The Church, Culture and Change
There is no
doubt that we are living in momentous days. Historians might well look back in
years to come at the late 20th/early 21st century as
being a key time of seismic cultural shifts.
A growing individualism, fueled
by rapidly advancing technology, and an even more rapidly advancing secularism
has left many bewildered by the speed of change in our society. The flagship
for many of these changes and perhaps most indicative of them is the changing
attitude towards marriage and in particular same-sex marriage. A very short
generation or two ago it would have been an unheard-of and very remote
possibility – now it is fact, even in the traditionally culturally conservative
republic of Ireland. What is even more obvious is the self-evident reality that
to oppose such a move puts you on the wrong side of history and in danger of
being labelled homophobic. You are hardly allowed to use terms like “right” or
“wrong” anymore. Nothing is wrong as long as it is loving! A ‘modern’ society,
we are told, allows people to exercise their rights in whatever way they want
and we shouldn’t interfere with that. To do so is unloving and after all “love”
is the ultimate ethic. To say otherwise makes you weird, old-fashioned,
uncaring and brutal. The long-heralded virtue of “tolerance” is not generally
extended to those who dare to hold different opinions.
This is but
one demonstration of the changes taking place under our very noses. These
shifts probably have their conception in the early 60’s and the growth of the
sexual liberation movement, advanced by the excessive rebellion against
authority, demonstrated in the music of the 60’s particularly. Take a look for example
at some of the grainy footage of the hippy movement and open drug use of those
days. Many of our current day influencers and opinion formers and cultural
shapers were children or teenagers in those days. Many in politics, the media
or music grew up with a very tenuous link or understanding of the Judaeo-Christian
ethic that their parents and grandparents would have known. Hence, the moorings
have shifted and we are now reaping the consequences.
Churches have
been (rightly in some cases) derided for a dead legalism, an out of touch
mysticism or for feeble attempts to copy the world’s liberalism. As a result
many Christians have been left reeling with a dizzy unease as to how to respond
to such criticism, how to communicate into such a bizarre world and how to
defend what seems like an increasingly out of touch message.
Some have
reacted by becoming a kind of ‘pietistic enclave’ – burying their heads in the
sand and having their meetings in their own time-honoured way and letting the
world outside their door go to hell. Others seem to have become over-friendly
with the world, seeking to win approval and acceptance by flattery and assimilation. None of this works of course and leads the Christian church to further derision
by a world which is diametrically opposed to Christian things (still not sure
about that? Read Jude vv 8-11).
Truth is, we
live in Babylon now. Any thoughts that this is still Jerusalem can be
forgotten. We stand with Daniel and his 3 friends. We are faced with our own
cultural Nebuchadnezzars and we are going to need enormous courage to refuse to
bow down to the man-made enormous idol and to say instead, “….we will not serve
your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3 v18).
Truth is
truth and no amount of cultural shift can change that. The gospel is absolutely
true, not just relatively so. It was, is and ever will be true. We may tremble
at the moral and ethical consequences of further decline in our society, but
God is God and ultimately he will have the last word. That is why to stand with
him, his gospel and his truth is ultimately the safest place to be. Even if it
makes you unpopular
