The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 71): So, How Should We Then Live?

In his book, The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark said the following in regards to Christianity and Western Civilization:

“Christianity created Western Civilization.  …Without a theology committed to reason, progress, and moral equality, today the entire world would be about where non-European societies were in, say, 1800: A world with many astrologers and alchemists but no scientists. A world of despots, lacking universities, banks, factories, eyeglasses, chimneys, and pianos. A world where most infants do not live to the age of five and many women die in childbirth—a world truly living in ‘dark ages’” (233).

This is something we cannot afford to forget. And no, this is not a call for any kind of theocracy or a government-imposed faith. It simply a call to acknowledge the role Christianity has had in building Western civilization.

That being said, as Stark has shown time and time in his books, Christianity, in truth, has always been a minority position in Western culture. Throughout Western civilization, while the Church was encouraging literacy, the sciences, and the arts, most people still were effectively pagan. Even in Puritan New England, where we have long-believed the narrative that Puritans were repressed religious fanatics, the fact is that from 1761-1800 “33.7% of all first births in New England occurred after less than nine months of marriage, and therefore single women in Colonial New England were more likely to engage in premarital sex than to attend church” (The Triumph of Christianity, 353). Furthermore, only 22% of the colonists in Massachusetts even belonged to a church congregation (TC, 354).

Simply put, despite the clear cultural impact Christianity has had on Western civilization, neither Europe nor America has ever been truly “Christian” as a society. As Andrew Greeley wrote: “There could be no de-Christianization of Europe…because there never was any Christianization in the first place. Christian Europe never existed” (TC, 375). Despite the “Christian” veneer, the state churches in Europe are hollow shells. The same can be said for many in America.

Again, as Stark points out, the Danish state church is run by non-believers who don’t attend services. Furthermore, up until 2006, “the Church of Sweden was controlled by the Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs, and for many years the Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs was Alva Myrdahl, a well-known leftist economist and nonbeliever. She was inspired to appoint a commission to compose a new Swedish translation of the New Testament, on grounds that ‘the timeworn Holy Bible [is] becoming increasingly marginalized in the modern, rational, world view’” (TC, 380-381).

I start with this because I want to make clear: we are not living, nor have ever lived, in a “Christian society.” Putting “In God We Trust” on our coins does not make a society Christian. Nevertheless, it is quite clear that wherever Christians have sought to truly bear witness to the Gospel and, in effect, live out the politics of the Kingdom of God, they have shaped society and culture in ways that have benefited everyone. As Jesus himself told his disciples in Matthew 20:25-28:

^“Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

So How Then Should We Live?
Simple: As salt and light; as servants who present themselves as living sacrifices, who refuse to be conformed to this world, but who instead are being transformed by the renewing of their minds, so they can discern what the will of God is—what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 12:1-2). The word that is translated as “perfect,” incidentally, is actually τέλειον, which carries with it connotations of growing into full maturity, not just some static “perfection.”

This means that we are not to simply try to impose some kind of “perfect moral system” on society. World systems always are imperfect, they always break down, and ultimately, they are impersonal, carrying with them the danger of stripping people of their humanity. Still, the fact remains that we need some structure and system that allows enough freedom for people to live as salt and light, as servants and living sacrifices for the good of others and of creation as a whole.

Any political system is only as good as the character and integrity of its citizens—and that is the “target” Christians should be aiming for. Our task is to point people to the person of Christ, not some cold, hard absolute law; and then we are to embody and reflect Christ in our daily lives, and be Christ to others.

We must remember that the Gospel testifies to the fact that God became man—the ultimate universal became a particular. And “Christ the particular” showed that transformation comes by working through the particulars, and offering them up in faith to the love of the “Father the universal,” resting in the hope of the promised New Creation. Christians are called, not to imposed supposed “absolutes” from the outside, but rather to sow seeds of love and discernment, and allow the Kingdom of God to grow. We are to bear witness to Christ and live as his ambassadors as we deal with the pressures of society in terms of faith, hope, and love.

