CULTURAL CONFUSION NOW

Last week, I quoted extensively from a biography about J.R.R. Tolkien which, I believe, accurately described the cultural confusion of the 1960s. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ became incredibly popular in an era when people, especially young people, were abandoning the moral worldview of previous generations.

Rightly discerning the times in which we live is not as easy as it might appear. Who really knows how this decade will be viewed in another forty to firty years? But it seems to me that the phrase “cultural confusion” pretty neatly sums up what is happening now.

No longer do we see in Western society an undergirding faith in the Christian God (who, by the way, is still the only TRUE God!) What we see is a religious supermarket where each individual feels free to choose any faith that takes their fancy. Or no faith, if that’s what they prefer. Or maybe a syncretistic combination – a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

But worldview, including belief in God, gods or no gods, profoundly influences how we live our lives. So does our concept of what happens at death. We fill our days (and minds) with social networking, celebrity gossip, sports, quiz shows and countless forms of entertainment but it’s all superficial stuff. It’s all an escape from the realities of life. More and more people, perhaps in an attempt to break the obsession with mindless trivia, find meaning in compassionate struggles for justice in various places around the world. But the bedrock of life, which must be some kind of faith, is still missing.

Australian society is not likely to settle on an agreed faith any time soon. But the Christian Church has all the ingredients, if we will only realize it, for a culture that is neither confused nor fragmented. More than ever, the world needs the Church to demonstrate a lifestyle where moral standards are inseperably linked to a credible worldview.

And it’s not just a theoretical issue. Jesus really is alive. God really is Creator of the Universe. The Holy Spirit still brings truth. The world needs a dynamic, Spirit-filled Church to live a holistic culture that is based on solid truth.

THE GREAT 1960’s CULTURAL CONFUSION

I’ve been reading an interesting biography about J.R.R. Tolkien and one of the chapters opens with what I considered a brilliant explanation about why The Lord of the Rings was such a success, especially in America.

So here’s an extended quote from pages 133-134 of “J.R.R. Tolkien, Architect of Middle Earth” by Daniel Grotta, originally published in 1976.

“The Lord of the Rings burst on the campuses of American colleges and universities like a rainstorm over a parched desert. Since the early ‘60s, when the American dream had begun to turn into a nonstop nightmare of presidential assassination, dirty wars in Southeast Asia, black power tirades and white backlashes, urban riots and campus disorders, many younger people began to feel dissatisfaction with and alienation from the mainstream of contemporary life. The vision of perfection that had enchanted a post-war generation – shopping centres, suburban split-levels, two-car garages, and color television sets – failed to satisfy their children; in fact, almost everything about middle-class America became anathema to rebellious youth. At first, the great social issues of the decade attracted their allegiance, spearheaded by an almost fanatical idolization of a youthful, dynamic president. The New Frontier meant the Peace Corps, VISTA, civil rights, the war on poverty, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and a man on the moon by the end of the decade. But after John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas came the disenchantment of war, civil strife, social upheaval, government wrongdoing, and increasing abuse of the environment. The disenchantment became alienation, the alienation produced a polarity, and one extreme of that polarity became manifest in the hippie movement, drug abuse and student protest.

Large numbers of intelligent, educated young Americans found no pleasure in the present, no solace in the past, and little hope for the future. “Be here now” and “do your own thing” reflected the agonizing, hedonistic frenzy of a confused culture. A benign cynicism towards existing institutions inspired a search for new gods: the occult, mysticism, psychedelics, Eastern philosophy, ecology, and back-to-the-land movements. Some found rootless answers and temporary solutions, only to move on in deep dissatisfaction to a new guru, a different movement, another relationship.

In ancient cultures mythology provided continuity from past to present by creating acceptable points of reference, reassurance that acts of hope and heroism were possible. In the West, mythology was in large part superseded by organized religion. Religion provided gods, heroes, and hope for centuries until Darwin, Marx, Freud, and the rise of modern industrial society fatally undercut its foundation. Religion was replaced by nationalism, communism, materialism, and other temporary surrogates. But what was needed were new myths, believable gods, acceptable roots in the past.

Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings as an attempt to modernize the old myths and make them credible. Apparently he succeeded beyond his own expectations, because his work was so well written and his mythology so well constructed – but perhaps equally because the modern need for a new mythology was so great.”

Now, as a Christian, I cannot agree with all Daniel Grotta’s conclusions – I definitely don’t think the world needed new ‘gods’. But there are themes in this that, God willing, I will explore in this blog over the next few weeks.

ANZAC DAY BOOK REVIEW

Australians and New Zealanders are today “celebrating” Anzac Day. I put ‘celebrating’ in quotes because it’s a very sombre affair, remembering the massive loss of life in WW1. This year, I wanted to read something relevant in the lead up to Anzac Day so here is my review of “IN GREAT SPIRITS - The WW1 Diary of Archie Barwick”.

