"getting real" about a personal culture clash

Thinking through the things that annoy me about Evangelical Christianity, I had one of those epiphanies the other day- that "aha moment" when things fall in place.  I believe my "outside of the box" mentality runs counter-culture to Evangelical culture, and that a lot of the stuff that just grates on my nerves could be partially a result of culture-shock, because much of it is contrary to some hidden British sensibilities I never knew I had.  

It always aggravated me when I lived in the UK when people would say nasty things about Americans or American Christianity to me, thinking I would be on their side because I sounded like them and thought a lot like them.  Perhaps I am now experiencing this culture-clash in reverse: that would explain why it angers me so much when Mark Driscoll is so appallingly brutal about theology towards Justin Brierly whilst on air in the UK and yet sits down with T.D. Jakes in the US and is so professional, despite deep theological differences (I hope).

I simply hate the way we Christians can play politics with religion; the way that we are (all) afraid to speak the truth in love into difficult situations- especially where truth might reveal our culture- even one's particular church culture- to be off-balance or plain wrong.  Just as I hate nastiness in debate, I am sick of people in the church being sometimes more "nice" than they are truthful; also, I am sick of being so afraid to say something wrong that I say nothing at all.  I think from my blogging it's obvious I'm moving past that attitude pretty aggressively (!), however, I want to come to a point where my expressions of truth are not simply a reaction to lies, but rather a healthy understanding of what God is teaching me that might positively impact others.

The areas I have great issues with lately include such things as tithing vs giving, church membership vs "covenant partnership", the Christian cliches and jargon I hear all the time such as: "missional", "complementarian vs egalitarian", "being real", "it's all about Him/the gospel", "vision casting", "legalism", and last, but I'm sure there are more: "being intentional".

It's not that these issues should never be discussed, taught about, or defined according to a church's particular understanding of them, but my problem is that I have a cultural reaction to much of these issues, having worked out what I believe and therefore live out regarding them, outside of either my former or my latter culture.  And then I come into the church and few people seem to be going back to Scripture to check what they are being taught because it fits their cultural view of the world.  The American Evangelical church seems to me to be sometimes so overly focused on being positive they cannot face the fact we need to get down and dirty in the negative once in a while to muddle through what the Bible actually says about this or that.

To explain what I believe, let me take for example what I believe about church membership and giving.  From Acts, I understand that the early church did indeed keep records of those who were members of the Body of Christ, that is, "being saved".  From the New Testament I see clearly that the only requirements for membership of the Church were salvation by faith in Jesus and baptism in obedience to Christ.  Moving on to what I understand about giving, I nowhere in the New Testament see church members required by membership covenant to inform anyone else, not their church, not their leaders, and never in order to become a member of the church, what they were committing before God to give, nor do I see a percentage stipulated.  Giving was to be sacrificial and out of a heart of love, and the New Testament nowhere requires tithing, instead we are clearly expected to pay our taxes to our government.  A Christian who never gives is potentially an oxymoron, but any Christian who gives under compulsion or without sensible stewardship of all God gives them is also out of the will of God as revealed clearly in Scripture.  This is as I understand it from having wrestled through good times and debt, teachings on tithing, and what I see in the Bible.

Yet I keep hearing teaching in the Evangelical church that is based on individual leaders' personal convictions - with proof-texting to support - rather than teaching based entirely on the grace and truth of God's Word.  This is where my culture-shock begins:  when you try to challenge this stuff and learn and grow by questioning, particularly in American culture although I also experienced this in Evangelicalism in the UK at times, you tend to get shut down, nicely or not, for challenging the leadership who are said to be in authority. 

Yet I understood- again from Scripture- that we are to "test everything", "even if Paul or an angel of the Lord should teach it", because even leaders can be deceived.  In fact, I always understood that submission and accountability in the Body were mutual despite a variety of roles, and that hierarchies of authority were of the world, not of Christ.  The authority that leaders have comes from their correct understanding, teaching, and applying of the Truth, not simply on the basis that they have "seated themselves" in a position of authority or been granted it by a congregational vote.  All authority always belongs to Jesus, and that works for me!

I also have understood- especially from experiencing other cultures- that none of us has the monopoly on truth.  Also that truth must be tested by God's Word, not proof-texted to make our lives easier.  So I feel the clash between the truth I have wrestled with and the culture and politics of being positive in the (American) church.  It is good for me to wrestle, but it is hard to stand alone on occasion when you think you actually might just be right.

Finally, I love the church wherever it is found, and so I hope I can be a catalyst for some honest self-examination but not navel-gazing, as that would not help anyone.  I don't have everything right, but I don't believe I am or anyone else is in sin if we get a few things wrong, or if we stand on things we are convicted about and later find we were misguided.  Growth goes forward, and yet it isn't wrong to stick to one's principles as long as we're open to the possibility we might be wrong.  At least the push-back I have got from those in authority in my past and my present has pushed me to go back to the Bible and study out what God in His grace requires of me.  It is- always- quite simple, and it begins in REST.

These thoughts about culture clash came to me in the context of some rocking music one Sunday morning.  I love music, and I definitely love quality music that is sung to worship God.  But I get just as tired of what I see as a brash American fist-pumping and happy-no-matter-what style of worship as I did of the style in some of the churches I attended in the UK where the music was theologically accurate but musically sad and somber.  

Sometimes I just long for some "real" reality: to worship humbly in true spirit and true truth.  To be still and know that God is God, despite the music, or even yes because of it, but not distracted by how good or loud (or quiet) or excited it is; instead simply pointed to the God of the universe who loved me and gave Himself for me even while I was yet a sinner.  I just don't know anymore sometimes if we are really clapping God or "whooping for His glory" so much as being carried away by emotion and engaged in the enjoyment of good music or talented worship leaders.  Similarly, I sometimes find it hard to really focus on Jesus- even when it's apparently "all about Him"-because the trappings of cultural Christianity can drown Him out.

What I need- beyond any culture- is to hear God's still small voice speaking truth with grace in power, love, and a sound mind.

What we need to experience is God working by the Holy Spirit to elevate Jesus the Anointed One. 

What I don't need is the "being real" religion that so often replaces the real Jesus Christ.

We definitely don't need more religious activity nor perfect conformity.

Maybe we need some creative mess before the full picture can be understood.  Maybe what we need is transformation.

When God, not a program or institution, is in charge, then it will truly all be about Jesus Christ/Messiah.  Then all cultures, nations and languages will see, not Americanity, but Immanuel:  God with us.