Scripture, Spirituality & Our Culture Today
Spirituality, Scriptures, and Our Culture
“You are the salt of the earth,
but if salt has lost its taste,
how shall its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
—Matthew 5:13-16
In looking at one’s faith and journey with God there is much for one to consider. We as individuals are influenced by a wide diversity of factors. Moreover, our culture, which is collectively made up by individuals, is equally influenced by a diverse myriad of things. Some things that influence us on our micro level and then collectively influence our culture on a much larger macro scale can be one’s upbringing, childhood, family background and dynamics, economics, race, ethnicity, gender, and political views. Moreover, oftentimes these things are influenced by one’s own ideals, morals, principles, philosophies, and beliefs, which are often found in or impacted by one’s faith and religion.
These influential factors and components often define us as individuals. We each take our personal factors with us out into the world and our culture. Our culture is influenced by the collective personal factors of the members of the group. In giving consideration to the influences these have on us as individuals and on the collective culture, there are a few questions that must be reflected upon. Where does spirituality and Scripture fit into our culture? Where does our culture fit into Scripture and one’s spirituality? How do we, as believers, influence our culture and allow our culture to influence our own spirituality and our journey of faith?
These questions seem to be the crux of being a believer in this day and age in the world we live in. These issues and questions of what place and influence of one’s culture a believer allows in his or her life and to what extent a believer will influence and have impact on his or her culture is at the core of one’s life and faith journey. I have debated this numerous times throughout my own life and faith journey. I have come to different conclusions and understandings as I have journeyed forward in my life and faith. I have come to realize that this can be a most delicate and difficult balancing act for us as believers. It can be a constant battle and struggle to keep the balance of the scales of what and how we allow our culture to influence our life and to what extent or how we are able to influence and impact on our culture.
At times it seems that these issues and questions are most complicated. Some would say that we can have no part of this world and we must be totally separate to be able to set an example. Others would argue to make the case, “No, we have to be in this world if we wish to influence it, for how can we influence something if we are not in it?” Some would argue middle ground and seek balance. In seeking the balance, some would look to the guidance and measure of “cause not your brother to stumble in your choices and actions” (I Corinthians 8:13). Then some voices would express the idea of the potential slippery slope, and let not oneself be unbalanced and be weighed down on the side of the scale of cultural influence to the point that you no longer have a revealing and useful influential salt for the world.
In considering the matters of one’s faith one may ask, “How do I go about achieving this balanced scale between being in the world and not of the world? How do I influence my culture but yet not be swept away by the ways and influence of my culture?” These are most relevant and valid considerations and questions, worth reflecting upon and answering. I’m not all-knowing. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not perfect. There are things in my life that I’m quite sure some would say are too much of the world’s influence on me. I can only present my observations and reflections upon the matters which I present in this book. I can only speak for myself. That being said, in my own life and faith journey, this is the conclusion I have come to for me and my life.
For me, there are several answers to these questions. First, I think in all things, but relevant to this specifically, we can look to Jesus and His ultimate example. He was in this world on earth for 33 years, but at no time or point was He of or from this world. We can gain much from that in all matters of life and our faith journey. Another part of the answer is that yes, we are given this black and white command of being in this world but not of this world, meaning we are to always point others to God and the love and salvation of Jesus. However, there is much gray in how we each go about that. When I say gray I do not mean wavering in one’s beliefs or compromising on truth and God’s word. What I do mean by the gray in the black and white of this command is that we are all unique, special, and different individuals, and so how we are able to be salt or light and have influence on our culture is going to be unique and different from person to person because of one’s gifts, talents, and beliefs.
The other part of this is one must know his or her own limits and stumbling blocks. If you know you have a certain area that is not good, healthy, positive, or brings others toward God, then you may have to say this is tipping the scale to the more worldly. What this is for one believer will not be the same for the other, and vice versa. Then again, what one believer can do and is comfortable with that will not cause him or her to stumble and will not hinder his or her ability to be light and salt and have influence will equally not be the same from one to another. I know personally there have been a few things or areas that I have changed my position on in my life and faith journey.
These are the areas of grayness, subjectivity, or relativity that I meant that follow with the common concern of being in the world but not of the world, and the question of whether we are influencing our culture or our culture is influencing us as believers. We must know ourselves, our limits, our own stumbling blocks and hindrances. As long as we are holding to the bottom lines and core components of our faith of John 3:16, the Christian Creed, the greatest and 10 Commandments, things that are black and white with no room to debate, then the rest is up to our own personal discernment and understanding of God and the influence of His word on our lives and journey of faith. For me, these are the answers to these questions of being in the world but not of the world, and to determine if I’m having an impact on my culture or if my culture is influencing me.
I look to these things to help me measure and weigh my life, the influence of the world or me on the world, and the place it has in my life and my journey of faith. May I always be mindful and watchful of how the scales are tipping in my life and faith journey. May I always seek and strive to keep the right balance between being in this world and not of this world in my own life and my faith journey. May I always seek to be salt and light in this world and have influence on my culture. May we as believers all seek and strive to be the light and salt and have much influence on our culture through what we believe in Scripture and because of our spirituality and faith. May we point our culture and world to the sources of our salt and light:God, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.