Awareness is one of those factors of life that is commonly overlooked. Often, when we are asked to participate in something, we respond affirmatively or negatively without giving thought about what both a proposal and our response might mean in all. A man, goaded by the words pressed on him by an acquaintance, and fortified by his drunkenness, was driven to go to the home of a Christian minister, and on entrance shoot the minister, and the minister’s wife. The wife died. The minister wounded, lived for about seven more years. The family accounted their father’s death to the grief of having lost his wife. Thirty three years later the adult children were brought face to face with the murderer on the Dr. Phil TV program. The shocking event was relived over the air and followed with some tears from a sympathetic audience. One of the show’s points was that the solution was found in forgiveness that had been the hallmark of the minister’s work. The theological details were not considered, although the word God did appear in favorable connotation. God is the author of the concept of forgiveness as a solution to wrong.
The point for this Page is that all persons are faced with cultural variances – and we either realize the differentials to use them well, or we dance around them so to dampen difficulties or differences – and so they remain. Certainly, there are some persons who use the processes implied here for personal advantage, or even to bait others to react, perhaps to folly. This has happened often in history, between nations, so as to end in launching warfare, perhaps also to stop it. For example, Theodore Roosevelt is credited with an intervention in the war between Russia and China, early in the 20th century, when he, likely with tongue in cheek, made up some details that caused Russia and the world to believe the Chinese wanted peace and the end of military conflict. Roosevelt was given the first prize for peace offered by the Nobel group in Sweden for his ruse. Would that all clever behavior gain so great consequence for good. It has worked so well in some large situations that many persons hold out for a good end justifying any means to it.
One of the great problems for the church (corporate) and Christians (individuals), in biblical context, is the matter of culture, both in the world culture and in the biblical culture of Christianity. Culture commended in Scripture is self-controlled, peaceful, democratic, idealistic, friendly, gentle, loving, prayerful, modest, righteous, universal, educative, adaptable, standardized (normal), healthful, sharing, straightforward, and, it holds features that contradict in some factors the secular cultures. Christian culture holds great strength in its reliance upon God and in the favorable consequences in life for those who follow it. It is constructed on what might be perceived as a universal and effective structure in common grace. We work for that ideal..
The greatest enemies of Christian culture may be found in hypocrites that violate the definition of biblical culture, but claim to be Christianly; in the excesses of some persons who, though Christian in their real (or alleged) faith, do not follow the precepts of love and peace in the practice of Christian culture to the world; to the secular enemies of Christian culture who misstate the culture, or ignore it in the area in which it ought to be acknowledged as option; and, to freedom that permits persons to choose preferred ethical contexts of belief and practice for life. Negatives grow larger, so requiring even more careful perception, in the appeals of humanistic culture – that is perceived to be free partly because it permits crudity, carnality, competition, excitement, and is natural (earthbound). It can find its way in a natural context, understood by the Christian in the context of common grace from God. God does not want persons to fail in nature, even when they are not acknowledging him, and may adopt conducts unacceptable to Christian culture in practice. One of the purposes of Christian education is to learn about Christian culture and how to live it in a world that is not guided by it, or uses only that picked up from a smorgasbord of choices that includes many factors from Christian culture. It is clear from Scripture that as soon as the church was established, a Christian culture began formation. It was expected to follow the morality of the teaching of Christ and his model. When it was resisted, as in the experience of Ananias and Sapphira, the judgment was swift and stern. It is a duty of the church consciously to teach and model Christian culture. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020