This is a truly extraordinary book. Archie Barwick enlisted at the first soundings of war in 1914 and experienced first-hand the horrors of Gallipoli. As if that were not enough, he spent a further three years fighting the Germans in France, injured badly on a couple of occasions but otherwise surviving miraculously. Through the whole ordeal, he kept a colourfully detailed diary. As the title of this book suggests, his diary highlights the positive attitude of the Australian troops and he glowingly reports their achievements and the esteem in which they were held by the French and English, yes and even the Germans. He graphically describes the terrible mud-soaked conditions in the Somme campaign, the ravages of "trench-foot", and the frightful artillery battles, with huge shells whistling around his ears or over his head. Yet, when the weather cleared up and opportunity arose, he relished the scenery and hospitality of the war-torn France.

The following entry from 19th May, 1916, conveys something of the tragic, yet whimsical style of Archie's writing. "Today is the first anniversary of the great Turkish attack on us at Anzac. This day last year we were getting a bit of our own back, by nightfall we had slaughtered no less than 7000 Turks and taught them a very severe lesson. I wonder where I shall be this time next year; daisy pushing perhaps, or if my luck still sticks to me, home in Australia, for I don't think the war will last another year at any rate."

Wisely, the editors of this volume have left Archie's idiosyncrasies in tact. He always used the ampersand & instead of the actual word. Good things were "bonzer", the Germans were "Old Fritz", and British soldiers were "Tommies".

Some things, in the end, really did get to Archie; the long wait to be cleared of the flu when the war was over, the homesickness, the mud and snow, the thousands of dead bodies. It truly is hard to believe that anyone could survive all these things but, apparently, Archie did.

This is an unforgettable diary of a very forgettable time in history.

TIME FOR CHRISTIAN CULTURE TO BE MORE VISIBLE

In my book “Our Culture in Christ” I wrote the following about Christian subculture. “It means living a Christian lifestyle in full view of a fallen world. It’s not about the clothes we wear as Christians, or the food we eat (although even these things can be important) but it’s about showing love and mercy, kindness and gentleness, faithfulness, hope, joy, peace. It’s not about bumper stickers and Christianese slogans, but it’s genuine righteousness, courage, inspiration and integrity.” (p22)

I am currently in the process of establishing a bookshop in the town where I live and people who know me might assume that it would be a specifically Christian bookshop.

But that’s not the case.

Bookshops in Australia have tended to stock a very poor range of Christian books, partly because it’s a market they haven’t bothered to understand but also because that market was covered by church-run Christian bookshops anyway.

But times are changing. It is no longer financially viable to run an exclusively Christian bookshop in anything less than the major cities. And I think this presents an opportunity.

It’s an opportunity for Christian books to be marketed right alongside a range of other books. If customers come in to browse the shelves, why shouldn’t they see Christian fiction on the same shelf as general fiction? Why shouldn’t they see Christian biographies in the biography section? If they are looking for lifestyle/ self-help books, why shouldn’t they get some Christian options on the same shelves?

This is not about compromise, this is about getting Christianity into the marketplace where every other –ism and –ology has been openly displayed for a long time. If we are not ashamed of our Christian culture, isn’t it time that we stopped segregating it away?

When the apostle Paul went to Athens, he went to the marketplaces and to the Areopagus. He met with the philosophers and Gentiles on their own turf and he was able to reason with them because he knew something about their ideas.

(By the way, I don’t agree with the Bible teachers who say that Paul’s ministry in Athens was a dismal failure. There were some significant conversions there – see Acts 17:34.)

My point is that, while Christian bookshops, Christian radio, Christian TV and Christian everything are helpful to Christians (very helpful, I’m sure), it’s a tragedy if that means that Christianity disappears from the worldly marketplaces.

 

I believe we are living in critical times and it’s critical that genuine Christian culture (rather than the sinfully distorted version that makes the nightly news programs) becomes more visible.

WHAT ARE THEY FRIGHTENED OF?

In today’s blog, I want to turn the tables on a favourite anti-Christian argument. After all, isn’t it time the anti-religion brigade had a taste of their own ‘medicine’?

How many times have we, as Christians, been challenged as to how same-sex marriage will hurt us? (Lots of ways, actually, but that’s not my point today.) How many times have we been told that profanity, sexual promiscuity and blasphemy are OK on TV because “if you don’t like it, you don’t have to watch it”? How many times have we been accused of trying to stuff our religion down people’s throats?

Well I happen to believe that Christianity should be a privileged faith in Australia. As Cory Bernardi so eloquently points out, the freedoms and riches that we enjoy in this country have come about through the Christian heritage that has always (until now) undergirded our sense of who we are.

Christian churches, rather than mosques or temples, have always dotted our towns and regional areas. We celebrate Christmas and Easter, not Ramadan or Hanukka. The Bible, not the Quran, has been our moral compass. Our Parliament still acknowledges God as does our Constitution.

So what are they so afraid of? What terrible things do they think will happen to their children if they are taught about Jesus and Christianity for half an hour each week? Do they imagine that Christians will formally gag anyone who dares disagree with their beliefs? Well that’s what they continually try to do to us, so maybe they’re frightened that, if Christians actually were allowed to speak up, that we might reverse our own Golden Rule and do to them what they have been doing to us!

