“Oh you look so beautiful tonight, in the city of blinding lights,” croons Bono. But to what are the lights blinding us? What if urban culture, pop culture, deep culture, culture in general were blinding us to something very important?
I saw an advertisement for patio flooring boasting “European stone.” Now what would make one think that "European" stone was more desirable than, let’s say, Philippino stone? Let’s face it, the “European” label on merchandize—whether it be German cars, French haute couture or Italian caffè—evokes images of “chic” and “class."
Europeans take their culture very seriously—intellectually, artistically, architecturally, literarily, musically, and apparently when developing floor materials. Who is not awestruck by magnificence of the Christendom era’s Temple—the Sistine Chapel, or the magnitude of the Enlightenment’s Temple—the Louvre ? (Did you notice in The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown pointed out how nice the Louvre’s flooring is!)
But before we are tempted to purchase that European stone for our patios, let’s remember the caveat against “boasting of what [one] has and does” (1 John 2:16). Cultural anthropologist Sherwood Lingenfelter, warns of the dangers inherent in any and every culture (whether it be European, Philippino, Ethiopian or American). He says:
“Learning from parents and peers to accept and live in accord with certain values, beliefs, and procedures for action, create a collective this-worldliness, which becomes a prison of disobedience. So entangled, they live a life of conformity to social images that are in conflict with God’s purpose for humanity” (Transforming Culture, 15-16).
Many of Europe’s “values, beliefs and procedures for action” have been developed in reaction to Christendom, where the marriage of religious and political power became responsible for carnage and horrific dealings with peoples around the globe, and even with their fellow Europeans. As a result, today's European culture often causes people to have an allergic reaction to the gospel.
For example, one of Europe’s most influential and revered voices (whose work is quite in vogue among postmodern people), Friedrich Nietzsche, asserted:
“Christian is the hatred of the intellect, of pride, of courage, freedom, intellectual libertinage; Christian is the hatred of the senses, of the joys of the senses, of joy in general” (The Anti-christ, 26).
In a broad sense, the blinding lights of 21st century European culture, and the “boastful pride of life” it can engender, hinder many Europeans from seeking Christ; they are taught to expect to find all they need in the richness of their culture.
John Robb, Unreached Peoples Program Director with World Vision, says:
“Satan works… by trapping a people in society-wide presumptions about reality.” In settings where “Christ is not obeyed… such strongholds go unchallenged, sometimes for centuries, gaining strength with every passing generation” (Perspectives, 145-151).
For centuries, Europeans have been indoctrinated and inoculated against the known expression of Christianity. Europe’s culture, influenced by anti-clerical philosophy reacting against a brutal Christendom devoid of Christ, has trapped people in prisons of disobedience to Christ.
BEFORE WE POINT THE FINGER...
Of course it is easy to pick on Europeans (especially the French!). But I remember a discussion with two young restaurant workers in the States. They mentioned how demanding “believers” can be during a meal. My waitress and waiter found it especially offensive when “believers” would, after being verbally ungracious and leaving a miserly tip, top it off with a gospel tract. One of the restaurant workers told me, “I know people who have become embittered against evangelicals because of this sort of thing.”
So evangelical Americans, let’s get introspective for a moment. Could the American evangelical sub-culture somehow be jading or offending unbelievers around us? Do we wield power—political, corporate—in a way that could motivate them and future generations to alienate themselves from the Church and Christ?
The next on Dr. Klaw & ET: spiritual resources.
Whether it be Europe or the United States, what spiritual resources has God given us to counter things such as the smoke, mirrors and incandescence of the Crusades, the Inquisitions, atheistic philosophy and blindingly bright culture? What does the Spirit recommend to us so that we might better incarnate and share the Good News, regardless of the kind of floor covering one chooses and uses?
