Culture has been described as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.”* That sounds kinda stale, but so much of culture is anything but. It can be seen in unique expressions of art, music, dance, food and so much more. It colours the landscape of human existence and offers identification and belonging in community.
At the same time, I have also seen dark sides to cultures. Just as we develop healthy unique expressions of culture in our communities, I guess we can also develop the opposite.
I was chatting with some friends recently about culture and how faith should interact with it. What do you think…should our faith impact our culture? If so, in what ways?
It amazes me how ingrained culture is. Hans Magnus Enzensberger once said that “Culture is a little like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass-you don’t see it , but somehow it does something.” We don’t tend to think why we do things the way we do them. Culture often functions like an invisible script for life playing in our heads, and critiquing your own culture is perhaps one of the hardest things to do well.
As it is so ingrained, changing or setting culture is also incredibly difficult. Because of this I think these can be incredibly powerful questions: What kind of culture are my words/actions setting? What kind of culture would I like to be a part of? What would I do if I was going to create that culture?
Look …. Daves part of the blogging culture again!
It seems as though I will not be able to sleep until I finish pondering this question posed of how should faith impact culture. I don’t like commenting on ppl’s blogs as i have a hard time containing my strong opinions but alas I long for sleep and its almost two in the morning..
Firstly, before going into the how faith should impact culture I feel that faith has everything to the changing of culture, if not than to be honest everything is meaningless. And if everything is meaningless I cannot get out of bed in the morning. Thus, I don’t think the desire or hope to change or transform or impact upon culture could be there if there was not some sort of faith in something driving it.
If someone is wanting to cause change or transformation then deep down I think they have a hope for something higher, something deeper, and something intangible that mere words cannot articulate. On the other hand, there could be void of the loveliness of hope and desire/lust after personal gain if one were wanting to impact upon culture for selfish purposes only – that would be a misdirected hope I guess and that faith one that breathes out death.
Secondly, I would think that a persons faith should impact upon their culture in word and action. Faith is not something to be kept locked up and dormant. To me faith is a hope in (not for) something, someone, somewhere, someway, or even a somehow.
From my journeying and imperfect Christian point of view, if faith is really truly honestly present within a person it will not be able to be kept in, it will have no choice but to burst out into the world in…hopefully… positive colourful expressions, that are TRUE to that person and who they are made to be. These colours will uniquely be full of life the evidence that we were made with a purpose by a Designer and that there is plan to why we are here and that there is a blue print of sorts to how we are to firstly relate to that Designer and to people in the world around us due to who the Designer is to His creation.
To not share that faith if one has it would be to choose to not enter into those purposes and blue prints. To be frank to choose not to engage in this would be to deny the Designer one says they believe in… flattering the Designer with their lips but being far from that Designer in their hearts…if I can paraphrase some Scripture here 🙂 To choose not to share ones faith would be to deny culture LIFE.
Again, just my opinion, biblically and practically faith expresses itself in love. That love, birthed through faith, is what impacts culture. That love heaves up, it overturns the ways of the world which do not satisfy and only leads to death – death either physically, emotionally, or spiritually….well they are connected anyway and all impact on the world and our relationships relationally. Anyway, that love turns everything in culture, no matter what culture, on it head and puts it onto solid safe ground where there is… freedom, inclusion, purpose and humble power 🙂
I do not think or merely speculate that culture can be changed by and through faith in Jesus who I follow. I know because everyday I see God’s Sporit at work in me. That is not a prideful statement because for me to see that means I have had and continue to take hard long look at that which does not give breathe out healthy LIFE and then labour with God to have that transform. And im not done yet.
Also, I see God’s Spirit at work in the world around us through the hands and feet of those he calls to leave everything and follow him within his love to be a light to the world… and the darkness of culture does not overcome the plans of God having it become more Christlike – fully ALIVE, a culture that breathes out LIFE because it shares its FAITH in the one who died for us all so we could be made right with our designer who is love.
This love then gives birth to true hope in God, maker of heavens and of earth, that in and by Him we are agents of change and transformation within our culture. The culture slowly, painfully, and humbly, and joyously becomes one that really forgives, has no debts with one another or malice or envy. The culture in whatever unique expression if its own seeks good for one another through the labour of loving our neighbours as ourselves for we too at times must forgive ourselves, we must love our wounds, we must encourage our strengths, and build up our weaknesses.
….Sigh, i might be able to sleep now. Im sure your all drifting peacefully.
Peace,
Sleepy Jas
Wow …. thats a loooong comment.
I’ve been out done.
I think that we need to be open to people from other cultures when they challenge us about our own. They will see things from outside our culture that we won’t see from inside. It doesn’t mean we should do everything as people from outside our culture think we should, but it gives us some different options. Likewise, I don’t think we should expect people from other cultures to live as we think they should. I think cultural change needs to be initiated from within, even if some of the ideas come from outside.