The Great Omission or the Enduring Problem Bruce

“The Great Omission” or the “Enduring Problem”? Bruce L. Guenther, Ph. D Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary ACTS Seminaries

Introduction 1. Tertullian (c. 160 -c. 225) versus Justin Martyr (c. 100 -165) 2. H. Richard Niebuhr (1894 -1962) and the “enduring problem” 3. Evangelical Protestant responses to culture in the 19 th & 20 th centuries – from withdrawal to indiscriminate consumption 4. Life in “exponential times”

The “Great Omission” Contributing factors to an historic reticence 1. Influence of fundamentalism 2. Immigration / ethnic minority experience 3. Influence of dispensational premillennialism 4. Various theological imbalances - Careless dualism between spiritual and secular - Exclusive priority given to the “Great Commission” - Priority given to doctrines of salvation and scripture over doctrines of creation and incarnation - Over emphasis on certain ecclessiological models

Defining Culture 1. Originally a noun referring to cultivation, tillage - Later the word came to be associated with human development 2. Associated with excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training; acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from less sophisticated vocational and technical skills

Defining Culture The Broad Sense – “The Life of a People” “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon humanity’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; (b) the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; (c) the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation” (Dictionary)

Defining Culture The Broad Sense – The life of a people “That total process of human activity and that total result of that activity to which now the name culture, now the name civilization, is applied in common speech” (Niebuhr) “Any human effort or labour expended upon the cosmos, to unearth its treasures and its riches and bring them into the service of humanity for the enrichment of human existence” (van Til) “The total structure of shared concepts and behaviour patterns in which a group of people live”

Defining Culture The Narrow Sense – The “heartbeat” of a people “Culture is the world of human meaning, the sum total of a people’s works that express in objective form their highest beliefs, values, and hopes - in short, their vision of what it is to be fully human. Culture is a text that calls for interpretation” (Vanhoozer) “the system of concepts and behaviours that embodies what a group values most and holds tightest” a “web of significance, ” an interconnected system of meaningful signs that cry out for interpretation and understanding (Geertz) “the lens through which a vision of life and social order is expressed, experienced, and explored: it is a lived worldview” (Vanhoozer)

What does the Bible say about culture? A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 1) Psalm 24: 1; Nahum 1: 5; Acts 17: 24; 1 Peter 1: 20 Creation or nature God’s “Earth-making”

What does the Bible say about culture? A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 2) John 3: 16 -17; John 12: 46 John 16: 28; John 17: 18; John 1: 9 -10 All peoples and what they have done in and with creation Humanity’s “World-making”

What does the Bible say about culture? A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 3) 1 John 2: 15 -17; John 15: 18 -19 John 16: 33; John 17: 14; 1 John 5: 4; Romans 12: 2 Opposition to God and His purposes “Worldliness”

What does the Bible say about culture? Defining and understanding “worldliness” 1. Persons who live with loyalties that vie for the P allegiance, attachment, priority and commitment that belongs only to Christ 2. Avoid defining worldliness only on the basis of participation in specific cultural activities 3. Cannot be avoided by geographical isolation or attempts at cultural separation

What does the Bible say about culture? A. “The World” in the Bible (Part 4) Genesis 1: 26 -28; Psalm 8; John 17: 6 -19 The legitimacy of our calling to be in the world “The Creation or Cultural Mandate”

What does the Bible say about culture? 1. Differentiate clearly between earth (creation), world (culture/society), and worldliness 2. The capacity and inclination for world-making is a result of being made in God’s image 3. The calling to be involved in culture is not annulled by a commitment to being a disciple of Jesus 4. Recognize that all human beings including Christians are inextricably embedded in culture 5. Avoid perpetuating confusion about culture through the careless use of language 6. Identify genuine worldliness and adopt appropriate strategies for avoiding it

Testing your posture Rank in order of priority (1 = most important) the following considerations when thinking about the relationship between culture and the church: ___ Prophetically identifying and challenging those aspects of contemporary culture that need to be resisted or replaced by Christians. ___ Exerting influence and pursuing partnerships within contemporary culture so that it becomes more consistent with Christian values and standards. ___ Encouraging Christians to find places of beauty and refuge in order to endure faithfully the difficulties and challenges they face in contemporary culture. ___ Redeeming aspects of contemporary culture by helping Christians evangelize and influence their individual spheres.

Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling (2008) Differentiating between “postures” and “gestures” 1. Condemning Culture: Fundamentalist Withdrawal 2. Critiquing Culture: Evangelical Engagement 3. Copying Culture: The Jesus Movement and CCM 4. Consuming Culture: Evangelicalism’s Present Tense 5. Should be “Cultivating” 6. Should be “Creating”

H. Richard Niebuhr’s Typology Christ Against Culture - rejection or opposition to culture Christ of Culture - harmonization of Christ and the greatest human achievements and aspirations Christ Above Culture - Christ fulfills all human aspirations by is also more Christ and Culture in Paradox - conflict Christ Transforming Culture - change

Howard Snyder’s Typology Snyder’s Eight Models of the Kingdom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. as as a Future Hope an Inner Spiritual Experience Mystical Communion of Saints Institutional Church a Counter-system a Political State Christianized Culture an Earthly Utopia

