Should we be fighting in The Culture Wars?
The phrase; What if they gave a war and nobody came? is inspired by this poetry:
The little girl saw her first troop parade and asked, ‘What are those?’
‘Soldiers.’
‘What are soldiers?’
‘They are for war. They fight and each tries to kill as many of the other side as he can.’
The girl held still and studied.
‘Do you know … I know something?’
‘Yes, what is it you know?’
‘Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come.’
(from “The People, Yes” by Carl Sandburg)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I recently commented to a clergy friend that it seemed our country was increasingly divided by a culture war, to which he replied, “Only if you choose to join it.” He encouraged me to remember that Jesus never asked us to consider ourselves as against anyone, but rather to emulate him in living lives in keeping with God’s Kingdom ethics. I appreciate my friend’s reminder; we are to spend our energies proactively following Christ, rather than reactively working against some other individual/group.
“America’s culture wars have metastasized so that many groups believe they are in a maximalist battle against their own extinction. Whether it’s far right natalists panicking over the declining white birth rate, or academic theorists popularizing the belief that words are violence, and that the very existence of disagreeable opinions constitute doing harm…
… Again, if you perceive the world in such a way that the very presence of someone who holds different opinions, contrary opinions, who is willing to and eager to argue against what you believe, it creates an incendiary environment for politics. And so, what we do is we hold those people in contempt, and we refuse to even engage them, and I think that’s part of the story right now…
… Part of what makes our current moment so incendiary, and I think so challenging, is that we see not only within the American public, but within the political leadership, an unwillingness to do the hard work of talking through those differences. In a way, they’ve said, look, the only way forward is for the other side to just disappear… (Sociologist James Davison Hunter from an On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti interview)
“By definition, cultural warfare is fundamentally about the struggle for power and dominance—and the goal is to “win” and conquer “the other side” by whatever means necessary. I believe the church is called to a different kind of witness—what James Davison Hunter calls “faithful presence” and Makota Fujimura calls “culture care” and Tim Keller speaks of as “a third way.” They’re all getting at the essence of the same thing: followers of Jesus live in a countercultural way, resisting the vitriol and toxicity of partisanship and culture wars. Instead, Christ-followers cultivate the fruit of the Spirit and seek the flourishing of the common good through a humble, confident and winsome witness.” – Brian Keepers, “Reformed Journal”
I’m going to try my best to not accept the invitation to join the wars. I can engage in debates, and I can advocate for those laws, policies, and societal movements that I feel best mirror Christ-centered values and Christ-like actions, without pitting myself against anyone else.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8
Remember, our motto is “E pluribus unum”: out of many, one.
(It is not “divide et impera”: divide and conquer/rule.)
Peace,
Pastor Layne