The Cultural Drift

Where are we?  And where are we going?  These two questions have come back to me recently as I review the cultural norms changing over and over again.  How have things changed in a decade or even two decades?  How has culture changed in a century?  Are we moving toward God and a more Christian society, or are we moving away from God?

In seeking to develop a "Veritas Fellowship" here in the 'mid-south' I realize that not many people speak in terms of truth, or even use the word 'veritas.'  Perhaps I'm being too idealistic.  Or perhaps the culture has moved away from God so much that we need a revival in the truth of God.  Do we even need the truth of God in our high-tech and secularistic culture?  

The Bible speaks of truth abundantly, and we cannot understand the Word of God without at least a basic understanding of objective truth.  And without truth the Bible is interpreted by the contemporary culture's norms, it is read from the everyday perspective of the people.  It becomes pragmatic to fit into our busy lives, between Saturday evening activities and Sunday afternoon sports.  

Probably the greatest shift within the church has been the emphasis on grace, and even "unlimited grace," as it has been described.  There is also the teaching of 'free grace' today.  And it's hard to question the doctrine of grace because we are so indebted to God in Christ through His grace.  But what is grace?  Is it a friendship (phileo) love between people?  Or is it the divine love (Agape) from Christ to his people?  Is grace free completely, or has grace cost Christ everything to come to earth with great humility and sacrifice?  Is grace something that can ever be separated from God himself?  Can we receive God's grace without first receiving Christ himself?  

The grace of Christ is enormous, and that's the truth.  But if it is not supernatural and life-transforming in our lives then we may not understand grace.  When we do see the grace and truth of God it changes everything in our lives, we bow before Him in holy reverence.  Christ is the eternal Light that leads us away from cultural darkness, brokenness, and emptiness.  We need a 'veritas fellowship' to bring people to the Light of Christ.  We should be moving toward God in Spiritual reformation so as to also seek the purity and peace of the church.  

The fellowship in the Light also has great blessings for our lives.  1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."  We can be set free from being culturally adrift by "the light" of the truth of Scripture.