May 16, 2004

Cawson Street Church of Christ

Mural Worthey

Hopewell, Virginia

Part #3: Preaching As Counter-Cultural

Introduction: (I am indebted to Tommy South, minister of the Glenn Allen Church of Christ, Richmond, VA, for some of the material presented here. Recently, he presented a four-part series in a "Ministers’ Enrichment Day" at Temple, TX, entitled, "Preaching as a Counter-Cultural Activity.")

Christians should be aware of three different cultures: those of other nations (a must for missionary work), the American culture (for local work in the USA), and the culture within our churches. Culture is simply the overall characteristic features of society. The Bible does not use the word culture, but it does describe it often by using other words. The Bible teaches God’s people in all ages to be different from the world. The world, as used in the Bible, is more limited than culture in that it points to the immoral and ungodly traits of the culture. God wanted Israel to be a peculiar people dedicated to Him. In the development of Israel, the Jews made a mistake in wanting to be like the other nations around them. (1 Samuel 8.) Christians are often tempted to be like the world.

In the New Testament, Paul wrote, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2.) The apostle John often contrasted the people of God and the world. He wrote, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness." (1 John 5:19.) And, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17.)

The more you study the culture of the world and what God wants us to be, the more aware we should become just how boldly counter-cultural we must be. There is the ever-present danger of accommodating society and conforming to it morally, rather than opposing and rejecting it as anti-Christian. It might seem shocking to you, but there are many elements of the American society that are anti-Christian. The problem is being able to distinguish between the world and what is Christian. There are morally and spiritually two kingdoms at odds with one another—the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Paul wrote that Jesus gave himself for us that he might "deliver us from this present evil world." (Gal. 1:4.)

It is not altogether easy to distinguish between what is Christian and what is the culture of the world. Some examples of that difficulty are demonstrated by the following: 1) The struggle of the Mennonites and the Amish (a strict sect of the Mennonites). Should Christians dress like the culture and use modern tools and appliances? Should one drive a bright colored automobile? 2) For us we have struggled with questions like these: Should Christians observe Easter and Christmas? Should Christians participate in war? Should we wash one another’s feet? Should women cut their hair as short as men’s hair? Should men wear long hair? Should Christian women wear head-coverings during worship? (Note that Paul did not encourage women to wear coverings because of cultural considerations. He gave theology reasons for doing it—"because of the angels." (1 Cor. 11:10.)

We have often wrested with the above cultural issues. As human beings, we live in two worlds—the physical world around us and the Kingdom of Christ. We are a part of the American society and all of us have been affected greatly by it. One challenge of preaching the Gospel is to clarify the cultural issues; not just the easy ones. It is easy to decide about polygamy, as long as you do not live in a culture that practices it. It is easy to decide about abortion and homosexuality. Some issues are so clearly opposed to the Gospel that they should be obvious to all. However, there have always been perplexing questions as well.

I believe it is a fair and accurate observation that modern Christians look very much like the world around them. I mean that not just in external ways only, but in moral and ethical behavior as well. Proof of that comes from statistics about marriage and divorce, use of pornography, racial prejudice, unethical business practices, cheating on taxes, fornication, misuse of the tongue, materialism, etc. The "American Idol" is covetousness and materialism. (Luke 12:15, Matt. 6:24.) Across the spectrum, Christians today are looking more and more like the world around them. Frankly, it is hard to tell any difference any more. Christians will lash out with the tongue just as quickly and harshly as non-Christians do. Our divorce rates are about the same as the culture.

Our marriages look more and more like the world’s marriages. Ignoring for a moment the radical feminists, the more moderate families as well reject male-leadership as described in Scripture. There are only three possibilities: male-leadership, female-leadership, and co-leadership. Scripture is not ambiguous about saying that God has chosen male-leadership. That runs counter to our culture! Believers do not hesitate rejecting God’s Word when they disagree with it. The Bible says:

"But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Cor. 11:3.)

Preaching should seek always to please God and not men. (Gal. 1:10.) There is a temptation before preachers to please the audience. Brother James Thompson wrote: "Despite the temptation that might come to the preacher to give the audience what they want to hear, Paul knows that the Christian faith will survive only when the preacher follows Paul in speaking the truth under all circumstances. . . . Paul insists that the preacher’s agenda has been established by the message of Christ, which is a sacred trust. The preacher who follows Paul’s example will say inconvenient things at inconvenient times." (Equipped For Change: Studies in the Pastoral Epistles, ACU Press, 1996, 144-45.)

Paul wrote to a young minister, "Preach the Word; be instant, in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall be turned away from the truth, and shall be turned into fables." (2 Timothy 4:2-4.)

Acceptance and approval by our culture and society should never be a goal toward which we strive. Many modern books on church growth advise churches to be in tune with society, take surveys of those seeking for a church home and see what they are looking for. After you find out, then be responsive to the needs of those in the community. This kind of thing was unheard of in biblical days, Old and New Testament periods. The lost were called out of darkness into light. Israel was commanded to reject the idolatry of the nations round about them and be a peculiar people. The reasoning of modern church growth experts is seriously flawed. Fallen people who love the world are not likely to want the Gospel of repentance, self-sacrifice and devotion to the Lord. We must seek to understand the Gospel of Christ and preach that message to a lost and dying world. A world dead in sin is not in tune with God enough to even know what it really needs. But we should know. Our goal should be faithfulness to Jesus Christ, not just having a large crowd at any cost.

Politicians look closely at polls, though they all claim to ignore them. They know that in order to be elected they must please the majority. Churches and preachers must not be like that. Our goal is to please Christ regardless of what the majority thinks. In most cultures, the majority will choose the broad way that leads to destruction.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:13-14.)

Preaching not only stands opposed to the world’s standards and desires, but biblical preaching must challenge also the church culture as well. In every local congregation, there exist traditions, practices and priorities that are not in agreement with Scripture. In like manner, there are many local traditions and customs that are not contrary to Scripture. The local preacher must lift up his voice against such things that tend to lead believers away from the Gospel and from the people that they should be.

Here are some of the dangerous cultural traits of churches:

1. To live as worldly as the culture around you.
2. To reject the appointment of elders and deacons, claiming instead evangelistic authority over the brethren.
3. To have elders and deacons who do not serve as they should. Some think incorrectly of these as office positions in the church, instead of opportunities of serving others.
4. To claim self-righteousness as the means of your salvation instead of honoring the Righteous One who died on the cross.
5. Some accept worship trends that tend more toward performances rather than worship of God.
6. Ignoring Scripture and doing whatever the group decides it wants.
7. Some churches are primarily worshipping societies, not doing good works for others.
8. Some do not care about the lost and do not even attend Gospel Meetings to reach the lost. (Modern churches have cut back on the length of Gospel Meetings, primarily because the brethren do not want them anymore!)

9) Some larger churches have stopped meeting on Sunday evenings. Why?

I doubt that they would have done so if large numbers attended the

evening service. They stopped because the brethren did not want to

"repeat" the morning worship hour.

The list could be extended. There are many other trends and traditions in churches that should be rejected. During the dark days of racial segregation, our churches did not take the lead to integrate. We did so only after it became more culturally acceptable to do so!

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9.)