Okay, That’s All Well and Good, but Let’s Get to Some Specifics!
Now it is easy to write about “being Christ-like” in general, overarching statements; it’s quite another thing to actually try to address the many social issues in today’s culture in a Christ-like way. So allow me to share where I am on a few of these issues. I certainly am not going to call for some sort of crusade in the culture war, but I do feel it is important to honestly share one’s thoughts, in the hope that it will foster further reflection and discussion.

Cherry-Picking the Bible
First, let’s stop cherry-picking Bible verses out of context, and use them in an over-simplistic way to justify our particular political view, be it gay marriage or the refugee crisis. If you’re going to use Leviticus 18:22 or Romans 1:26-27 against homosexuality, don’t just throw them out there; discuss what they’re about and consider the historical context. Those verses addressed different situations and cultural contexts—before you slap those verses on a bumper sticker or put them in an angry tweet, you’d better think that through.

By the same token, just don’t throw out a Bible verse that says calls for caring for the sojourner and alien, and then accuse America for turning its back on the refugees if it doesn’t let in a million all at once. The government has a responsibility to do things in an orderly way. In order for a society to thrive, people who come into the country need to be assimilated. If that doesn’t happen (as we are now seeing in countless European countries), those “sojourners and aliens” might be allowed within a country’s borders, but they end up being holed up in their particular ghettos, and over time resentment and hostility grows.

Abortion
Second, in regards to abortion. For the most part, I am pro-life, and I think abortion on demand is deplorable. At the same time, I realize that there are instances where it might be necessary. I cannot conceive how we can allow third trimester abortions—to me, that is murder. Second trimester abortions are disturbing as well. That being said, I have a hard time saying that an egg that has just been fertilized is a person—human life, sure; but a full-fledged person?

But in any case, given advances in science and medicine, between providing birth control (to prevent conception from happening) and the morning after pill (that doesn’t allow any possible fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall), I think that for the most part the actual surgical procedure now is wholly unnecessary. It might have to still be allowed in the first trimester (because there simply is no way our current society will completely make it illegal), but if we could take steps that render the actual surgical procedure unnecessary, why is this still an issue?

Gay Marriage
Third, in regards to gay marriage and homosexuality. Brett Trapp wrote a phenomenal blog post series entitled Blue Babies Pink, in which he essentially came out as a gay Christian. What I appreciated about the blog series is the way he emphasized that it wasn’t so much about “sex” at all, as it was about finding love and acceptance. I recommend reading it.

Now, I don’t “get” homosexuality. I don’t “get” how someone could be sexually attracted to a member of the same sex. Some say they are just born that way; others think that other factors are involved. It doesn’t matter: as a Christian, I am called to love that person regardless.

What about gay marriage? To be honest, I don’t have a problem with the state allowing gay marriage anymore. State marriages get certain legal and tax benefits, and so from a legal standpoint, I can’t argue with it. I don’t think the Church should sanction gay marriage though, simply because, I don’t feel I have the authority to change Church Tradition.

In addition, I think the underlying reason why some advocate for it is because they are trying to use marriage as a means to show acceptance. I just disagree with that. The Church should accept people regardless—be they single, married, divorced, straight or gay—but it should use marriage as way to make people feel accepted. Ask most single Christians whether or not they feel truly accepted in their church, or whether they feel that they won’t really be accepted until they get married. The fact that too many churches give that vibe points to what I feel is a deeper problem. I don’t think churches should treat marriage as nothing more than a badge of social acceptance.

LGBTQ Debate
Fourth, the LGBTQ debate. First, again, my job as a Christian is to love the other person no matter what. But at the same time, I think the current explosion of “gender identity” stuff is wrong-headed and dangerous. Still, I don’t think arguing about it is going to change anyone’s mind at this point. To use Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner as an easy example: he might say he has always felt like a woman, but biologically he’s not—he’s a man. There is no scientific evidence that suggests otherwise. That’s not being mean; it’s a fact.

