First, definitions of the term "culture" are broad, but essentially the customs/traditions of a person and/or people group. One deep dive on this can be found here: https://people.tamu.edu/~i-choudhury/culture.html
The fact is, cultures are moving targets and often people target others on the basis of a cultural position. When folks are full of fear, rage, unforgiveness and the like, and in particular believe (feel...) their chosen cultural comfort zone is being attacked the fight or flight response often kicks in. Sometimes to devastating affect in themselves, those they oppose or both.
To -not- understand in our huge fallen world of wide, diverse cultural choices that 1. some folks won't understand nor -want- to connect in any positive way with your or my cultural norms is a problem we each must solve. What I mean by this, WE -and particularly if we claim to follow Jesus- must learn how to offer grace, be peacemakers to the best of our ability and Christ-given teachings or tragedy will as in history, often be the result. If it does, we and not merely "them" are the triggering action causing the fallout and resulting pain.
2. Using the term "spiritual culture", consider how among all religions and indeed even among the bbbbbbroad Christian Church on earth how many are there? Choosing just one segment of the professing body of Christ one finds sub-cultures, that is, everyone within a given group of otherwise "same" churches don't always believe or even "do church" exactly the same. So are they all evil and to be spoken against? Sometimes our judgments are more based on our own individual or group's shared spiritual culture than on wisdom, knowledge, sense or even the most core matters of faith in Jesus.
I would argue that a careful study of the New Testament does not offer hard-and-fast commands about structures nor often (depending on the issue) the minute details you and I may love or strongly dislike in our own local fellowship much less the way "they over there" think and do.
What I'm saying is our saving faith must be in the crucified, risen Jesus Christ rather than focusing on culture in general nor spiritual cultures in particular re. the churches and other groups of professing disciples. Why? Salvation isn't a culture, it it the living Jesus HIMSELF in relationship of repentance, love, trust and following HIM. I can hear someone thinking "Yes- THEY must repent, not us!!" The issue there is that you may be correct, but it's not what you or I label sin, it's God Himself, His very Word (Bible) and not a matter of opinion, comfort or discomfort on our part.
Sadly, rather that facing the wide and wider views even among the people of God we reject the narrow road in our relentless grasp of our own narrow mind.
I'm not saying agree with everyone all the time no matter what. I'm not saying jettison your best scriptural interpretation to affirm other's violation of the Word.
What I'm saying is our faith had better be more than spiritual culture or spiritual culture-tripping! Sure, we all have to work it out over time so we ourselves if serious should and will continue to study, learn and grow right through our lives -yet it can also be easy to lock into a fresh new (to us) culture and thus make an idol out of the new just as has often been done with the old.
Neither old nor new traditions suffered and died on the cross nor were raised from the grave for our justification and salvation!
Things to consider as we survey our hearts and the spiritual landscape? I think so.
As always, thanks for stopping by. -Glenn
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