HAS ‘CULTURE’ BECOME A MEANINGLESS WORD?

Once upon a time, cultures were more easily defined. People lived in smaller, more homogeous communities. A common faith provided the backbone for a common culture.

But now?

People live in a worldwide multi-linked community. There is no common faith in our cities and towns. Cultural influences come from everywhere to everywhere. The latest hit song becomes part of our ‘culture’, even though it may have absolutely no connection to any shared worldview, shared paradigms for life, or shared values.

TV shows, designed – let’s face it – to make money through the entertainment industry, become cultural ‘icons’. National celebrations, as discussed last week, cannot bring any sort of cultural unity because our society (in Australia at least) is such a hotch-potch of competing cultures.

Patchwork quilts, where dozens, maybe hundreds, of ladies each contribute a square according to certain guidelines, can be beautiful. Unfortunately, popular culture is like a patchwork quilt with no guidelines whatsoever. The composite result will be meaningless (unless the meaning is diversity – which then cancels out any other possible meaning).

Multicultural society cannot, by definition, have a true culture. But any people group within that broader society, if there is that sense of shared worldview, shared paradigms and shared values, can still be a culture. Or, more precisely, a subculture.

This, my friends, is the level at which culture can be meaningful. What a wonderful opportunity for the people of God in Christ!

So the answer to the question in today’s heading must still be ‘no’. Culture is still meaningful, but only to the extent that it relates to a group of people, however large or small, who can share it at a meaningful level.

THE GREAT AUSTRALIA DAY DEBATE

The day that was intended to bring all Australians together has sadly become a sharp bone of contention. Some are even now referring to it as “Invasion Day”.

This unfortunate term is, of course, a politically motivated anachronism because there is no way the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on 26th January, 1788, was intended (or viewed) as an invasion. At the time, aboriginal sovereignty over the land was neither understood nor appreciated.

To judge eighteenth century history according to twenty-first century knowledge is the worst kind of historical revisionism.

But that’s not the point I wish to make here. I believe that the concept of an Australia Day is important because this is actually a wonderful country.  Many different cultures can flourish here, including all the various aboriginal cultures.

It is a mistake to talk about Australia as a single, unified culture.  We are one society but we are not one culture.  Even before January 26th, 1788, there was no one single culture here.

As a Christian, I would like to see more public recognition for the Christian heritage that has helped shape our nation.  Australia Day, for me, is an opportunity 1) to thank God for the blessings we share and 2) to celebrate the freedom that we have to promote and enjoy a Christian way of life, a Christian culture.

Aboriginal culture, despite the atrocities of bygone years and centuries, currently enjoys a highly esteemed status in a modern Australian society.  There are important inequalities that still need to be addressed but these inequalities are recognised and attempts are being made to rectify them.

The date for celebrating Australia Day should not be a problem.  Rather than seeing it as an invasion, we should see January 26th as the difficult and often painful beginning of something that eventually would bring opportunity to work together towards a society marked by harmony and understanding. 

It’s not about looking back with guilt and condemnation; it’s about celebrating who we are as a nation now.  And the Christian faith has historically had a huge role in developing Australia as the great nation we currently enjoy. 

SEXUAL EXPECTATIONS IN CULTURE

I think many people expect the Bible to present some sort of consistent picture of sexual morality, from start to finish.  You know.  Just don’t do it!  Unless, of course, you’re married.

But different cultures have different ideas about what is right and wrong regarding sex. The ultimate example may well be Mohammed, the founder of Islam, who married a six-year old girl named Aisha and consummated the marriage only a few years later. To Western thinking, influenced as it has been by Judeo-Christian morality, this is abhorrent in the extreme, yet no Muslim would dare accuse their prophet of wrong-doing in this regard.

In the book of Genesis, it must be admitted that standards of sexual morality were not yet fully evolved or defined. Chapter 34 depicts a horrendous clash of cultures over the issue of sexual morality.

Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, innocently ventures out to meet other young women in her new neighborhood.  The son of the region’s prince, a young man named Shechem, falls in love with her and, in modern terminology, rapes her.  Surprisingly, though, the writer of Genesis paints Shechem as a decent, honourable young man - v19 literally states that he was “more honourable than all the household of his father”!

Jacob doesn’t know how to handle this situation.  Having made every effort to befriend the men of the area, he doesn’t want to cause trouble.  But two of his sons, Simeon and Levi, devise a (brilliantly) deceitful plot to avenge their sister.  They end up murdering Shechem, his father the prince, and all the other males in the city!  Then, with the help of the other brothers, they plunder the city, taking captive all the girls and women!

