In Theory: Have Christians retreated from the world?
Writing in on the Huffington Post, Phil Cooke claims that Christians’ voices are being drowned out because of a love/hate relationship with the media, a relationship that is driving Christians to retreat to safe zones instead of engaging with the wider culture. He says, “From the Web, to publishing, to record labels, TV networks, universities and more, the last 50 years have seen a remarkable withdrawal from mainstream culture and a move back to a cloistered, protective bubble.”
Cooke cites the rise in Christian book and music publishers, movie production companies, and websites such as dating site Christian Mingle and Christian Chirp, the Christian alternative to Twitter, as factors that have combined to give Christians places where they can avoid contact with the non-Christian world. In doing so, he says, they have effectively lost their voice.
Because of this perceived withdrawal he claims that the church is viewed “as an irrelevant, out of touch museum piece,” adding, “we must react differently if we’re to engage the hearts and minds of those around us.”
Cooke contrasts this with Jesus’s actions, saying, “Jesus never advocated protective bubbles, and never retreated from the challenges of the culture around him. Jesus spent his life where the people were — in the marketplace, social gatherings, or the Temple Square — and He wasn’t afraid to answer the hard questions.”
Q: Does he have a point? Are Christians withdrawing to “bubbles” where they feel safe, or is Christianity as much a part of the wider culture as it’s ever been?
The history of Christianity has alternated between social isolation and social engagement, members in the beginning of the Christian church, during the Roman empire, hid from criminal persecution and lived underground lives. Later, for almost 2,000 years, in Europe Christianity was extremely dominant in politics, society and before the law. During those years Christianity hardly needed to work at outreach or engagement, everything the church did affected the lives of everyone. In the United States today there are only a few areas where the church affects everyone, for example in conducting marriages and the opening of sporting and social events. Not all social recognition is desirable. When a minister or church group becomes well know for scandals or crimes that type of exposure is negative.
I believe Phil Cooke is missing an important point in his argument for Christian voices to be louder and engaging the world. It is not as important that a group be heard, but more important that what they have to say is meaningful and helpful to people.
Steven Gibson
South Pasadena
Atheist Meetup
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Phil Cooke’s limited focus on Western Christianity is true tunnel vision. He is completely missing the explosive growth of Christianity worldwide, especially in African, South American and Asian-Pacific countries.
I travel extensively, and I’ve witnessed a significant acceleration in the spread of Christianity, especially in countries prohibiting Christian missionaries, media and publications. Recently, Al-Jazeerah reported concerns over the number of African Muslims converting to Christianity, about 6 million a year. How is Christianity spreading despite the prohibitions? Primarily through the use of Internet media and streaming.
Patricia King, an associate of mine, decided in 2002 to hit the streets filming her brand of prophetic evangelism in action. She captured actual miracles on film, documenting the experiences of onlookers. The footage became “Extreme Prophetic,” her flagship program, viewed internationally by hundreds of thousands. Ten years later she hosts an online media network of over 200 channels of Christian ministries worldwide.
Four years ago, Christian Life Coach Anna McCoy was advised by then Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons to skip the “outdated technology of TV,” and market her coaching efforts through Internet streaming and networking. She recently told me, “The Internet allows me to communicate to a collective group of women entrepreneurs and mobilize action through video, audio, locations and pictures. It is opening opportunities to build business and personal relationships that are shifting cultural norms for women entrepreneurs in nations around the world.”
The most widely viewed and translated movie of all time is not a Hollywood blockbuster, but “The Jesus Film.” Produced in 1979, it has been viewed 8 billion times and translated into 1,100 languages. More than 200 million people have converted to Christianity after viewing the film, which continues to be shown. After 1600 years, Christianity is still the world’s largest and fastest-growing faith.
Pastor Ché Ahn
HRock Church
Pasadena
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I have three answers: Among some evangelical Christians, yes, I think there’s a tendency to isolate to homogenous bubbles — Christian singles’ groups, Christian music, Christian yoga (whatever that is) — apart from the wider social world. Right-wing political Christians, on the other hand, are far too much in the thick of things, and have so overtaken public media that they now define the very word “Christian.” On the third hand, liturgical/progressive Christians (like me) are fully immersed in the wider social world, able to pass as “normals” on the street; yet we continue to be complete morons at publishing resources and utilizing public media, to make our cool spiritual views and hippie-Jesus-like ways known to anyone but ourselves.
But none of those three answers really gets at Christianity’s relationship to the wider culture. We walk a razor’s edge between being “in the world, but not of it.” Our faith needs to hold up to the hard issues of the real world; but it also needs to have enough distance to question the world’s assumptions, to ask more of it, to call for it to be better than it is. Part of what we’re supposed to do is to be, like Jesus, counter-cultural; to offer another take on things, another way, from the frequently too-low, too-selfish standards of the world.
