Since I believe that Christians are most effective, and pretty much always have been, when they are a part of their culture rather than an elite, separatist, sub-culture, I have a hard time getting with so called "Christian" coffee shops and book stores. I mean, first of all, and most obviously, a coffee shop cannot be a Christian... but I do recognize that the intent is that it be a place which is free from all of the worlds evils. But that's exactly what I can't get with. Why? Because I don't feel that it fits with Jesus' pattern of behavior. I mean, Jesus was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton... a friend of hookers and traitors (tax collectors). If Jesus came today do we really believe that he'd spend His time hanging out at Christian bookstores?
Now, that said, I do see value in having access to things like Christian radio stations... it's great to have these kinds of resources to enjoy and be encouraged through... but in moderation. As Driscoll points out, we need to be in tune with the culture around us so that we can be relevant and able to carry on coherent conversations with those around us. But additionally problematic to me is what I perceive as a tendency for Christians to see "worldly" music, movies, parties, or whatever, as "sinful" while they see "Christian" radio and coffee shops as somehow pure and spotless....and THAT is ridiculous.
I guess, for me, it comes down to contextualizing vs. contaminating. What I mean is that I believe the best way to show Jesus to the world is to show them how the gospel applies to their place in life... their situation. This is called "contextualizing the gospel" and it's exactly what Paul had mastered. Read the sermon on Mars Hill. Paul shows the Greeks how the gospel applies to their situation by referencing things familiar to them and by quoting their poets. Some Christians have a problem with contextualiztion, but, as Driscoll points out, the gospel is always contextualized:
Practically, this means doing what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22–23, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” The truth is that every ministry is contextualized, the only difference is to which culture and which year of that culture. Everything from pews to chairs, sound systems, projectors, suits, and a printed Bible in the English language are very recent missiogical contextualizations in light of the two thousand years of Christianity.
Now, this is contrasted with contamination. Contamination is what I'd call it when a Christian becomes SO into the world that they abandon the truth of the Bible, compromise the gospel, and embrace the lusts of the world around them. Essentially this means that they replace God with His gifts (idolatry) and find their joy apart from Him.
I think this fear of contamination drives some people to abuse verses like Phil 4:8 to mean that we should disconnect from the world completely for fear of being "soiled". While I do see the value in not immersing myself in sin, because then my mind DOES become saturated, I don't believe that's what this verse means. Focusing on what is pure can often get twisted to mean that we shouldn't listen to "non-Christian" music at all. As if the only place you can find anything of beauty or value is in the Christian sub-culture.
We should be discerning with what we listen to and view, but just the same with "Christian" content. Christians sin and put out inappropriate content. Christians put out heresy. I think Driscoll said this well in his post when he said the following:
"Sadly, a theology of “garbage in, garbage out” remains quite popular but has numerous flaws. First, there is no such thing as a pure culture untainted by sin and sinners, including Christian entertainment, which has had its share of scandalous behavior. One such example is the fact that as I’m writing this blog, the leader of a major Christian television network has publically confessed to adultery. Second, it is uncertain what distinguishes clean “Christian” and unclean “secular” entertainment forms and why Bibleman is so much better than Spiderman."
Again, I think it has to be reiterated that evil comes from the heart. Humankind is humankind and ALL, whether Christian or not, are capable of beauty, and evil. It's just up to us to be able to guard our hearts and minds without extracting ourselves from the culture. After all, we're all called to spread the gospel, and that's hard to do if we're locked away in a compound of Christian culture, inaccessible to the world around us.
As always, these ramblings are more to clarify my own thoughts than anything else, but please feel free to drop me a line to agree, disagree, or discuss.
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