{Revisited & Revised} Culture vs. Scripture. The Difference is Significant. {with real life examples}
/Hey there friend! I hope it’s OK that I call you friend. If you are visiting my blog, either for the first time or fairly regularly, I want you to know I consider you just that — a friend.
Friends come in all shapes and sizes, they come and go at different ages and life stages, they can be online or in real life, and I believe one of the indicators of a true friend is they not only encourage and cheer for you, but they challenge and sharpen you.
Recently, an online friend challenged me to revisit this post and add practical examples of each of the four statements that spoke to the difference between culture and scripture. She felt that real life examples would be a powerful addition to the original post. That’s the reason for this new post, this more detailed post, that says the same thing, but in a slightly different, and hopefully more relatable way.
I pray it encourages you just as much as the challenge to evaluate and enhance the post encouraged me. I am a firm believer that when we seek to know more, we can always grow more.
So, Gina, this is for you, but I pray it blesses others, too...
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Culture cancels. Scripture counsels.
Cancel culture is a new buzz word and in my opinion, it truly is a sign of the times. If you don’t agree with the narrative the culture is cultivating, to bad, so sad, you’re cancelled, censored, and silenced. Culture chides, “If you aren’t like us, we don’t have to like you. In fact, we’ll take it a step further and make sure others don’t like you, too.”
Finding a real life example of this wasn’t hard at all. I feel like blatant examples of cancel culture are flooding our feeds, and it is troubling to say the least. The most recent example I encountered manifested in a series of shares that contained the most demeaning dialogue on a well known social media platform, calling on the followers of this particular account to not only unfollow, but cut ties, cancel, and call on others to do the same.
The account in question is @takingcarababies, and you can learn more about Cara and her mission and vision here. You’ll discover Cara’s character does not warrant this cancellation, but when culture cancels, it is using callous, uncaring, and in stark contrast to Cara’s caring character.
Cara recently combated a major coup attempting to cancel her, but she stood strong in the face of opposition and remained true to herself and her mission. She specializes in “baby sleep,” and she’s helped parents everywhere at their wit’s end to accomplish the task at hand — getting their babies to sleep. She’s been praised and applauded publicly for quite some time, but just recently, due to the discovery of a financial donation that associated her with a particular political affiliation, those who once sung her praise, are now spewing their rage, demanding that she be cancelled, unfollowed, and ignored. Never mind the fact that she still is kind, loving, caring, and amazing at what she does. When culture cancels, they call us all to cancel as well, and if we don’t…oh, time will tell.
If only those who are spewing hate at Cara, could turn their eyes to scripture, they would see that while culture cancels, scripture counsels. The Word of God instructs us to...
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32
Scripture helps us discern right from wrong, truth from lies, love from hate instead of just defining those things for ourselves.
Culture cancels. Scripture counsels.
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Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
Culture corrupts. Scripture corrects.
These middle two are so closely connected, I’m going to use the same practical example for both...
Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
Critical Race Theory, also known as CRT and closely tied to Critical Theory (CT), in my opinion, is a perfect example to see the juxtaposition of how culture condemns and corrupts while scripture convicts and corrects.
Scott Aniol in his article, A Concise Biblical Evaluation of Critical Theory, explains it this way: “Critical Theory analyzes all aspects of society through the lenses of structures such as race, class, and power, divides groups into categories of oppressors or oppressed, and proposes methods for pulling down oppressors and liberating oppressed.”
If you’re not familiar with CRT, I’d highly recommend you learn more about it, not to embrace it, but rather to face it head on with the Word of God. At its very core, CRT rejects Biblical Truths and writes a different narrative of redemption. Unfortunately, the redemption it offers is no redemption at all. By it’s very nature, it divides, not unifies. It continually caves to culture. It condemns and corrupts as it classifies and continues to divide.
