Christians, Culture, and the Subculture
By Scott Shiffer

How should Christians think about culture? How should they engage it? One of the biggest problems we see in the Church today (at least in America) is the problem of dualism. By dualism, I mean that we attempt to separate the sacred and the secular. In the early days of the Church, this is exactly what the Gnostics were teaching. They believed that if your body sinned it was ok, because in your spirit you were still serving the Lord. See, the Gnostics believed that the flesh was evil but that the spirit was good. They cared nothing for the body or for the rest of creation, and for this reason, they did not understand that God was renewing the whole person--body and spirit and everything else that He made as good in the garden. A more Biblical view of life is that God cares for and is concerned about every aspect of your life and about everything He has brought into existence.

Today the Church has a tendency to separate itself from society and then to imitate that society. An example is that the Church condemned rock music and then created Christian rock music. This not only appears to be hypocritical, but it also shows that the world seems to have as much influence on the Church as the Church does on the world. Other examples of dualism include Christian romance novels, Christian video games, Christian versions of MySpace, Christian candy, etc. The question raised then, is how we should act in reference to these things?

To begin with, I do not believe that Christians should separate from the culture; in fact I believe they should do the exact opposite. Christians should actively engage the culture, infiltrating it with lay employees who are driven by Christian principles to do their best work so as to produce the best products they can--all for the glory of the Lord.

We do not need Christian candy, but rather candy makers who are Christians. We do not need Christian romance novels, but novelists who are Christians and who will glorify God in the things they write. We do not need Christian video games, but video game creators who are Christians who promote right ethics in their games. We also need dentists, pharmacists, elementary school teachers, construction workers, trashmen, firemen, mechanics, assembly line workers, farmers, ranchers, car salesmen, and anything else you can think of.

Christians need to live in the world contributing to the good of society and to the betterment of humanity. They do not need to sit in their pews waiting for the world to come to them; they need to live in such a way that they glorify God in their work, in their home, and in their social lives. They need to live so well and put so much effort into what they do, that those around them will be forced to take note that there is something different. Through the relationships they make at work, on the golf course, at the coffee shop, and in the online chat rooms, they need to look for ways to share their faith.

Christians need to realize that God created the world and then asked us to subdue it and rule over it. This means that Christians have a responsibility to live in such a way that they are willing to take care of the environment, conserve energy, care for animals, groom their lawns, and give to those who are less fortunate. Christians need to step up and show the lost what it means to care for the earth, to care for the poor, and to contribute to the life of future generations.

Am I against the Christian subculture, well no, I do think there is a place for that just like there is a place for church buildings. But I am against Christianity hiding behind the walls of this subculture looking out and seeing the world but never getting involved in it. That is one of the greatest things about the Church movement going on in America today. We see more lay ministers and more outreach through relationships in our daily lives. After all, each believer is a minister of the Gospel.

It is my prayer that you will look at everything around you and see how you can do what you have been called to do, be where you have been called to be, and live as you have been called to live with an eye to the Lord. It is my prayer that you will see your life as an act of worship and that you will do all things for God’s glory. He has commanded us as humans to care for His creation and to love one another. Let’s make it a priority to do just that.