I sometimes wonder how a truly Christian society would handle social problems like pornography, drug abuse and sexual promiscuity. I think we would have to discern between victims and perpetrators. We would have to show compassion on the former and prosecute the latter. For instance, we would not lock gays and lesbians in prison but our laws would prevent them from proselytizing, especially among children and teenagers. We would not forbid Buddhists or Muslims from practising their religion but we would not allow them to impose their culture on us, eg by bringing in aspects of Sharia law. We would respect all law-abiding, peace-loving people but we would expect the same respect in return, eg there would be laws prohibiting blasphemy against Jesus or God.

A truly Christian society would actually be a wonderful society, with a rich but fair culture, and the Church in Australia still has the opportunity to demonstrate that – in our own ranks to begin with.

I’ll tell you why people are afraid of Christians having any power in our nation. They don’t want their freedom to sin to be curtailed in any way. They are willing to tolerate other religions coming in if it means that Christianity is locked away in a box, preferably a coffin-shaped one. They want Australia’s social conscience to be forever silenced, so they can be free to do whatever they want, whenever they want. In biblical terms, they want to cast off all restraint (Proverbs 29:18).

Our goal as Christians, living as a Christian subculture, is not to “shove our religion” down anyone’s throat, but to demonstrate the benefits of a culture based on righteousness. This is the all-important challenge of the times in which we live.

DOES CHRISTIANITY LEAD TO CLOSED MINDS

Today I’d like to address what I think is a very important question. Does Christianity lead to closed minds?

To begin the discussion, let me first confess that the prevailing attitude in the Pentecostal church when I first became a born-again Christian was: “God said it – I believe it – that settles it!” Hey, I even had a poster on my wall, purchased from the little bookstall at church, with exactly those words.

As a young teenager with no real understanding of theology, it was not a bad thing for me that the Bible was treated as the ultimate authority on all things spiritual. I still believe that the Bible is true and exceedingly “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).”

But I have long since abandoned the old habits I acquired (no fault of the churches I attended, I hasten to add) whereby a single verse, in context or otherwise, was sufficient to end any debate.

Some fellow Christians from those early years were notoriously narrow-minded in this regard. They had made up their minds (on pretty much everything) and showed no patience for those unfortunate souls who were not so biblically enlightened.

When it came to witnessing to those who didn’t, as yet, believe in Christ, these fellow Christians were ruthless in their compassion for the lost and impatient of actual dialogue.

This kind of polemic Christianity seems to have faded somewhat as the times got more and more complicated. But I submit that, in general terms, today’s Christians are more likely to have done the intellectual work to establish a credible worldview than most non-Christians. They are more likely to apply sound logic in expressing their points of view, and they are more likely to try to understand other people’s views.

I love what Jesus said when “a certain lawyer” asked Him what was required to obtain eternal life. Jesus responded with two profound questions. “"What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? (Luke 10:26)"

In posing these two questions, Jesus addressed the issue of Bible interpretation. We must first discern what the Bible actually says. Then, and only then, we consider its meaning.

So yes, Christianity can, for some people, lead to a closing of the mind, but it most certainly should not. Nor should any refusal to think critically about matters of faith be characteristic of Christian culture.

CHOOSING CULTURE BY DEFAULT

There are some things in life that we don’t get to choose. Our parents, where we are born, our racial characteristics, our DNA, our gender. (OK some people these days like to think that we choose our gender – I won’t touch that hot potato here. The fact remains that, at birth, the overwhelming majority of us are either male or female.)

Moving on…

In today’s blog, I would like to question the common assumption that our culture is another predetermined reality. Culture is not something that we are born with but something that we may be born into. If I am born into a Christian family, or a Muslim family, or whatever, the culture of these things will be progressively incorporated into our lives, depending on a significant number of variables.

But, to the extent that I can look at cultures objectively, I can accept or reject aspects of those cultures. Some Americans, for instance, choose to distance themselves from the gun culture that prevails in parts of their nation. Young people in many cultures these days reject some aspects of the traditional culture that they were born into. Personally, I have chosen to distance myself from the alcohol culture that typifies Australian culture.

Western culture is often dictated by the fluctuating trends of popular media. It is a fluid culture with only the vaguest possible underpinning worldview. As a young man coming to faith in Christ, I realized quickly enough that “worldly” culture was not something that I wanted to build my life on. I realized that, to a very real extent, I could choose my own culture.

There are, no doubt, sociologists and anthropologists who would strenuously deny what I have just written. They would say that I am simply unaware of the extent to which I have imbibed the culture I grew up in. Choosing a different culture to that into which we were born is difficult but, with enough cultural awareness, it is certainly possible.

I believe that Christianity is more than  a belief system. It is, in fact, a fully rounded culture, with a definite worldview, a relationship with a loving God, a whole set of moral standards and paradigms for living.

If we accept Christ on an intellectual or emotional level, but continue to live in some other culture, our walk with Him often fails. But when we choose to follow Christ with our whole life, adapting our lifestyle accordingly, the Christian culture becomes a powerful unifying force in our lives.

In this blog, I always aim to demonstrate the benefits of Christian culture. But for today, the message is simply that we can all choose to live the Christian life. We can choose a vague worldly culture by default or we can deliberately choose Christian culture.