He might have sex-reassignment surgery, but he’s still a man. And if he changes his name to Caitlyn, okay, I’ll call him Caitlyn. If he’s my neighbor, I’m sure we’d be friends; he seems like a nice person. I’m not going to make this an issue with him. But I’m not going to say he’s a woman, because he’s not. In the long run, I think this whole talk of “gender fluidity” is going to do a lot of damage to society and will end up causing a lot more confusion than it resolves, but I think it’s going to have to run its course before people realize it.

Mass Incarceration and the Death Penalty
Fifth, mass incarceration is a huge problem in this country. We throw people in jail for everything. And yes, the black population is disproportionately affected. There has to be major prison reform, but I cannot begin to suggest how that is to be done—but this an issue that I believe the GOP has to get on board with. And, as being someone who has always “leaned right,” I wish more Republicans would look at what politicians like John Kasich are doing—that’s just my two cents.

At the same time though, I am for the death penalty for people who commit mass murder or some kind of horrific abuse. I think violent child rapists should suffer the death penalty, for example. I know some are against the death penalty because they say it is inhumane. Well, is locking a person up in prison for life like an animal, along with other people who are equally violent and dangerous, somehow more humane? Is putting a person in solitary confinement for years on end “humane”? The fact is, some people are so dangerous and have committed such heinous crimes, that they will forever be a danger to society. In my opinion, it is more unjust to (a) lock them up like a violent animal for the rest of their life, and (b) charge tax-paying citizens for it.

Conclusion
Now obviously, my brief comments on the above issues don’t scratch the surface of the immensity of those issues, but hopefully they at least provide some points to further contemplate and think through. I don’t have all the answers, and (and this is important, especially for Christians) the Bible doesn’t clearly spell out the answers to all these issues. It is our challenge to apply the what we read in the Bible to our present day. Jesus himself said that the Law and the Prophets spoke of him—he was what they were looking forward to and aiming for. And he was God in the flesh, working his will through the messiness of this world.

We cannot forget that Christian truth is found, not in some “law” or “objective, absolute truth.” It is found in the person and revelation of Christ. And what we find is that he didn’t go to tax-collectors, sinners and prostitutes and say, “Hey, you sinners! You’re breaking God’s law! Here is the objective truth—obey, you wretches, then I’ll accept you and love you!”

No, he went to them and said, “Follow me.” He went to them and said, “Let me eat at your table.” He went to them and said, “Neither do I condemn you.” In fact, he got in trouble with the religious leaders of his day, precisely because he was perceived ad getting friendly with all the wrong types of people. And yet, it was in the power of that acceptance and love, that they were changed through the power of the Holy Spirit as they walked in relationship with he who accepted them the way they were, in the situation where they were. Now, that didn’t mean he never confronted his followers—he certainly did. But he confronted them within the scope of their relationship, not from some legalistic, pharisaical judgmentalism.

By all means, think through the pressing issues of the day; form your opinions; make sure they’re informed; be wary of what you see on social media; be skeptical; think critically; challenge yourself. But most of all, be humble—admit that you don’t know everything, and be willing to listen to other people; and be loving toward people who aren’t like you, or who don’t see things exactly the way you do.

I wish I could end this series with some easy, “Let’s go do this! Let’s champion that cause!” sort of thing—but that would be wrong. The greatest achievements in the history of Western civilization have come about through Christians who loved God with all their heart, soul, and might, who loved their neighbor as themselves, and who set about bearing witness to the Kingdom of God through art, literature, the sciences, philosophy, and everything in between.

If we do that, we just might be okay. There will always be problems, struggles, and challenges. In fact, I’m convinced that the majority of the world will always be somewhat antagonistic to the witness of the Christian faith—it doesn’t matter. Rome will always be crumbling; Christians are always called to rebuild among the ruins.

When Christians actually take up their cross and follow Christ, when they seek justice and mercy for the least of these, when they prophetically challenge those in power who abuse their power, when they seek to reflect God’s glory through beauty, music, art, and literature…when they truly live as Christ-people and allow their faith to work out through love, this world will be a better place.