Changing Culture and Society

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to quite a few of the changes in society that I have seen change in my lifetime.  Granted, there are way too many of them to list them out, and so today, I want to look at it from the bigger picture perspective.  I realize that this paints with a broad brush, and that there are always exceptions, but I do think that there is something to doing that every once in a while.

It seems that there are quite a few people who recognize that our western society has proceeded in directions that we didn't necessarily want to go down.  So what has seemed to be the general approach to changing that direction?  Pass more laws.  There seems to be the thought that, if we make something illegal, people will stop doing it.  Lawmakers do it as they try to pass laws on gun control, health care, and all sorts of other things.  In the church, we tend to do it by emphasizing how we don't believe in certain things, like abortion, or divorce.

While I see that there is some value in this, there seems to be an idea out there that people will respond positively to laws.  There's almost an assumption that people will do what lawmakers or church leaders tell them to do.  And in my mind, while we can expect that to some degree, it tends to overlook the biblical reality that we are all born sinful, and that we tend to rebel against laws and rules.  Even when those laws and rules are put in place for our good and for our protection, we still don't like to think that someone else is telling us what we can or cannot do.

I recognize the good of laws and rules.  God gave us the Commandments to show what a perfect life would look like.  Since we are now contaminated by the taint of sin, those laws aren't guides, but instead reflect back the worst in ourselves.  So placing a higher emphasis on them seems likely to have a negative effect on us.  Instead of driving home the point that these are meant to be good for us, it seems to make us resent them even more.

I won't pretend that I know a good solution.  The fact of the matter is, we cannot avoid rules and laws, since they are in place for our good and protection.  We can't disregard them simply because we may not like them.  At the same time, we also cannot place too high of an importance on them, simply because we are sinful people who tend to rebel against them.  Add in the fact that every person probably has a different balance that works for them, not just in general, but in respect to each law or rule, and the task simply seems to be too overwhelming.

In upcoming posts, I will express a few of my thoughts on how we can work at changing the culture and society that we are part of.  As I think my way through this, I think you will see that it isn't an easy change, nor will it happen overnight.  And yet, when has anything worth fighting for ever been easy?

Christian Conversion, Morality, and Patience

Over the past week, we've been looking at morality, and how we can or cannot enforce morality upon others.  My hope throughout has been to demonstrate that Christians take a wrong approach when we seek to simply change people's behaviors, as though doing so makes the Christian all of a sudden.  Instead, issues of morality start deep inside a person, and spring forth from their beliefs.  Hence, if Christians would like to see a more Christian morality in those around us, the proper course of action is not to enforce rules of behavior or morality upon them, but to seek to change their hearts and beliefs, a task which God alone can do.

In fact, God's Word of the Bible makes it clear that only God can do this work, and He does it through His Word which we speak.  In Isaiah, we hear that fairly well-known set of verses in which God declares that He sends forth His Word, and it will accomplish the purpose for which He sends it.  I see two matters at work here that we as Christians find difficult.

First is the reliance upon God's Word and Spirit to do the work of changing a person's heart.  That doesn't seem like an effective way to work.  We start to think that we have to answer people's every question perfectly, even if the Bible doesn't have anything specific to say on the subject of their question.  But in the end, it is simply God's Word and Spirit that changes people.  Our most eloquent and persuasive arguments do nothing to change the heart and beliefs of another.  Only God's Spirit and Word do.

The second thing is that the change of heart and beliefs is not a fast and easy thing.  True, there are some things that are more easily changed than others.  But in the end, when God's Word and His Spirit have worked on a person's heart and changed them to belief in God, that's when a slow process begins, which calls for patience on our part.  There will be struggles and questions that the person will have.  There will most likely not be an instantaneous change in everything.  We have to be willing to be patient, to walk with that person through the questions and struggles that arise as their faith is incorporated into their life.

Have you ever walked the long, slow road with a person whose heart and faith has been changed?  What was it like?  You probably have a lot of wisdom for the rest of us, which we would be wise to heed as God's Word continues to do its work through us.

The Heart of Morality

The heart of how people think, act, and behave is in that person's set of beliefs about the world and their life.  For instance, if I believe that I was created by a being that made, not only me, but everything which exists, then my belief about how to act in this world and think about this world will be guided by my belief in that being.  If that being says to do certain things or refrain from certain things, I do so, because my belief in that being guides my thinking and behavior.

This gets to the heart of the difference between Christian morality and the morality of those who do not believe in God, or in Christ Jesus and His action of forgiving sins and rescuing us from a sinful existence.  Christian morality is guided by what God reveals in the Bible as His Word.  For those who do not believe this, having a morality enforced upon them which does not reflect their beliefs not only is wrong, but simply cannot be done in an effective manner.

So as Christians interact with the world around us, we may find that there are things about the morality of our surrounding culture that we believe to be wrong.  However, the answer isn't to attempt to legislate some form of morality, or to impose our beliefs upon others to change their behavior.  So, if that is the case, then what?

This gets back to how God changes people in the first place.  First of all, it is the Holy Spirit's work to change the heart and soul (i.e., beliefs) of a person.  We cannot believe unless God works that change in our mind and our heart.  This, then, brings us into God's realm of existence, and draws us into what He says is good, right, and moral.

So when Christians encounter those who believe differently, we are not to work to change their behavior.  Instead, we are to speak God's good news, His hope, His Word, to them, and let the Spirit do His work.  Should the Spirit's work be evidenced in their lives by a change in their beliefs, then we have the opportunity and joy and struggle to show them what life is like as God's people live together.

