Christians and Culture

One of the vexing questions Christians have to deal with is the extent to which we engage the culture around us. While I have reservations about some of his theology, Reinhold Niebuhr did a good job summarizing the various approaches Christians have taken:

1. Christ Against Culture. In this view, the Church is completely counter-cultural. Christ is going in one direction and the world in another. Out of loyalty to Christ, then, believers should separate from culture.
2. Christ of Culture. Here, Christ is the aspiration and fulfillment of culture. Christians can affirm both. Indeed, there is no conflict between the two. In fact, the task of the Christian is to put Christ and culture together.
3. Christ Above Culture. In this view, culture is not seen as inherently evil, because it is part of the created order, which God declared “very good.” While culture has suffered the effects of the Fall, yet Christ redeems it. Culture is subject to the authority of Christ and Christians should labor within culture for the glory of God.

Of the three views, the third seems the most biblical. The Church is commanded to be in the world, but not of it. Christ Against Culture encourages disengagement from the world. Such views led to monasticism in the Middle Ages. It is an easy thing for Christians today to be quasi-monastic too, disengaging from a world that is hostile to our faith and Lord. This view over-emphasizes personal holiness, leading to legalism.

Christ of Culture encourages too much engagement with the world. It so emphasizes horizontal involvement that it forgets our vertical obligation. This view under-emphasizes personal holiness, leading to antinomianism.

Christ Above Culture strikes a middle ground between the other two views. Rather than swinging to the extremes, it affirms that there are problems with culture, but that the effects of redemption extend to it. Part of the Christian’s work is to bring the Kingdom of God to bear upon culture. To paraphrase Aquinas, the Church should urge people on to salvation in heaven, while encouraging what is good in culture.

Moving from the philosophical to the practical, then, consider the question of going to the movies. John Frame wrote a very good article a number of years ago on whether or not Christians should go to them. (H/T Nick Batzig)

Christ Against Culture says, “Christians should not go to movies. The industry is wicked and even ‘good movies’ contain elements that are hostile to our faith and worldview.”

Christ Over Culture says, “Christians may and should go to any and all movies. Even porn. It doesn’t matter.”

Christ Above Culture says, “Christians may and should engage movies, but with discretion, bringing the gospel to bear upon them.”

Frame offers a helpful observation:

Some people, especially children, or those young in the faith, or those with special problems like alcohol addiction or unusual
susceptibility to sexual temptation, should limit their exposure to secular culture in appropriate ways. But at the same time they should be trained in Christian maturity, so that eventually they can enter more fully the secular arena, not fearing that they will be compromised by the culture, but expecting to influence the culture positively for Christ.

Frame says that objections to attending movies generally fall into four categories:

1. Watching simulated violence makes people more violent. Frame maintains that the statistical data on this are very mixed. While it is true, that children may sometimes imitate what they see, yet the vast majority of people who grew up on “cops and robbers” simply are not violent people.
2. Sexual scenes incite lust. Frame allows that this is a true statement, but not for everyone. Some have higher thresholds than others as to what will move them to sinfulness of the heart. While this is, perhaps, the weakest part of his paper, he does try to remain balanced.
3. Movies promote a non-Christian worldview. While Frame agrees with this statement, he calls for perspective. A non-Christian worldview has always dominated culture. To carry this point ad absurdum we would have to say that listening to Mozart is sinful, as he was a profligate man. Frame believes we tend to discount older proponents of a non-Christian worldview because of the “halo” of “long cultural acceptance.”
4. Christians should not give their money to an industry that encourages immorality and unbelief. Here Frame reminds us that while Christians are free to do with their money as they please, they are not necessarily responsible for what others do with that money. Christians may boycott industries, but Scripture does not explicitly require them to.

All in all, I think Frame’s approach is balanced. Whether or not a believer should go to movies and what to see, if they go is a matter of personal conscience. While viewing pornographic films or much of the modern horror genre (which thrive on themes of torture and gore) almost certainly crosses a moral line into sin, other films may or may not. We should probably be gracious in what God gives others the liberty to do.

“Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind…For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (Romans 14:5, 10)