{"id":166,"date":"2018-10-09T19:44:50","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T19:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/?p=166"},"modified":"2023-10-15T18:22:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T18:22:06","slug":"shaped-by","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/?p=166","title":{"rendered":"Shaped by\u2026\u2026\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We are all influenced by our culture. It influences us in ways we often are not aware of. It influences the way we think which in turn becomes actions. It can be insidious. Most of us get many of our values from our culture. Even our values as a Follower of Jesus can be shaped by our culture.<\/p>\n

I became aware of this during my four years in the Army in the middle 60\u2019s. (63 \u2013 67). I went to High School in a small town in the deep south. At the time it was segregated. Schools, restaurants even the movie theater. I had the same segregationist attitudes as my friends, family and church. That is the way things were. I was a product of my culture. I wasn\u2019t aware that Jesus had anything to say about it. I had never thought through those issues. I had simply accepted the majority (culture) attitude. While in the Army I met some African Americans that were very different from my preconceived ideas. They were educated, articulate and moral. I was in a \u201cshop\u201d where most people had a college degree or more. Me and Charlie were the two that had not graduated from college at the time.<\/p>\n

While in Maryland I went fishing with a Black friend. While shopping for bait in a rural area we were both verbally attacked. Him for being black. Me for being with him. I began to think about my culture and background. I came to the conclusion that my culture and values were wrong.<\/p>\n

Later I was the first white teacher in an all Black segregated school. \u201cSeparate but equal\u201d was the term at the time. It WAS separate. It was NOT equal. It was deplorable. Again a break with my culture and a questioning of my values. Later as a pastor, I attended Pastors\u2019 gatherings where I heard fellow pastors justify, supposedly from the Bible, segregation and the superiority of one race over another. Again I departed further from my cultural\/religious background.<\/p>\n

I was able to view what my culture had taught me from a different perspective. I examined my values and decided to break from my culture. My culture and its values were wrong. Many of my friends still accept the values I rejected. Maybe they haven\u2019t had an opportunity to examine those issues from a different perspective.<\/p>\n

Jesus came into a culture that held a lot of power over the people that lived in it. It was a culture with its roots in religion. It held sway over peoples lives. It was based on their understanding of the Word of God (Old Testament). There was very little \u201cspace\u201d or leeway for any kind of dissent.<\/p>\n

How did Jesus respond? He encouraged his followers to examine it and accept the good. He also told them to examine it and reject the parts that had become a part of their religious traditions.\u00a0Mark 7:6<\/span> <\/i>He replied, \u201cIsaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: \u201c\u2018These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>Mark<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>7:7\u00a0They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.\u2019 Mark<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>7:8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.\u201d\u00a0Mark<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>7:9\u00a0And he continued, \u201cYou have a fine way of setting aside the<\/i><\/span> commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u2026\u2026<\/i>..Mark<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>7:13\u00a0Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Evidently, there were many things in their religious life that they felt were Biblical that were actually cultural.<\/p>\n

Jesus came into a culture. It was a very religious culture. A culture in which Scripture and Tradition were very important. Values were shaped by that culture. Few people had the courage to look at that culture and those values with a critical eye. The Sermon On the Mount is, in a way, Jesus saying these are the guidelines you have followed. Take a critical look at them. Think about them. Think about the purposes behind them. Think about your own reasons for following them. In that Sermon, Jesus challenges them to critically examine their relationships to one another. Their relationship to God. Their religious beliefs and practices. The basic rules of society and their own inner motivations.<\/p>\n

In Evangelical American Christianity we have a decidedly \u201cChristian Sub-Culture\u201d. It passes on to us, our children and new converts a very distinct set of values. That is a good thing. But it can also be a bad thing. That Sub-culture dictates to many how we should live our lives. It teaches us its values. It tells us who our friends should be. How we spend our time. What is right. What is wrong. What is wrong but OK \u2014 if you don\u2019t get caught. What we should say our values are. Even which political party we should be a part of and how we should vote. Much of that comes from our Christian Sub-Culture.<\/p>\n

Over time It is easy to lose sight of what is essential. To lose sight of the reasons we do things. To allow our culture to shape us without realizing it. To simply accept what most of the others accept. Jesus said to examine them.<\/p>\n

Some of the issues that I accepted from my \u201cChristian Culture\u201d that I have now rejected are:<\/p>\n

God is a God of law.<\/p>\n

God is always looking for the things I do wrong.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s main role is that of judge.<\/p>\n

If I work hard enough and am good enough God will accept me.<\/p>\n

My commitment to Christ is demonstrated by how much time I spend in church and religious activities..<\/p>\n

My friends should come from people I know at church not from Non-believers.<\/p>\n

I need to look a certain way, act a certain way and talk a certain way to be A Follower of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Ministry should be through the church.<\/p>\n

There is only one correct way to interpret the Bible.<\/p>\n

It is my responsibility to make sure others live by \u201cour\u201d standards.<\/p>\n

It is my responsibility to get as many as possible to pray \u201cthe sinner\u2019s prayer\u201d.<\/p>\n

I need to be involved in a lot of religious stuff.<\/p>\n

If I pray long enough and hard enough God will do what I want. If he doesn\u2019t it shows that I did not have faith.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t belong to my denomination and express your faith the way I do, you are probably on the way to hell. (This was one of the first to go).<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t understand the Bible the way I do you are wrong. (#2 to go).<\/p>\n

America has a special place in God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

Believers from other countries should express their faith in the same ways as we in America.<\/p>\n

America is blessed by God (probably because we deserve it).<\/p>\n

Remember those things Jesus challenged in the Sermon on the Mount were the very things taught in \u201creligious classes\u201d. It was those things their religious culture taught them based, as they believed, on Scripture. Remember the Religious Culture was positive they knew how the Messiah would act. When they were confronted by the Messiah in the flesh they did not recognize him. Their cultural understanding of the Scriptures were dead wrong. Could ours be wrong?<\/p>\n

Take a look at those things that you hold most dear. Look at them critically in the Spirit of Jesus. Ask yourself, Is this my culture speaking or Jesus.<\/p>\n

He might change your mind. He did mine.<\/p>\n

Rom<\/span>ans<\/span> 12:2<\/span> NLT<\/span> Don\u2019t copy the behavior and cu<\/i><\/span>stoms o<\/i><\/span>f this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know <\/i><\/span>God\u2019s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. <\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are all influenced by our culture. It influences us in ways we often are not aware of. It influences the way we think which in turn becomes actions. It can be insidious. Most of us get many of our values from our culture. Even our values as a Follower of Jesus can be shaped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}