“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:16-17)
“Jesus Christ has had conflict with every culture He has lived in.”
I don’t remember who said that, but I wrote it down at a conference I attended last year. I think it is true. Since there are no perfect people, it naturally follows that there are no perfect cultures (which are defined and embodied by imperfect people).
Since that is the case, every person should never rest too easily with their cultural assumptions. There is a fair chance that a sizeable chunk of those assumptions is based on lies of the enemy rather than the truth and character of God. One of the dangers of too much pride about my culture is that it can blind me to its false assumptions and the areas where it would find itself in conflict with Jesus.
This is true about whatever culture or sub-culture you want to name. American, white, black, inner city, suburban, rural, Hispanic, etc … they are all broken systems that will find their values at odds with Jesus at some point.
This is not a controversial thought for most. We can see this easily as we look at other cultures. But the real test for any follower of Jesus is if I can evaluate and regard my own culture as Jesus would. Another way to ask this question is, “Can I stop defending my cultural assumptions as a knee-jerk reaction and allow myself to see my culture as honestly as possible?”
One of the blessings of living together with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds is that we can often see the flaws in another culture more easily than we see our own. So, as we share with each other those kinds of insights, will we receive those words from a defensive posture or can we choose to prayerfully consider if perhaps our cultural assumptions are at odds with Jesus?
– Deryk Pritchard, Preacher
