Christ followers instinctively created a haven where humankind could experience a piece of the divine while on earth. They believed that Christians were called to redeem all things, to restore the broken and to partner with God to hold back the evil resulting from the fall of mankind.

In the “Dark Ages”, after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was the monastic movement in Ireland that preserved the classic works of antiquity into the Middle Ages. Irish monks copied down vast amounts of Western philosophy, poetry, history, and commentary playing a key role in future scholarship and education throughout Europe.⁹ Imagine being on a remote island and faithfully handcopying word after word from historic manuscripts, not even sure they would survive but doing so because you believed that history, theology and literature were the wellspring of culture.

By the late 1500s countless Christians had their own copy of the Bible as a result of Johannes Gutenberg creating the printing press in 1440. Gutenberg is still appropriately credited with creating one of the most significant cultural creations of the modern world. By 1452 he had published the Gutenberg Bible, the first book to be published in large quantities, paving the way for the Renaissance and Reformation.

Consider the Renaissance and the influence of Christians as seen in the creation of the most famous paintings, sculptures, and architecture in Western civilization. Michaelangelo Buonarroti’s paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and Rembrandt Harmensz Van Rijn’s portrait and landscape paintings became the standard for art during their time and beyond. They brought precision and excellence to every detail of their art. In many of the great churches of England, which took decades to complete, one can see this commitment to detail on the back of sculptures. Although the artists realized these parts of the sculptures would never be visible to the public, they lavished just as much care on the back side of each creation as the front—something that wasn’t discovered until restoration efforts centuries later. Whether anyone would ever see their work or not, they were doing it to the glory of God.

Around the world, people recognize Johann Sebastian Bach’s contribution to musical composition. To this day he is known as the one of the most brilliant composers of all time. He composed for use in worship services his epic, The Passion of St. Matthew, which has been called “the supreme cultural achievement of all Western civilization.”¹⁰ Even the radical skeptic Friedrich Nietzsche admitted upon hearing it, “One who has completely forgotten Christianity truly hears it here as gospel.”¹⁰

More recently, the Religious Societies movement of the early 18th century was spawned by revival throughout the church and the realization that embodying the Gospel in practical forms was the truest way to express belief in Christ and His love for humanity. During this movement, hospitals were formed and charities created that still exist today, providing humanitarian care and support to people in need. In the 19th century, Jean Henri Dunant founded the International Red Cross after being confronted with suffering and loss of life on a battlefield in Italy. When confronted with injustice and suffering, Christians responded with aid and compassion. ¹¹

From the Puritan Reformers who founded Harvard College in 1636 to the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833 – Christian influence is rooted in an understanding that Christians are “called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals.”¹² As I saw the Christian heritage of cultural engagement, I began to see a direction for future influence. You have heard it said, “Those who do not study history, are doomed to repeat it.”¹³ In this case, Christians could use a review of their history in culture shaping, for by better understanding it, we just may have a chance to repeat it. Historically, Christian’s were known for their wide and significant contributions to culture. But somewhere along the line, Christianity’s positive influence on culture changed.

CULTURAL INFLUENCE LOST

For centuries, Christian growth took place in a slow, methodical process. The historic idea of a catechesis was based off of an intentional and deliberate process of growth that introduced a new believer to the life they aspire to live while on this earth. Conversion was not assumed to take place in a moment; both the mentor and the disciple saw it as a process that required serious and disciplined engagement over time. Although eternal salvation might be grasped in a moment, the lifestyle of winsome engagement could take a lifetime to achieve.

With this method, the Christian explanation for existence had always made the most sense to Kings and paupers alike. It was a “comprehensive life system that answers all of humanity’s age-old questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Does life have any meaning and purpose?”¹⁴ It competed and won out against other stories explaining human existence and even intellectuals embraced it for it gave logical answers to the antagonizing questions of the human pursuit. Sadly, this way of thinking would be drastically changed by the “Enlightenment” and the Second Great Awakening.

In the 1500’s, the “Enlightenment” began a philosophical shift that would change everything. The basis for human existence began to shift away from God and toward humanity. Human reason, scientific research and individual achievement had no need for divine intervention. Innovation was in the air. Speed, volume, and progress would become the celebrated measures for success.¹⁵ Speed would overtake intentionality, volume would surpass quality and progress would overrun tradition. This philosophy of human-driven cultural advancement characterizes the modern view that would influence Christian thinking.

Large conversion movements like the First Great Awakening in England and the Second Great Awakening that spread throughout rural America in the early 1800’s introduced many people to Christ. Evangelistic camp meetings took place mostly on the frontier or in rural communities, having little effect on the educated intellectuals in the city. The great orators of this time used emotional preaching and proclaimed boldly the most dramatic points of the Christian story; “You are a sinner, and Christ’s death and resurrection can give you new life. If you get saved, you will have eternal life in Heaven.” They initiated special invitations to capture the most possible conversions from a given audience in a limited amount of time. They didn’t have the benefit of living among the people and modeling the life of a Christian over the course of years. Their demanding schedule of traveling by horseback from town to town gave them weeks, and sometimes just days, to convey the depth of the message of Jesus.

It’s easy to see that when forced to convey the most dramatic parts of the Christian story in a short period of time, parts of the story are easily overlooked. In the process, Christianity was losing its profound and life-giving answers to central questions no longer representing an entire life-system and worldview. It had become relegated to a personal, spiritual decision about where you would spend the afterlife.

As more evangelical Christians adopted this half-story explanation of the faith, their cultural influence began to fade.¹⁶ The emphasis on heavenly pursuits overshadowed the idea of living a life that offered common grace and promoted cultural influence. And as personal decisions for Christ became the short-term measure of success, the church added shallow converts who were unable to see the cultural implications of their faith. If being a Christ-follower is only about getting a free pass to heaven and trying to bring everyone else with them, it will alienate Christians from the broader dialogue about life, justice and the here and now.

Comments

Leave a Comment