I would have thought this was a bit extreme.  But when Jacob challenged his sons, they simply said: "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"

We are led to believe that Shechem honestly didn’t think he had sinned in defiling Dinah.  There is absolutely no evidence that he thought of her as a harlot.  In fact, he desperately wanted to marry her.  In his culture, he was a good man.  But he fell foul of a culture clash with a group of men who apparently believed that the rape of one sister was so reprehensible that it warranted the murder and plunder of a whole city.

There is no mention in this story of Dinah’s feelings.  Our modern sensibilities, like those of her brothers, are outraged.  But, from her perspective, things may have been rather different.  She might not have been so outraged.  Shechem loved her and would undoubtedly have given her a good life.  There are many instances in Scripture of women learning to adapt to marital circumstances that, today, we would find objectionable.

So what’s my point?  Just this.  Sexual morality in the Bible is a gradually unfolding thing.  After Genesis 2, the ideal of one man, one woman marriage doesn’t really reappear until the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus.  It is common for Old Testament heroes to have more than one wife, often treating them as commodities or possessions. 

We affirm that sex outside of marriage is wrong but we cannot back this up from the Old Testament.  Even the laws of Moses make provision for polygamy (Ex 21:10) and rape in the case of an unbetrothed virgin (Deut 22:28,29).

The Christian view of sexual morality is based primarily on the teachings of Jesus and the later epistles.  Our standards are part of Christian culture, which I think are easily defensible as the best and highest culture in this regard.  But people whose culture puts them outside the people of God in Christ have different standards.  And this is what we see around us today. 

Can we allow this to challenge our thinking and attitudes?  Shechem would not have understood the sexual morality of Jacob’s family because his culture was different.  Likewise, there is no point in Christians castigating (let alone trying to punish) non-Christian people for their sexual immorality if we have not attempted to demonstrate why our cultural perspective on sex is better and more honourable than theirs.

I believe that, increasingly, Christians will be called upon to defend their moral positions in a world of competing cultures.  But mere ranting and raving will not help.  There are many Shechems who simply don’t know any better.  How would Shechem and his people have reacted if Jacob and his sons had carefully explained their standards?  The evidence of Genesis 34 suggests that they would have adapted their culture to accommodate Israel.

It was a cultural clash matter back then and it’s a cultural clash matter now.

THE HEART OF OUR CULTURE

This week, I enjoyed reading “The Happiest Refugee” by celebrity comedian Anh Do.  Anh comes from a Vietnamese background but, despite several traumatic events, his book is almost outrageously positive. His story is rich in cultural insight, not just about the Vietnamese culture of his birth but also about his family’s adaptation to Australian culture.

Marriage is a crucial aspect of any culture and, when Anh married an Aussie girl, the coming together of two vastly different cultures and backgrounds made for some wonderful reading.

Most Australians really enjoy the interaction with people from different cultures. Different food, different protocols, different rituals. These are just some of the things that we can enjoy about our multicultural society.

The difficulty with multiculturalism, however, lies at a much deeper level of culture. Every culture has a core of worldview which, in turn, gives rise to a range of moral values. At this level, we cannot have a foot in different camps. A syncretistic worldview, drawing bits and pieces from here, there and everywhere, can only lead to confusion and frustration.

Why? Because, as someone said, the different religions could all be wrong but they certainly cannot all be right!

Jesus once asked His disciples if they wanted to join some others that had stopped following Him. Peter replied: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know You are the Holy One of God (John 6:68,69 – NLT).”

Following Jesus means that we cannot also follow Buddha, Mohammed or any other teacher or guru. For Christians, the very heart of our culture is Christ Himself. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

Cultural differences at the surface level are (usually) harmless and fun. Cultural differences at the deeper levels, however, are far more serious. It’s good to understand something about these differences but, for Christians, everything comes back to Jesus. Why would we want to study alternatives that would negate our commitment to following Him?

THE CULTURE OF ALCOHOL

Alcohol is such a huge part of Aussie culture that people find it hard to imagine any kind of celebration without it. Because I don't drink myself, I've sometimes been accused of being un-Australian.

This is one of the reasons why, several years ago, I decided that my nationality might be Australian but my culture is actually Christian.

I came across this humorous (but thought-provoking) quote about what you can't say when you're drunk.

Click here and scroll down.

Responsible drinking of alcohol is fine. Of course! No-one would dispute that. But I would suggest that it's binge drinking, rather than responsible drinking, that characterises Aussie culture.

Even as I'm writing this, an advert comes on the TV - "If you drink... and then drive, the party's over."

Earlier today, there was a great deal of talk about young men being seriously injured by alcohol-fuelled "king hits".

"Schoolies week", a time of wild partying at the end of the school year, is another alcohol-related headache for authorities.

All this reaffirms what I've been saying for years. There are bad things in every culture that need to be challenged.

I hope Christians can take a leading role in promoting a healthier, more responsible culture when it comes to alcohol.