Essay about Christianity and Popular Culture - 2609 Words

Christianity and Popular Culture In his classic work Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr asserts that the relationship between earnest followers of Jesus Christ and human culture has been an enduring problem.1 How should believers who are disciplining themselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7) relate to a world whose culture is dominated by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2: 16)? Culture is Gods gift and task for human beings created in His image and likeness. At creation humanity received a cultural mandate from the sovereign Creator to have dominion over the earth and to cultivate and keep it (Gen. 1:26, 28; 2:15). But sins effects are total, and†¦show more content†¦The first group promotes Christ but tends to denigrate culture, while the second group promotes culture but tends to denigrate Christ. Both are unbalanced and are corrected by Churches of the Center that seek to do justice to both Christ and culture, though they articulate the relationship between them in different ways. Roman Catholics tend to view the gospel as the completion of culture. Despite positive contributions, human cultural enterprises always fall short of divine intentions and must be fulfilled by Gods gracious work of redemption in Christ and through the Church. Grace, according to this tradition, perfects nature. Christ is above culture and completes it. Lutherans, on the other hand, prefer to emphasize how the gospel creates remarkable tensions with culture. Christians are citizens of two kingdoms—Gods and the worlds—and faithfully fulfilling responsibilities to both realms creates enormous, if not impossible, challenges. How difficult it is to render simultaneously the things that are Caesars and the things that are Gods! Christ and culture stand in a relation of paradox. Finally, those who adhere to the Reformed tradition have enthusiastically promoted a vision of the transformation of culture. According to this viewpoint, the various cultural and social structures in this life can be renewed in Christ. No aspect of reality is alienShow MoreRelatedThe Dual Inheritance Within Christianity Of Greek And Jewish Thought1424 Words   |  6 Pages(1) Describe the dual inheritance within Christianity of Greek and Jewish thought. How were these traditions similar? How were they distinct? How did each contribute to the formation of Christian life and belief? Cite MacCulloch in your answer. Christianity has been heavily influenced by both Greek and Judaic traditions. 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