THE CULTURAL BENEFITS OF WORSHIP

Worship is a vital and distinctive aspect of Christian culture that has no equivalent in secular Western culture.

When we, as Christians, worship our God, we acknowledge that He is infinitely higher and greater than us. He is the Creator, we are created beings. We freely acknowledge our moment by moment dependence on Him  - for the life that we enjoy and the very air that we breathe. We admit our smallness in comparison to His vastness and we admit our frailty in contrast to His strength and power.

This promotes an attitude of humility which, I believe, is much saner and healthier than the modern secular attitude that tries to make every individual feel “special”. If I am special, then everything should work out perfectly for me, and I should fight anything or anybody who gets in my way. If things don’t work out, I am susceptible to anger and depression because, after all, such things should never happen to me because I’m special.

In contrast, worship promotes the attitude that we don’t deserve special treatment but we can look to God for wisdom and strength in every situation. This is much better!

In some forms of Christian worship, there is also an admission of pervasive sinfulness in comparison to His holiness. As in the oft repeated phrase: “Forgive us, for we are miserable sinners.” Contrition and repentance are good things but, if we never move on from there, we will be doomed to hopelessness and futile struggling against ourselves.

The true Christian understanding of sin is that we were all sinners but, through Christ, we are declared righteous. This encourages a life of eternal gratitude which, in turn, is a better motivation to holy living. When we are born again, through faith in Christ, we enter a relationship with God based on forgiveness and grace. No longer must we strive to be accepted.

Worship also provides perspective. It places us accurately and realistically in the cosmos. We are not important because of what we are but because of who we are, beloved sons and daughters of God.

This warrants much more study but this brief summary of the benefits of worship surely demonstrates that true Christian culture promotes good emotional health and helpful attitudes to life.

BOOK REVIEW – SEX, GOD & MARRIAGE – Johann Christoph Arnold

As well as being a writer and social activist, Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor with Church Communities International, formerly known as Bruderhof. This book was originally published as "A Plea for Purity" back in 1996 (which explains how it is possible for Mother Teresa to write a foreword for a book published in 2008!)

Fifty or sixty years ago, this book would not have been so counter-cultural because so-called "sexual liberation" was only just beginning to break out in Western society. The message about marriage and sexuality would not have been any different back then because true biblical principles don't change. But, because Western society has changed so dramatically, this book is now a call to stand up for purity and fight against the destructive moral laxity of our times.

The generally Catholic tone of the book is reinforced at the end by "A Call to Purity", jointly signed on behalf of both CCI and the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. But this is not a book on doctrine so Protestant readers would gladly concur with most of what is written here. Exceptions might include the portrayal of divorce, masturbation and contraception as always sinful in the sight of God. (Some Protestants may also take exception to the author's strict views on homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and abortion, but I think he is spot on in his assessment of these things.)

This is actually a very spiritual and very compassionate book. It emphasizes our need, in all the temptations of life, to rely on God and pray for His strength to always do His will. Some might see this as a bit "pie-in-the-sky" but I don't believe the author has in any way minimized the reality of temptations that people face these days.

In his closing argument, the author writes the following: "We must demonstrate that a new way exists and show the world a new reality, the reality of God's righteousness and holiness, which is opposed to the spirit of this world... In order to demonstrate God's will, the church must first take concrete steps toward forming a genuine sexual counter-culture." (p158) Personally, whilst I totally agree with the sentiment, I would rather think in terms of a Christian sub-culture existing in full view of the wider society than a counter-cultural community that may, to some extent, hide itself away. In other words, Christian community can exist even where people don't literally share a living space.

Overall, though, in these sex-crazed, maniacal times of anything goes, this book is a sane, well-balanced call for God's people to rise up in His strength to a life of profound purity.

BOOK REVIEW - ONE HUMAN FAMILY

Many excellent books in the past few decades have demonstrated the scientific credibility of creationism. Other books have compared the effects of evolutionary thinking with the effects of a worldview that takes the book of Genesis seriously. This lavishly produced book by Carl Wieland, Managing Director of Creation Ministries International builds on previous work to tackle the contentious issue of racism.

The thesis of the book is obvious from the beginning; both the Bible and modern science affirm conclusively that we are all one human family. Therefore racism doesn't make sense. The evidence for a recent common ancestry brings the family connection even closer.

But racism in our modern context is a complex issue. This book has seventeen chapters, all treating different facets and implications of our human tendency to define each other in terms of race. Readers will find semi-technical scientific explanations, historical reviews on matters like slavery or the impact of Social Darwinism, analysis of examples that evolutionists have put forward as evidence of man's evolution from ape-like creatures, and much more. The alleged biological differences between different races are seen to arise more from differences in culture and religious worldview assumptions. There is a substantial chapter on South Africa and the Apartheid regime. All of these matters are handled uncompromisingly (this book would never pass the PC test!) but in such a way as to promote genuine understanding, something which is often lacking in discussions about race and racism.

'One Human Family' is encyclopedic in scope, well illustrated and well-referenced, with several interesting feature pages. Christian readers will greatly appreciate this book for the way in which controversial issues are addressed. Non-Christian readers, if they are open-minded enough to consider the evidence marshalled here, will find their whole world turned upside down!

The physical weightiness of this book is definitely matched by the weightiness of it's content. A very important contribution to the literature on one of society's most divisive issues.

NOTE: I thought this was worth posting on my ‘Culture Insights’ blog because this book speaks directly to so many culture-related issues.