to see what most Europeans could not; that there was not just one ideal culture, but many different ways of doing things. Missionaries found it impossible to proclaim the gospel without also learning the whole way of life of a people group.

Today when we refer to “culture,” we often simply mean the characteristic ways of doing things in particular communities. We readily recognize (and appreciate) the differences between Thai, Spanish, and Ethiopian cultures without trying to make them conform to something they’re not.

These two contrasting ways of understanding culture continue to underlie our use of the term. First, culture may refer to what is held up as the proper values or attitudes of a society. A cultured Canadian listens to CBC radio, is active in volunteer organizations, appreciates good art, and is tolerant of his or her neighbours.

Second, culture may refer to the varied ways in which different communities of people live. In Canada we recognize the unique cultures represented by the Québécoise, the Sikh community, or Old Colony Mennonites. We also recognize there are some cultural activities common to all Canadians, such as buying groceries at the local supermarket, watching the latest movies, and visiting friends in a coffee shop.

Yet, in our attempt to assess the influence of culture in the church we rarely distinguish between these two ideas. As Canadian Christians, we need to clearly identify what it is about culture we’re talking about.

Practice discernment

Many things fall under the culture label and it will require some discrimination to discern which elements can be practiced and which need to be critiqued.

The caution emerging out of the experience of the New Testament church, when it dealt with Jewish Christians refusing to eat with Gentile Christians, challenges us to be careful about giving too much weight to what only makes sense to us (Galatians 2:11–16). Paul was willing to adapt his behaviour to either Jewish or Gentile cultural settings in order to win both to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19–23). By voluntarily identifying with either Jews or Gentiles, Paul validates their distinctive cultures without making their cultural practices mean more than they should.

Mission practice today also takes seriously the need to contextualize the gospel within whatever cultural settings Christians find themselves. Different cultures can flavour the expression of the gospel without altering the essence of the gospel. In fact, it’s often when we get to know the faith journey of Christians from other cultures that we gain a better understanding of the gospel itself.

On the other hand, our appreciation of diverse cultures representing different ways of life doesn’t mean that all aspects of culture are appropriate for Christians. Discernment is needed to recognize how the values and attitudes of our culture have shaped our own attitudes and values as Christians.

For example, are we really aware of how consumerism, fueled by subtle marketing and slick advertising, pervades our lives and motivates our spending? How do we arrive at the standards by which we measure whether we’ve been successful or effective as a church? When does the desire to show tolerance become coercive and therefore intolerant?

Canadian culture isn’t something “out there,” which somehow imposes itself upon us. Rather we’ve internalized both Christian and cultural values, so the line between faith and culture reflects a line through our own hearts.

The New Testament writers’ caution about the pressure to conform to this present age (Romans 12:2), the danger of loving the things of this world (1 John 2:15–17), or the deception of the world’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18–19) remain relevant for us today. Yet it’s not culture as a whole that comes under their condemnation. Rather it’s the aspects of culture that undermine or stand in opposition to God’s will and purpose.

As we continue to live with the tension of culture being both an opportunity and a threat, we can’t reduce the idea of culture to a simplistic slogan or a one-dimensional label. What we mean by culture must take into account both the diversity that characterizes how we do things and the prevailing values held up by our society.

1. See James Wm. McClendon, Jr., Witness (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), 20–28.

Doug Heidebrecht is an instructor in biblical and theological studies at Bethany College, Hepburn, Sask.