Holiness is always challenging to talk about. Particularly when we ask the question “How are we to engage with culture?” an aroma of tension immediately fills the air. I think it’s because it feels archaic to ask, “What shows can Christians watch on TV? Are R-rated movies okay? Is there any music or songs that are off-limits? What about provocative art?” And of course, the conversation gets increasingly more challenging when we have to figure out, “Where do we stop? Are we supposed to make ‘Do’s & Do
In short, we need to know how to practice holiness without the slippery slope of legalism when it comes to cultural engagement.
There are two common approaches taken by Christians. The first is those who adhere to what some call The Benedict Principle. The Benedict Principle promotes a life of Christian segregation. That is, they pin Christ against culture and believe the two are fundamentally opposed to one another, thus Christians should do their best to separate themselves from culture.
The second approach is Christian Syncretism. This suggests Christians can fully engage in culture without reservation. The pendulum of Christian Living has swung so far towards Free Grace that they believe we have a license to do what we want and to be entertained by anything and everything under the banner of Grace.
Cards on the table, I think both ways of living are woefully inadequate to what God wants for us and are contra-Biblical.
The reason being, culture is not inherently evil—it’s actually meant to reflect God’s creativity! Culture can simply be broken down as Creation + Human’s Creative Efforts = Culture.
The problem, of course, lies within the creative efforts of people. Is all creativity created equal or are there lines Christians just don’t cross?
HERE ARE 4 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU CHOOSE TO ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE WITH CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT.
1) Does our cultural enjoyment lead us to worship God?
Is your first impulse after reading what we read or watching what we watched to worship God? Can we honestly thank Jesus for that certain piece of culture? Or, do we find ourselves ashamed and feeling guilty for purposefully jumping into the gutters?
2) Is my flesh gravitating towards unhealthy desires?
Are we using culture to justify doing what our flesh naturally wants to do? Do we watch sexually explicit movies because it’s just a subtle way to see some skin and mask it by a Romantic Comedy? Do we listen to repulsive music and simply say we like the musicality of it?
3) Does this harden me to holiness?
Am I made more like Christ after watching or reading or listening to this? Does my love for people and God grow? Can I maintain a purity of mind throughout this?
4) Do I want my life to resemble the lives of the people and characters I’m entertained by?
Am I entertained by people who live completely contra to God’s design? Do I envy the lifestyles that are being portrayed?
A final note: I completely understand that culture void of evil is almost non-existent. It’s not realistic to think everything we engage with will be perfect, holy, and pure. That’s not really the issue. The issue is how do we let culture awaken us to God and for us to grow in our love for the things of God. As one author put it, “Culture has the ability to draw us out of ourselves and lead us to a self-forgetfulness in God.”
This is a hard and complicated conversation. Let’s continue to wrestle, struggle, and think through these questions together.
