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The Question of Christ and Culture
In the last post in the series on the reformation of Christianity I discussed what was ugly about Christian faith. This, after a lengthy review of the “good” and the “bad.” The ugly is defined as the evil Christian believers do using their beliefs as a basis for the evil. We focused on power and the will to power that is a fundamental rejection of the Christian teaching on power. The Christian nationalism on display today in Russia and the US is but one tragic example of the blending of power with Christian belief.
If we reject Christendom, Christian nationalism and the will to power, how are Christians to relate to the world? This is a core question in exploring ideas about Christian reformation. Throughout Christian history there have been many varied ways of answering that question. Some have been extreme. One example is monasticism where the culture and society of the believers is rejected and a wholly separate reclusive society is constructed, In its more extreme form of hermits or asceticism a completely isolated existence is pursued.
Another example which we referenced in the last post is the enforcement of a Christian vision of human temporal culture at the point of the sword, missiles or the stake. This view is one we identify with Christendom and in the last post we rejected Christendom and the will to power as a rejection of the fundamental…
