Counter-Culture

“’So then turn away from them, turn away and leave without looking back,’” says the Lord. ‘Stay away from anything unclean, anything impure, and I will welcome you.’” 2 Corinthians 6:17

Depending on how long you have followed Jesus, you may have heard this verse applied to everything including sexual promiscuity, style of dress, music preferences and what kind and how much jewelry a woman ought to wear. It is not my aim to support any of these particulars, or to belittle them. I hope, though, to crystallize the focus a bit.

Today I read a comment to a Christian writer, “I haven't met a beautiful Christian in a long time...since I was a little girl.” What was this person missing? I think she probably experienced what many others have, a Christianity full of lists and rules. And, depending on the branch, those rules will differ from one church or denomination to the next.

One group may say that turning away from the “world” means refraining from eating meat, strict attention to environmental issues and a strong pacifist position. Yet, on the other hand, we hear others emphasizing sexual purity, patriotism and capitalism as the marks of a Christian lifestyle.

Our problem is when we make following Christ a list of rules at all. You see, Paul was dealing with Christians who had come out of pagan idolatry and were tempted to incorporate some of their previous beliefs and actions into their new faith. So, the question arises, “What are the idolatries of North America, and how should a follower of Christ live out their faith here and now?”

Others may add to my observations, but here are a few. We are a sex-saturated society. My conservative friends are yelling, “Amen” just now. But, I hope we see this as more than “so many people are having sex outside of marriage.” Presently sex is used to sell everything from burgers to BMWs. It has lost the luster of a sacred act between a married couple and become a playground of sorts. Even for the married, sexual calisthenics can replace the intimacy of intercourse. When we deify sex as a need which we cannot live without, we cheapen the gift God has given to be a loving expression of committed union.

Money is an idol which is a danger to any capitalistic society. Earning a living, providing services, and running a business for profit are not un-Christlike at all. But, when our life is consumed with adding more and more possessions to the exclusion of a devotion to God Himself, we have not completely turned away. As followers of Jesus, our first thought is always about expressing His character through the life I live. Living in a world where money is the necessary means of exchange, am I using it to aid me in loving God first and my neighbor as myself? Am I consuming more than my share, or am I learning to conserve out of reverence for God and His creation?

I could go on to things like violence, ignorance of environmental needs, and self-righteousness. All of these are values that lace the self-absorbed society. As Christians, what is being heard from us about solving gun violence and war? How are we doing our part in dealing with climate issues? How often are we the ones judging others differently than ourselves? It has barely been 50 years in our country since racial discrimination was outlawed. Let us never forget that many churches insisted the races were never equal. Yet others, who did not value their own lives, but stood apart as clean and pure before God, peacefully resisted, taking the lead in moving the United States toward racial equality.

We must be people of the light, not living in the darkness. Having said “Yes” to Jesus, we have adopted an entirely new way of living. But we must be extremely careful, for it is easy for a nation which is the most professedly Christian of developed nations to be the least Christian in its behavior. Jesus is still the Prince of Peace.

Followers of Jesus are to be counter cultural. Where there is violence, we sow peace. Where women are demeaned, we speak up. When sex is cheapened, we exhibited loving faithfulness. When greed is worshiped, we show that the poor are blessed. When fame is idolized, we live anonymously serving our fellow human beings. When the earth is misused, we sustain the Creator’s handiwork. When success is measured by money, position or power, we lived out the crucified life that Jesus exemplified. When words are used to belittle and confuse, we use the Word Himself to reconcile and bring truth. And, when the world draws lines between the accepted and rejected, we open our arms with God’s very love for the world He created.