The Kingdom of God & Responding to Culture Individual Private Heavenly Sudden Divine Action Not the Church Present Future Through the Church Human Action Gradual Earthly Public/ Social

Avery Dulles, Models of the Church (1988) 1. Church as Institution 2. Church as Community 3. The Church as Sacrament 4. Church as Herald 5. Church as Servant 6. Church as Community of Disciples

Models of Church/World Engagement (Adapted from Os Guinness, The Call) Model Orientation Evaluation Example Danger of Compromising Jesus’ Way – Over-engagement Abdication The church is the world. There is no distinction between the values and methods used Church has nothing to offer; God works through people Shelby, Spong Political Activism Force is God’s method for bringing about conformity Champions godly laws; coercing conformity is counterproductive Roman Emperor Constantine Individual Conversionist Faith is a private matter; living in two different kingdoms with two Respect for private conscience; does not challenge societal structures or ethics Martin Luther

Models of Church/World Engagement (Adapted from Os Guinness, The Call) Model Orientation Evaluation Example Transformative Persuasion, gradual change, redemptive use of force Challenges societal structures to change; may compromise Jesus’ way John Calvin Confessing Church as Alternative Community Exemplify God’s community, Jesus’ way of life, overcome evil with good Jesus is the model for all life; danger of isolation and lack of engagement Anabaptists Isolationist (reclusive) Develop a community within a restricted geographical region Concrete expression of God’s community; isolation and lack of engagement Dutch Protestants Danger of Withdrawal – Under-engagement

Craig Carter, Rethinking Christ and Culture (2006) Three Christendom types that accept violent coercion Christ legitimizing culture (e. g. , the German Christians) Christ humanizing culture (e. g. , Luther, Billy Graham) Christ transforming culture (e. g. , Augustine, Cromwell) Three non-Christendom types that reject violent coercion Christ transforming culture (e. g. , William Penn, Martin L. King, Jr. ) Christ humanizing culture (e. g. , Mother Teresa, Mennonite Central Committee) Christ separating from culture (e. g. , St. Benedict, the Amish)

KEY INSIGHT “Virtually every Christian group expressed in one way or another all five of the motifs. With respect to one cultural activity, they may typically express one motif, with respect to another they may characteristically adopt quite a different stance. Even with respect to a particular category of cultural activities, as regarding learning, the state, the arts, contemporary values, popular culture, business, leisure and so forth. Christians are likely to manifest something of all five of the attitudes” (George Marsden)

KEY INSIGHT Some elements of culture the church categorically rejects (pornography, tyranny, cultic idolatry). Other dimensions of culture it accepts within clear limits (economic production, commerce, the graphic arts, paying taxes for peacetime civil government). To still other dimensions of culture Christian faith gives a new motivation and coherence (agriculture, family life, literacy, conflict resolution, empowerment). Still others it strips of their claims to possess autonomous truth and value, and uses them as vehicles of communication (philosophy, language. Old Testament ritual, music). Still other forms of culture are created by the Christian churches (hospitals, service of the poor, generalized education) (John Howard Yoder)

Aspects of Culture A. Metaphysical and Epistemological Beliefs What is real, plausible, knowable? Is there a spiritual dimension to reality? Who or what is being worshiped?

Aspects of Culture B. Moral principles What is right? What is good? How should things be? What does the “good life” look like?

Aspects of Culture C. Aesthetic Values What is preferable, desirable? What is beautiful? What is attractive? What is deemed to be excellent?

Aspects of Culture D. Skills and Knowledge What kind of information, skills, technologies have been accumulated or developed or used? How are people informed about or taught these skills? Who is taught?

Aspects of Culture E. Relationship categories and structures How are people arranged or organized into groups? Are arrangements voluntary or compulsory? How do people relate to each other? Who lives together? Under what conditions? How close? What is the nature of community?

Aspects of Culture F. Societal Infrastructures What makes it possible for a society to function? To survive? How is safety insured? How are people educated? How is food distributed? How are decisions made? Where is power/authority located? How is housing provided? How do people travel? How is wealth and resources distributed? How are sick/elderly cared for?

Aspects of Culture G. Means of Self-expression How do people communicate? Through what means do people express ideas and feelings?

Functions of Culture 1. Culture Communicates - Constantly communicates messages, both overt and covert, that express various human concerns. Taken together these messages communicate a vision of the meaning of life - Communicates via form (packaging) as much as by their content (e. g. , “the medium is the message”) 2. Culture Orients - Creates a framework for interpreting everyday life, and which gives people a sense of direction

Functions of Culture 3. Culture Reproduces - Culture spreads beliefs, values, ideas, fashions and practices through proximity or contact (“memes, ” an element of culture that may be considered to be passed on by non-genetic means, e. g. , clothing fashion, religious belief, popular song, etc) 4. Culture Cultivates - Culture cultivates the human spirit, i. e. , character and spiritual formation (or dehumanizes in some cases)

Levels of Cultural Analysis 1. Description / Information 2. Identification of those aspects that are problematic and those that offer opportunities 3. Naming the deep-level idolatries 4. Navigating acceptable pathways and compromises (Contextualization)