The longer one is in the
Church, the more one is enveloped in its culture, both Christian culture generally
and specifically the culture of the local church one attends. There are
cultural shifts within any particular church’s culture, some seen across
decades, others across weeks, and still others that move glacially slowly
across centuries. This is equally true of parachurch ministries, but an extra
layer of corporate business culture is added to the church culture that defines
these organizations.
Whatever the nature of your
church or parachurch culture, we must see it clearly enough to keep its
cultural preferences distinct from genuine scriptural mandates. To rephrase, we
must hold tightly to scriptural mandates, and more loosely hold to our cultural
preferences. Let’s not confuse the two. Let’s also understand which ones are
worth fighting for and which are not even worth an argument.
Cultural
preferences relate to matters like:
·
Musical styles
·
Hair styles
·
Clothing
·
Tattoos
·
Jewelry
·
Architecture
·
Language
·
Church polity
·
Educational issues
·
Sport
·
Technology
·
Art
·
Icons
Scriptural
mandates are much more important, far less fuzzy, and much more demanding
(short list):
·
34 A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have
loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
·
12 So, as
those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart
of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;13 bearing
with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint
against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is [l]the perfect bond
of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule
in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be
thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly
dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks through Him to God the Father.
·
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
You and I, our families, our
churches, our parachurch ministries, our friends, our enemies, everybody will
have their cultural preferences. Wonderful. Let’s not allow those preferences to separate us from each other. Let’s certainly not let them compromise our
commitment to the scriptural mandates to love God, to love our neighbor, to put
on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. May our
hearts, full of Christ Jesus’ Spirit, permeate and transform each and every
culture we inhabit, one heart at a time.
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