Today's edition of Kevin Bauder's, In the Nick of Time is entitled, Christians and High Culture, Again. I have pasted here a large number of quotes from that article and, while I have not intentionally misrepresented his article, neither is it my point in this blog to repeat the point of his article. I refer my readers to his original piece linked above.
First, the selected quotes and then a short commentary.
"As Matthew Arnold envisioned it, high culture is the effort to “know the best that has been thought and said in the world” (Culture and Anarchy). It consists of those products of civilization that are deliberately meant to preserve, shape, and propagate human ideals and mores.
"Typically, high cultures have centered upon worship—not surprisingly, since every culture is the incarnation of a religion.
"They also explore answers to the perennial questions such as the nature of existence, truth, freedom, justice, duty, goodness, and beauty.
The utterly unlettered or completely bumptious have only rarely made much of a contribution to Christian thought or sensibility.
"Christianity depends upon cultural mastery for its own wellbeing. The understanding and preservation of correct doctrine requires theologians who have spent sufficient time in the academy to master intellectual discipline. …. When such persons are lacking, Christianity enters periods of base and unfruitful expression (such as the present hour).
"Our Christianity is not supposed to be confined to church. It is supposed to affect all of life. Consequently, Christians should look at all of life—including common or mundane things—from a unique perspective…
"Christians make a serious mistake when they think that their use of culture applies only to church. It also applies to eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. It is about all of the mundane activities of life, each of which has its own place in the purpose of God and its own luster when it occupies that place. These activities are common to all humans, and so are the enduring questions that arise from the consideration of those things.
"Not every Christian needs to be a philosopher, a poet, a composer, or an artist. Some, however, will find that their callings involve exactly these disciplines. They will be called to involve themselves with high culture. Far from opposing high culture, the remainder of Christians should celebrate such callings. Without them, Christian faith and life would be crippled."
Here is my point; Christians must see themselves as the shapers of culture. If every culture is indeed, "the incarnation of religion" Then Christians must not allow themselves to be merely a part of their culture but must aggressively work to influence shape and mold that culture into the image of pure religion.
First, the selected quotes and then a short commentary.
"As Matthew Arnold envisioned it, high culture is the effort to “know the best that has been thought and said in the world” (Culture and Anarchy). It consists of those products of civilization that are deliberately meant to preserve, shape, and propagate human ideals and mores.
"Typically, high cultures have centered upon worship—not surprisingly, since every culture is the incarnation of a religion.
"They also explore answers to the perennial questions such as the nature of existence, truth, freedom, justice, duty, goodness, and beauty.
The utterly unlettered or completely bumptious have only rarely made much of a contribution to Christian thought or sensibility.
"Christianity depends upon cultural mastery for its own wellbeing. The understanding and preservation of correct doctrine requires theologians who have spent sufficient time in the academy to master intellectual discipline. …. When such persons are lacking, Christianity enters periods of base and unfruitful expression (such as the present hour).
"Our Christianity is not supposed to be confined to church. It is supposed to affect all of life. Consequently, Christians should look at all of life—including common or mundane things—from a unique perspective…
"Christians make a serious mistake when they think that their use of culture applies only to church. It also applies to eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. It is about all of the mundane activities of life, each of which has its own place in the purpose of God and its own luster when it occupies that place. These activities are common to all humans, and so are the enduring questions that arise from the consideration of those things.
"Not every Christian needs to be a philosopher, a poet, a composer, or an artist. Some, however, will find that their callings involve exactly these disciplines. They will be called to involve themselves with high culture. Far from opposing high culture, the remainder of Christians should celebrate such callings. Without them, Christian faith and life would be crippled."
Here is my point; Christians must see themselves as the shapers of culture. If every culture is indeed, "the incarnation of religion" Then Christians must not allow themselves to be merely a part of their culture but must aggressively work to influence shape and mold that culture into the image of pure religion.
