Wednesday, September 13, 2006
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:13-16).
IDEA: Christians often come to grips with the culture by photocopying it.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize how much of a grip the culture has on us.
Would you agree that one of the struggles that thoughtful Christians have is how we can relate to a culture that in many ways does not relate to us but actually opposes us?
As we've seen, Christians have dealt with the culture in several different ways:
- They totally reject it, isolating themselves from it as far as they can.
- Others have embraced the culture and the values of the culture become the values of the church.
I. Another way that Christians relate to the culture is to photocopy it.
Here we do not necessary embrace all the values of the culture, but we do adopt all or many of the methods of the culture.
We might have Christian rock bands.
Christian radio and television.
We've had Christian coffee houses.
We try to touch athletes with Athletes in Action, etc.
II. The forms of the culture are not necessarily neutral, and we have to ask if in accepting the form, are we also accepting values that are contrary to the Christian faith.
An example is the use of images as opposed to the use of words.
A dominant way in which our culture communicates is by pictures and symbols.
The dominant way in which the Christian faith has been communicated has been by words.
Is there a difference? Is there a danger?
The term "Christian" makes a better noun than it does an adjective.
Is there such a thing as a Christian hamburger?
Is there such a thing as Christian radio?
Is there such a thing as a Christian school?