Why Christians Are Not Winning the Culture War
When you speak of Christian culture, what do you mean? What do you understand by the idea of Christian culture?
There is a tendency by many to think of Christian culture in terms of things: movies, art, music, business, money, economy, property rights, and so forth.
In the past, however, when Christianity did influence the culture, it had an advantage. The key elements of Christianity were constantly a reminder to the people, not just through the implementation of music, art, literature, and law, but through a series of events that spread throughout the calendar year.
I’m referring to the Christian calendar. This created what Robert Webber calls “Christian-year spirituality”. According to Webber,
Through Christian-year spirituality we are enabled to experience the biblical mandate of conforming to Christ. The Christian year orders our formation with Christ incarnate in his ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and coming again through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost. In Christian-year spirituality we are spiritually formed by recalling and entering into his great saving events (Ancient-Future Time, p. 22).
Now when was the last time you had a Christian-year calendar that recalled the major events of God’s saving work through Christ, and participation in that and his future as King of kings, and Lord of lords?
Victimization
Evil triumphs. And you ask why.
Some people wring their hands in desperation, pray like crazy, talk about it with their friends, condemn the evil perpetrators. But nothing changes. Why?
Is it that God has made us automatons, without a mind and will of our own, that we might not do something about evil? History is littered with the names of evil. Robespierre, Amin, Castro, Stalin, Krushchev, and Mugabe wreaked havoc on the lives of millions. How did they get to those positions?
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