Last night I watched a really interesting movie. It was called The Village. It’s this story of this group of people who decided to seclude themselves off in a village and create their own little world. The people who started the village were extremely rich and paid the country to not allow planes to fly over their village and it was completely set up so there would never be any outside intrusion. The created an entire myth of these monster-like creatures that surrounded their village which means no one could escape. They constantly kept fear in everyone who lived in this village to keep them under control. The reason they did this was because of money. They realized how much evil money brought into the world and they wanted to get away from it. There was no money in their village, everyone shared with each other and no one was in need.
This movie got me thinking. How often does the Christian culture do this to us? We have tried to create this entire new ‘village’ away from the rest of the world to protect us from all sorts of evil. We create an entire new world for Christians to become part of to save them from the evil that’s out there. We have Christian books, Christian music, Christian restaurants, Christian work-out clubs, Christian friends and Christian companies. If we can keep all Christians away from all the sin, then perhaps we will be all right? Really all our little village becomes is a copy of the real word, but with the Christian label put on it. Is that what Christ called us to do? Create our own culture? Or were we called do be in the culture of the world, but be part of the Kingdom. Be in the world but not off it, does that ring any bells?
There is an article by the editor of GQ magazine; it was one of the greatest articles I’ve ever read. It was written by a unbeliever obviously, and he switched his life over to live the Chrisitian life for one week. Read it here.
He says:
“The problem is lack of faith. Ark culture is a bad Xerox of the mainstream, not a truly distinctive or separate achievement. Without the courage to lead, it numbly follows, picking up the major media scraps and gluing them back together with a cross on top.”
-Walter Kirn (Editor of GQ Magazine)-
A few other quotes that I’ve come across and saved on this subject.
“secular culture is nothing more that the values, beliefs, hopes and dreams of the people we are trying to reach. When we totally remove ourselves from is we miss out on the greatest tool that we have to understand those who need Christ.”
-Ben Rushlo-
“We cannot change anything unless we first accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”
-C. G. Jung-
“We must become relevant Christians to the culture in which we have been placed.”
-Kary Oberbrunner-
“As we are honest about the emptiness of modern pop Christianity, we can bring about a new reformation that will shape culture instead of picking up its scraps.”
-Bob Thune-
“Better to light a candle then curse the darkness”
-Chinese Proverb-
“We must become the change we want to see.”
-Mahatma Gandhi-
“…its no surprise that Jesus is not intending to put us in a safe place. He would much rather we be in a dangerous place, but He’s praying for us and looking for that opportunity to have our faith grow by being challenged in such a way.”
-John Fischer-
Rather than separating ourselves completely from the world or rather conforming to it -both are sin
-Kary Oberbrunner-
I did my youth at risk project on Christian culture because I honestly believe that it’s harmful to raise our students up in it. It makes them sheltered, ineffective and irrelevant in the very world they are supposed to lead and evangelize and love in. Kary Oberbrunner wrote a book called “The Journey Towards Relevance.” It was a great book that explained the balance that needs to be in our lives of loving God and loving people and between faith and culture. You can get it at Chapters I’m sure or on Relevant Books.
Christian culture should be destroyed and we should start seeing more Christians rise up that are full of life and are able to love in a sinful culture and still live lives pleasing to God.
What an obvious truth. I have talked many times to people about how I feel those who’ve grown up in the church are totally in a bubble, who don’t really stretch outside their christian circles, yet still feel that they are very good christians, and perhaps look down on me because I do have quite a few non-christian friends. It’s all fine and dandy to grow in your faith with other christians, and obviously god calls us to christian fellowship, but that is only ONE thing god calls us to, and I dont think it’s as important as the other aspect of reaching out to non-christians and saving others. I loved the quotes you used today too, very effective.
this is why is left Tyndale.
so nate, i’m gonna give ya one thumb up……and then i’m just gonna go nuts and throw the other one up there too.
Well, I agree with your comments Nathen, however I believe there is more that needs to be done with Christianity before we get out of this so called Christian Community. If all Christians that were part of a community were at the place where God was everything to them then I agree…”get out, go into the world and make diciples…sound familier” but the problem i believe is that those that don’t want to be part of the christian community are not living a life where it’s all about God. When we look at Jesus and the 12 he trained them and they were together all the time. The early church was trained and met together daily. This community that the church should be part of is not to be…hold on i have to get back to work but i’ll finish my thought later.
Hello again..ok your right nate sorry…the culture that is developed by Christians for Christians is one that is today totlly messed up. There really is no such thing as Christian music…it’s just music with Christian singers. I don’t however think that the idea of a Christian culture is bad. What is taught in those circles is where i believe we go all wrong. God did set us apart from this world, along with Jesus pulling the 12 out of there lifestyles to follow Him. Now what Jesus then taught those 12 was that it was all about the other 1000000 people around them that mattered. I totally think that with the right teaching of truth, the Christian culture will be one that nobody really knows about because it’s to busy reaching out to this lost and dying world. Christian culture today is way out to lunch…idea of it though has potencial.
Well if your definition of Christian culture is “a group of Christians being Christians” then yup, I agree with you completely.
I posted a response on my blog, cause it’s too long winded to include in the comments of this post.
http://puritas.blogspot.com/2005/01/thoughts-on-relevance_21.html#comments
Nathan your first post really got to me…because i am going through a big struggle here at Tyndale as far as wondering how all this knowledge i’m getting here is really making me relevant at all. I mean, i suppose that it’s different for different people, but i don’t want to become a Christian scholar who only has Christian friends…I feel like i’m losing touch with actual reality here sometimes.
anyways…i don’t really know where im going with this post other than to say thanks for getting me thinking.
~Mish