In other words, the spread of Christian morality is based, first and foremost, upon the sharing of God's good news in the Gospel.  Only when the Spirit changes another person's heart and soul can we then show them life as it is lived in God's kingdom and under His reign.  And that is why sharing Christian morality is, above all, the sharing of hope, of the forgiveness of sins, and of the cross of Jesus. 

Morality and the Masses

Christians share a common morality with one another, based upon God's Word.  However, as we move outside of the circle of those who share a common faith, we began to encounter some difficulty.  How much of what we believe constitutes good  morality can we expect or demand of someone who doesn't share a common faith?

Sadly, it seems that there are many Christians who would prefer to impose morality upon those who are not part of the Christian faith.  For example, Christians tend to believe that a man and woman should not engage in sexual activity prior to marriage.  When we see a fellow Christian considering this, we have a common basis upon which to engage their behavior: God's Word in the Bible.  But if this same person is not a fellow Christian, what basis do we have to impose such a belief and morality?

The heart of morality is determined by a person's beliefs.  For the Christian, these beliefs are informed by God's Word in the Bible.  To impose these same morals upon someone who does not share the same foundation is, quite frankly, wrong.  It assumes a common basis that is not present.  And even further, God's Word does not say that His people are to impose behavior and morality upon those who do not share a common faith.

So how does a Christian interact with those who do not share their faith, especially when it comes to moral issues?  This is where the Spirit's work of conversion enters the picture.  More on this tomorrow.

Again, thoughts, comments, and ramblings welcome!

Morality and Behavior

In yesterday's blog entry, I said that the Christian cannot impose his/her morality upon those who are not Christian.  Instead, Christians do have an obligation to one another to uphold what God lays out as guides for living.  The disclaimer to this is that, as Paul says in Romans 7, we're constantly fighting the sin that lives in us.  This keeps us from truly being able to live a life according to God's standards.

Yet, it is easy for us to say something like, "Well, I'm not supposed to judge another person, even or especially a fellow Christian."  True, we are not called to judge them, since that would be to place ourselves in a position of authority over them, which we do not have.  But we are to call to attention those areas where God has an explicit word, and which tears down the bonds of Christian love and fellowship.  This is not us judging the other, but rather, speaking God's Word and letting God do the judging.

Now, different Christians interpret different criteria that their fellow Christians need to uphold.  I truly have no problem with this, though often we can enforce morality upon one another that is merely a good idea, and not technically Scripture based.  In the end, when Christians uphold some form of "Christian morality" upon one another, they are always to be led by what God's Word says.

The final note on this involves the manner in which this is approached.  We are never to approach one another as though the one who needs the correction is inferior to the one doing the correcting.  Instead, love, gentleness, and compassion are to be key attitudes when it comes to helping a fellow Christian in a matter of morality in which they struggle.  Yes, this does sometimes involve being fairly strict (i.e. 1 Corinthians 5), but in all issues of morality or behavior, the desired end is reconciliation and restoration, not the feeding of one's ego.

Enforcing Christian Morality

In my continued efforts to bring clarity to my thinking, you will likely see a bit about how my mind works in this post.  I have a hard time when I'm as scattered as my thinking has been on "morality" in general.  Again, most of this scatteredness will probably become evident in the next few posts.

However, on with the topic!  The morality a Christian follows, though imperfectly, is one that is driven by faith and belief in God.  Through His Word, God has set forth what the conduct and thinking of a Christian would ideally be.  While a Christian, changed by the Holy Spirit into belief, takes on this morality, (s)he does so imperfectly (that darn sinful nature thing still works against us, even after we have been claimed by God).

This means that Christians can hold one another to certain types of standards.  Again, we will do this imperfectly because of the continual battle against the devil and our inherited sinfulness.  But, in general, Christians have the obligation to uphold certain standards of morality.

Where this topic gets tricky is when the Christian encounters the person who does not share a Christian faith.  My assertion is that Christians CANNOT enforce Christian morality upon a someone who is not a fellow believer.  Tomorrow's post will dig a little deeper into this topic.

Again, thoughts, comments, questions welcomed.

God, Faith, and Morality

I've been reading a book entitled "UnChristian" recently.  It's part of a regular learning community that I participate in.  I read this book a couple of years ago, and have been re-reading it for a discussion with my group.  It has elicited a number of different thoughts in my head that I am trying to put together in some sort of order.  So, over these next few blog posts, you will get to see what I am working out in my mind, both from a standpoint of what the Bible says and from what it means for Christians as they share the Good News of Jesus.  So please feel free to add thoughts, suggestions, or even questions to add to the discussion.

I guess the best place to start this thought process is a question.  What is primary about the Christian faith: belief or behavioral change?  This is the question that will form the basis for the next several days' worth of blog posts.

The reason I am bouncing this question around in my head is because the book I've been reading is one based on research led by the Barna group.  While I always take statistics with a healthy few grains of salt, the author, David Kinnaman, points out something that was really disturbing to me.  It seems that a majority of Christians come across to non-Christians as people who are more interested in a certain set of behaviors rather than a firm faith in Jesus. 

That's the assertion that has me thinking.  Do we, as Christians, emphasize behavior change over the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person?  Do we have the cart before the horse in that regard?  I won't deny that faith and how we live our lives are very closely tied together, but do we perhaps focus on the wrong one as the primary one?  And if so, what is the corrective?

So if the next few days sound like I'm rambling, it's because I'm working these out in my head.  I hope you'll jump into the discussion, and perhaps even give me a few more thoughts to add to the confusion!