Torch, Summer 2004

By distressed, I mean that our hearts ache for the world around us. For example, when I read about Eminem, when I try to look into his mind, my heart breaks for him. In fact, there are a number of current artists, some just as offensive as he is, that I pray for every day. I pray that somehow Eminem will come to Jesus Christ. I have heard there are some Christians praying that he will die and go to hell. But I want him to know the gift of God. I am distressed by what he and others advocate because I recognize that it is the condition of their hearts and the worldview they have adopted that results in their messages of despair and destructiveness. Take the example of Lot. He was certainly no paragon of virtue, but Peter describes him as “a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)” (II Peter 2:7-8). Are we distressed by all that we see and hear in the culture around us? Are we tormented in our souls by the world of despair? If we are, then the only response is to engage it with the truth of Christ through our acts of love and our explanation of the truth (Matthew 5:14-16; Colossians 4:4-6). The most poignant example of this truth in action is seen in the Apostle Paul. He claims, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (I Corinthians 9:19). Think about that just for a moment. Paul says he has been young people like him so much? In one way or another we’ve got to answer that question. Part of the answer is that these young people have assimilated into the worldview of the culture around them. But it is not just teens and their entertainment that fall prey to assimilation. Christian adults have also bought into the secular mindset of the prevailing culture. How often do we measure ministry success by dollars or numbers? How often do we determine God’s blessings by health and wealth? Indeed, these may be signs of favor and effectiveness, but frequently the motives and methods make God an afterthought. Assimilation is deadly because we see it in others but fail to recognize it in ourselves. The third approach to culture is the one I believe to be the biblical approach. It avoids the inadequacies of withdrawing or assimilating. When confronting the culture, we should be distressed by what is happening to the point that we are motivated to engage it with the heart and mind of Jesus Christ. distasteful, and Marilyn Manson disgusting. We could go on and on and on. Much of what passes for entertainment these days is nothing short of moral and cultural degradation. But simply withdrawing and creating our own subculture is not a biblical response. Remember, we are called to be salt and light in the world . Please do not misunderstand me. If you think I am saying it is OK to watch every movie or listen to every song, then you are falling into the trap of many Christians who take the next approach to culture. The second approach begins by being delighted by culture. Many Christians, particularly young ones, do just that. They see the glam and the glitter of what’s going on in the entertainment world and are enamored by it. As a result, they assimilate to the prevailing culture. They become just like the world around them. There is no distinguishable difference between the behavior, values, and vision of the Christian and those of the non-Christian world. Consider that one of the top selling music artists to teenage Christians today is said to be Eminem. Christian kids buying Eminem? You better believe it. As thinking Christians, as a people who want to engage the culture, the first question we have to ask is: Why? What is it about Marshall Mathers (Eminem) and his work that resonates in the hearts of young Christians today? With all that he says, with all that he believes, with all of his actions that are so antagonistic to truth and to our faith, why is it that Christian 6 TORCH / Summer 2004 Engaging the Culture with the Mind and Heart of Christ