Christian Culture vs. Christianity
“We must apply the bible to the contemporary world, rather than applying the world to the bible”. This is what Dr. Collins taught in a recent class on Church History. Bible illiteracy is still a struggle today as it was in the early church. Where do we get bible knowledge today? Books about the bible, daily emails, pastors, the history channel, Christian TV and radio.
I went to a Christian bookstore yesterday. There were 4 full shelves of bibles. There is a woman’s, men’s teens, and athletes bible. There is are study bible, devotional bibles, life application bibles. I even saw a catholic bible. Then there are shelves and shelves of books about the bible, about Christianity, about Christ. I was so overwhelmed I left without buying anything. I can’t imagine being a new Christian going in to just buy a bible. It was totally overwhelming. Has Christianity gotten that complicated, and that marketable? That we are buying bibles based on the commentaries by Rick Warren or Lucado, instead of the Word of God. We spend more time reading about the bible than reading the Word itself.
We must be aware of the modern day pope. In the ‘Dark Ages” the pope promised to protect the king. The king thought he had the pope in his hand and the pope thought he had the king in his. The pope became an expect, and advisor to the king. Gregory the great was an example of the power that was issued to the pope. Today, we have Billy Graham, Joel Olstein. Locally we have our church pastors. Often we have lost sight of the only true King, we have given up on looking for Christ and we look for worldly experts.
“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.” (John 6:45)
“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words”. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
When we look at church history, is it bias or biblical? Does the church shape the culture or the culture shape the church today? We must understand both the Word and the world today. We must create servant churches, and we must keep it biblical, not popular. We are also a generation that craves relevance. I was surprised when Dr. Collins said, “Nothing that is happening in our churches today is new, nothing that has not been happening for 200 years or more.” He is right. Still, I want to believe that this “boomerang” generation is finally the one who is willing to radically take on Christianity. Willing to be revolutionaries, to live and authentic life for Christ, not just going to church, but truly being the Church to a lost and broken world.
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