Culture has been defined as ‘the way we do things round here.’ It’s evident in our families, though we often don’t realise it until we meet other families and see that not everyone does things the way our family does! (This is one reason marriage is such a challenge, for it’s the clash of cultures as much as personalities which forces us to re-evaluate why we do the things we do.) It’s evident in our workplaces (though again, it often takes an outsider to notice the strange things that are done which seem perfectly normal to us until they’re pointed out to us.) It’s evident in our churches (where we ‘come round the Communion table’ even though we don’t normally move from our seats or where we ‘take an offering’, even though we actually give money voluntarily…!) It’s evident in our society, where we don’t have to explain shared values and beliefs, because we all know where they come from (though quite often, we may not…!)
Culture is not itself sinful; there’s no particular sin in dunking croissants into bowls of coffee (as they do in France) or eating raw fish (as they do in Japan), even though we may feel squeamish at the thought (neither of those things being part of British culture.) But ‘the way we do things round here‘ is not of itself a good enough reason to motivate our behaviour.
Beliefs mould behaviour. We need to explore the beliefs which lie behind all behaviour to ensure that we are not mindlessly influenced by our cultures. We are not to be squeezed into the world’s mould, but are to let God re-mould our minds. (Rom 12:2, J. B. Phillips) We don’t have to join in the office gossip just because that’s what everyone else does, because we know that God doesn’t want unwholesome talk to come out of our mouths. (Eph 4:29) We don’t have to avoid certain people because others do, because we know that God has no favourites and loves all people. (James 2:1-4) We don’t have to live with a partner before marriage, even though everyone else may seem to do that, because we know that our bodies are designed by God and for God and that He made us for purity and holiness. (1 Cor 6:13,18) We don’t have to defraud people, even though this is the norm in our workplace, because we know God values honesty and integrity. (Prov16:11)
Moulding culture is not easy. But I can remember when I first moved into this area asking about recycling sites and being told that ‘no one in your area cares about recycling.’ I felt puzzled, since clearly one person cared (why else was I asking?!) It took many years before there was any visible proof of this, but when BMBC sent out leaflets to all households in the area explaining about different recycling bins, I had to smile. Now everyone in the area had to care about recycling!
I don’t for one moment claim to have been the one who influenced the local Council to start recycling. But the saying ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ remains true. As God challenges us from His Word, as we become aware of ‘the way we do things round here’ and find differences between that way and Jesus’ Way, let’s be unafraid to stand for Him and to allow His way of doing things to motivate and mould everything we do.