According to an article entitled Critical Race Theory in the Church by Brandon Clay and Frost Smith, “Biblically speaking, racism is the sin of ethnic partiality or prejudice (James 2:8–9; Leviticus 19:15). As Christians, we know racism is wrong in society, as we are all one race in Adam (Acts 17:26), and especially within the church (Galatians 3:28). We should be concerned about racism and aim to think biblically about it.”
Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
Condemnation is from the enemy, and it offers no hope, no solution, no redemption. It only hands out guilt, points out blame, and talks about shame.
Condemnation drives us farther away from God.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
So, in contrast...
Conviction is from the Holy Spirit, and it offers forgiveness of sin through Christ our living hope, which is an eternal solution that is sealed with an irrevocable redemption. It does not play the blame or shame game, because it is made perfect by the name above all other names.
Conviction draws us closer to the heart of God.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9
Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
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Culture corrupts. Scripture corrects.
CRT tries to correct corruption with more corruption. Its roots are deep in division. If the goal is to unify that which is divided, how can further division and classification that leads to separation unify anything at all?
You cannot produce good fruit from bad roots.
Scripture, however, corrects that which culture corrupts. Scripture, because it is rooted in truth, grows good fruit.
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:12-17
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Culture corrupts. Scripture corrects.
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Culture twists the truth. Scripture tells the truth.
You really don’t have to look very hard to find practical, real life examples of this one. Just look to the media — from main stream media, to social media, to conservative and liberal new sources alike, you never know if you’re getting the truth or a seemingly convincing lie spun to resemble the truth. Headlines and tag lines are rarely in line with the articles that follow, and camera angles, word choice, and tone of voice twist the truth and skew our view adding to our already implicit bias.
So what do we do to guard against this twisting of the truth? As Christians, we must know the only reliable truth, the only indisputable truth, the only irrevocable truth, the only truth that has authority over every other narrative that vies for viability. I believe we need to know the Gospel Truth through and through — the only real truth with absolutely no substitute.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31-32
Culture twists the truth. Scripture tells the truth.
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{original post from last week in its entirety}
Culture cancels. Scripture counsels.
Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
Culture corrupts. Scripture corrects.
Culture twists the truth. Scripture tells the truth.
The way of the world will always be just that — the world’s way, playing by the world’s rules, defined by the world’s truth. It is secular at its roots; therefore it will always produce Godless fruit.
Yes. God made the world. And it was good. And then sin, introduced by Satan, made it bad. But then forgiveness, offered by God through His son, gave it hope for good. His goodness exists whether we embrace it or not. His truth is true whether we agree with it or not. To discern His truth and see His good, to believe His truth produces a good good enough to overcome all the bad is to surrender our way and submit to His way. He knows the way. He made a way. He is the way. His way is so much better than the way of the world.
He reveals His way in His Word. We will not know and discern wisdom and truth without it.
We will cave to and be consumed by culture if we do not crave and consume scripture.
We recognize the difference between culture and scripture when we realize the significance their difference has on our lives.
Good cannot grow from bad. Truth cannot be found in lies. Light cannot be manufactured by darkness. However, Good can overcome bad. Truth can root out the lies. Light can overcome the darkness.
If we’re going to get this right and do things God’s way, we must know the truth for ourselves and not be told the truth by someone else. Anyone can use a passage of scripture and insert their agenda. But only God can insert His very life and breath to make scripture come alive and be active in our lives. We must not simply use our Bibles to spin scripture and twist the truth? We must read and study scripture in order to tell the truth, unashamedly, even at the risk of being canceled and condemned by culture.
I’ve always said that I never want to be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. But recently, I’ve recognized the opposite to be true as well. I never want to be too earthly minded to be any heavenly good. We must live in the tension of the two if we want to be of any good for our culture and the kingdom. We are here on earth to do kingdom work. So, let’s not get mixed up in the process, and just remember...
Culture cancels. Scripture counsels.
Culture condemns. Scripture convicts.
Culture corrupts. Scripture corrects.
Culture twists the truth. Scripture tells the truth.