A note about culture:
In any social group “culture” should represent those means employed through things like traditions, philosophies and wisdom habits, to establish 4 kinds of systems:
- Systems that make a society productive.
- Systems that set in order error alerts, and standards for correction.
- Systems that foster improvements of good qualities.
- Systems that ensure all the kinds of growth necessary to, and resultant from, a healthy society.
Transgression against God has corrupted our worlds cultures and even our definition of what a culture is. What we call culture today is often ripe with
- Unproductive, and even destructive, social behaviours.
- acceptance of error, and ineffective standards for correction.
- the improvement of bad qualities and the corruption of good qualities.
- and things that contribute to a generally unhealthy way of living.
We must therefore conclude that culture, or more specifically our own ethnic, national and community cultures, cannot be assumed to be good. They must be continually under examination to determine if they are fulfilling the purpose of a culture.
In Jesus’ Church the culture of the kingdom of God will be manifest in such things as,
- our systems for developing the spiritual, intellectual and moral faculties of our population; especially by education, training and participation. (Ephesians 4:11-12 - ill., an emerging culture, Acts 2:41-47)
- how we share in the same care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:25-26)
- the enlightenment and excellence of taste (likes and dislikes) acquired by biblical training and the renewing of the mind. (Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 1:2-11)
- an acquaintance with ( and partiality for) spiritual manifestations, godliness, and the broad aspects of biblical revelation, as distinguished from carnal and worldly pursuits. (1 Corinthians 12:1; Ephesians 2:1-6)
- the integrated biblical pattern of Christian knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon our learning and the transmission of that pattern to succeeding generations. (“children are our future;” Genesis 18:19)
- our biblical beliefs, social forms, and important traits.
- the characteristic features of our everyday existence (as a way of life) shared by us as Christians and local church members.
- the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize us as a local church.
In general, culture should advance and establish things that are beneficial to a given population and its members.
Rev. George T. Frey Jr.
