Culture & Christianity

The following selections are from an article entitled "Grunge Christianity? Counter culture's Death-Spiral and the Vulgarization of the Gospel" by John MacArthur. My comments follow in italics. http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=articles&aid=231576

"It’s possible to be overexposed to our culture’s dark side. I don’t think anyone can survive full immersion in today’s entertainments and remain spiritually healthy."

"It’s like a radioactive toxicity, so while those who immerse themselves in it might not notice its effects instantly, they nevertheless cannot escape the inevitable, soul-destroying contamination."

"Even when you marry such worldliness with good systematic theology and a vigorous defense of substitutionary atonement, the soundness of the theoretical doctrine doesn’t sanctify the wickedness of the practical lifestyle. The opposite happens. Solid biblical doctrine is trivialized and mocked if we’re not doers of the Word as well as teachers of it."

"When Paul spoke to that culture, he didn’t adopt Greek scatology to show off how hip he could be. He simply declared the truth of God’s Word to them in plain language. And not all of his pagan listeners were happy with that (v. 18). That’s to be expected. "

"Whenever Jesus spoke of believers’ being in the world, He stated that if we are faithful, the world will be a place of hostility and persecution, not a zone of comfort. He also invariably followed that theme with a plea for our sanctification (cf. John 17:17-19)."

Perhaps we should be careful about how much culture we embrace. While it might seem attractive, and while the use of particular cultural elements may indeed serve as valuable evangelistic tools, it might be good to stay guarded and maintain our uncomfortability to some extent. As we slowly let down our guard, it's possible our 'moral filters' or convictions may subtly change to allow more junk to infiltrate our minds.