Counter-Cultural Church Culture

It's been over a week since I've posted, and there's been plenty of news to cover. Unless you've been living under a rock or without any sort of internet connection, it would be quite difficult to not know about the attack on the Capitol and American Democracy. So there's that. In the sports world, the Browns won their first playoff game in over 25 years. LaMelo Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. I consider myself to be a big movie person. I've indulged in the glories of Netflix and HBO Max, watching a countless number of critically-acclaimed films since the dawn of the new year. In my mind, all these topics take up a significant portion of headspace. I love current events, sports, and movies more than the next guy, but as I sat at my computer thinking of something to write. Those topics failed to produce anything above lackluster. Still, there was one particular thing that ran in and out of my mind after watching the news, listening to my beloved podcasts, and reading a couple books. That thing is the culture war. 

I've read tons of articles from leading Christian thinkers about the culture war. If you're not keen on it, it is the waging battles between the Christian and secular culture that has taken place over the past few decades. It has only heightened since the dawn of social media and the sexual revolution, ushering in the "post-Christian" age we live in. There have been many different viewpoints on how to attack the culture and "win it back." Some people have called on the Church to compromise with secular culture on matters contrary to Scripture. Others have said to have more kids (no joke). Overwhelmingly, conversations have turned to the political spectrum, calling on a metaphorical revolution of Christian nationalism in the form of conservative political ideology. I have rarely seen a call to not worry about the culture war it all, and it surprises me. Why should we focus more of our energy on fighting against the secular culture? Why don't we emphasize growing in Christ, deepening our relationship with the Lord, and becoming more reliable, steadfast disciples for the Kingdom of God? Does that seem too much to ask? Apparently, it is.

I consider myself to be a competitive person. I hate losing. One of the worst periods of my life was junior high because my football team could not win a game, and I blamed myself. Losing stinks, yet over my high school and college years, I have grown in understanding that winning comes at a cost. Rarely can you win in life without losing something. I'm afraid that the Church has spent more time cultivating cultural relevance instead of sticking to scripture's truths, cultivating "counter-cultural" ideals that have stuck with the Church for centuries. Church planting networks have strayed from low-income neighborhoods and communities, hoping to gain significant social media followings and yearly budgets. Pastors have replaced in-depth exegetical, gospel-centered sermons with TED talk-like, individualistic messages with Bible verses sprinkled throughout. Many have settled with wading in the shallow end of the pool, while few have journeyed to the deep end and reaped the benefits of true Christian discipleship. 

Sacrifice is a great thing. It shifts the focus toward more important things, yet we rarely give the thought of sacrifice its proper time of day. In the realm of Christianity, we want more and more "things" in our churches. We want more programs for the kids, more superior social media posts, more attention, and messages that speak to us. We give our churches plenty of opportunities to tailor to our needs, but if they fall short in catering to what we want, we move to the Church that offers the better package. While I'm not opposed to church programs and excellent social media profiles, the purpose of church culture should not be to fit the "cool church" model. There should not be any sort of compromise in the eyes of the people of God for the sake of bringing people into the sanctuary to fill the pews (or chairs), only for them to leave a couple months later for the new, shinier building. That's not what the Kingdom of God is about, and it most certainly is not what The Great Commission calls us to do.

In his award-winning book Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community, writer Brett McCracken details the book's premise that the Church should fill the "needs" of the body of Christ over the "wants."

"Instead of à la carte Christianity driven by fickle tastes and "dream church" appetites, what if we learned to love churches even when--perhaps because--they challenge us and stretch us out of our comfort zones? Instead of driving twenty miles to the nearest church that "fits my needs," what if we committed to the nearest nonheretical, Bible-believing Church where we could grow and serve--and where Jesus is the hero--however uncomfortable it may be?" 

Church leaders have gone to great lengths to do what they can to combat the rise of secularism in books, op-ed's, and speeches across the country. Still, for the Christian culture to have lasting change in the American people's thoughts and lives and the world population, we as the people of God have to shift our priorities and refocus our goals within the confines of the Church. We can't consider ourselves ready for combat if there's a fire within our camp. With mounting political backlash, tensions in the realm of racial reconciliation, and thousands of sexual assault cases brushed under the rug, there are too many fires in our frame of view where we have become blind. Succumbing to the daunting cultural individualism can no longer claim control in the Church because the Church of God is the family of God. Being in a family means sacrificing our individual wants for the betterment of those around us. 

The grace of God saves us from our biggest enemy--ourselves--and brings us into a lasting community with the body of Christ. Living day in and day out, striving to meet our individual needs, will eventually leave us hopeless, empty, and alone. The inspirational messages will ultimately become redundant. The fog machines and flashing lights will lose their flair. The surface-level conversations will leave you wanting something more in-depth. Popular church culture has become a problem, and only the Church led by the Holy Spirit of God anointing the preaching of God's holy Word can fix our inner struggles.

The culture war is a real thing, and there is no denying that, and the days of Billy Graham and stadium-sized Christian revival are behind us, but that doesn't mean that brighter days are yet to come. As our Lord Jesus said to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew,

"The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38 

We must pray for and support the church leaders of today to not fear the thought of stepping out and being counter-cultural in the name of Jesus, but we must also pray that the Lord may use all of us to be agents of change wherever we are. 

All glory be to Christ. Amen.