Reformission #4b: "Elvis and Eden" - evaluating culture

Post "Reformission #4a" talked about ways to evaluate culture in terms of thoughts, values, and experiences. Now Driscoll tackles high culture, folk culture, and pop culture. You probably have a good idea of what these mean. What's more important is what they mean for the church and its mission. Are you trying to do a ministry that is pop culture oriented when your culture is folk - sometimes the anti-pop culture? Good luck with that. Or are you doing "high culture" church in a pop culture area? These are things worth thinking through if your church is on mission.

What I want to talk about more in this post is Driscoll's discussion of universal Sins and particular sins. Universal sins are the ones that are sins for everyone - sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, etc... (see 1 Cor. 6.9-10). Particular sins are the ones that might be sin for some, but not others. This is that area of weak and strong brothers and sisters. Driscoll states, "...in some areas, we all need to restrict our freedoms because of our weaknesses, while we are able to use our Christian liberty in areas which we are strong" (p. 102-103). This would be the idea that it would not be sin for someone to go into a bar, theoretically, but it may be sin for someone who has a weakness with alcohol - they are setting themselves up for a fall.

Driscoll offers the following ... Biblical Principles for Cultural Decision-Making

• Is it beneficial to me personally and to the gospel generally (1 Cor. 6.12)?
• Will I lose self-control and be mastered by what I participate in (1 Cor. 6.12)?
• Will I be doing this in the presence of someone I know will fall into sin as a result (1 Cor. 8.9-10)?
• Is it a violation of the laws of my city, state, or nation (Rom. 13.1-7)?
• If I fail to do this, will I lose opportunities to share the gospel (1 Cor. 10.27-30)?
• Can I do this with a clear conscience (Acts 24:16)?
• Will this cause me to sin by feeding sinful desires (Rom. 13.13-14)?
• Am I convinced this is what God desires for me to do (Rom. 13.5)?
• Does my participation proceed from my faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 14.23)?
• Am I doing this to help other people, or am I just being selfish (1 Cor. 10.24)?
• Can I do this in a way that glorifies God (1 Cor. 10.31-33)?
• Am I following the example of Jesus Chrsit to help save sinners (1 Cor. 10.33-11.1)?

This is me, not Driscoll: I like this list (I'm sure Driscoll does, too) because I often focus, when it comes to this discussion, on avoiding sin and enjoying the freedom we have in Christ. I don't look at it as opportunities for the gospel that might be lost if I don't exercise my freedom appropriately. That raises the stakes to making it about more than just me and my relationship with God - someone else's relationship with Him may be at stake, too.

Driscoll concludes this chapter by noting that we can't change culture through political structures, but through transformed lives. Culture, he says, is the megaphone of broken humanity's hearts. Hearts need to be transformed by the gospel, not the culture. Culture will be changed as there are more hearts changed within it.

Here's some more questions to chew on...

• Do you prefer high, folk, or pop culture? Does your church mediate the
  gospel primarily through high, folk, or pop culture? Where do high, folk,
  and pop culture exist in your local culture?
• For what issues in your culture do you need wisdom and discernment to
  understand? In what areas are you culturally weak? In what areas are
  you culturally strong? For you, what sins are particular sins, instead of
  universal sins?
• Do you have a new heart that loves God, hates sin, and causes you to become a
  new person more like Jesus? If so, in what ways has your new heart caused
  change in your life?
• In what ways have you or your church wrongly sought to change people's
  behavior (including your own) rather than first focusing on their hearts?
• In what ways have you or your church placed faith in institutions to change
  people at the expense of placing your faith in God and in God's working through
  you?

What do you think?