It was Christians standing apart from the world who led the charge to abolish slavery, who stood and marched for civil rights, who have stood up for human rights for centuries, in a world where oppression was the standard. We’ve had a public discussion about gay rights in America for the last decade or so; my (Episcopal) church has been having that discussion for 50 years, and helped blaze a trail forward.
So yeah, we need to get with the times, way true. But we are also visionaries and voices for that reality which is far greater than these times. It’s tricky.
The Rev. Amy Pringle
St. George’s Episcopal Church
La Cañada Flintridge
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Yes and yes, to both questions. Many Christians feel that their purpose is personal holiness, as they understand it from the scriptures. There are people who feel that staying away from as much popular culture as they can will bring them closer to God. Taverns, music with suggestive lyrics and situations where people of both sexes and all sexual orientations are treated equally, can be situations where people whose accent is on personal holiness feel that God would not be pleased at the goings-on.
However there are other Christians who remember that Jesus’ first miracle was at a party, where the revelers didn’t want it to end, and so he was asked to keep it going. And he did, by producing better wine than the host had served. Jesus was forever found where life was breaking out. Protecting women of the night and healing the beloved associate of a Roman officer solely based on the officer’s faith were other situations where Jesus broke through the personal holiness code to affect heavenly goodness.
Jesus put people first. There are Christians and many other people of other faiths in the 21st century who do the same thing. For every judgmental separatist who calls themselves Christian, the label “Christian” also describes people of diverse cultures who seek to follow the teachings of Jesus by plugging into society in as many ways as they can imagine.
Ministers are getting dual degrees in theology and business management so they can teach underprivileged people how to better handle their money. Ministers are getting degrees in theology and law, so that they can advocate for their parishioners in court. There are Christians people who understand that placing a baby in a loving home, regardless of the sex of the parents, is a more wholesome environment than allowing a child to grow up unloved in an institution. Our little congregation takes foodstuffs to the Burbank Temporary Aid Shelter, weekly. We regard those gifts of food as part of our expressions of being Christian.
While Jesus withdrew to pray, Jesus did not withdraw into a bubble to practice the teachings of God. The proper practice of Christianity is where the need, where the action, where the culture is. However broken and divided Christians may seem to be, Christians are part of larger society.
The Rev. Dr. William Thomas Jr.
Little White Chapel
Burbank
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It may be that some Christians are withdrawing into their own bubbles; but, as writer Phil Cook suggests in his article on the Huffington Post, I do not believe that they are being forced into this withdrawal by mainstream media or people of other religious traditions. Instead, I think it is because the tactics of some fundamentalist and right-wing Christians have alienated those who do not agree with their ultraconservative perspectives. When these reactionary Christian groups continue to broadcast their belief that they have the only true religion and that all others are morally bankrupt, they cannot expect to be welcomed with open arms by those they have condemned.
Cooke suggests that if present day Christians want to feel welcomed, they need to learn to “engage,” not protest, criticize and condemn. And I agree. We are a diverse country in terms of religion and many other characteristics, and we need to find ways to communicate respectfully instead of separating ourselves into exclusive, and sometimes verbally armed, camps. Such segregation of people from each other because of their different religious beliefs makes us all poorer for that loss.
As a person who has shared rich encounters with those of many different faith traditions, I have learned a great deal from others through those dialogues about the ways we can grow in understanding of each other. We may not agree about all our beliefs, but we can find commonalities that far outweigh our differences. Nor do we need to pretend agreement when it is not there. Instead we need to share our truth (small “t”) in love. And find connections that are real.
My hope is that we will learn how to engage constructively with each other and be able to experience a sense of community in our diversity. I am convinced that we all will be richer for our efforts.
Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills
La Crescenta
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Religion and faith remain as strong a part of our national psyche as ever. Spirituality is ingrained into America’s culture as much as apple pie and Thanksgiving turkey. It is also quite obvious that religious organizations and spiritual movements encourage cultural engagement and are not in any way retreating from society.
The development Cooke is depicting is not unique to religious Christians, but prevalent across many sectors of American society. I would not describe this trend as a “withdrawal from mainstream culture,” but rather as a natural response to the trash that the entertainment industry often produces.
In recent years, increasing numbers of concerned people — from all segments of our population — are attempting to shield themselves and their families from TV, movies, pop music, and other mass entertainment because so much of it depicts extreme violence, gratuitous sex, and depravity in all its forms. Many people feel that the constant bombardment is simply too much; it can adversely affect our character, and is especially damaging to our children’s young, impressionable minds.
I would argue that it is the media and entertainment industry that seem a bit out of touch with society, and not vice-versa. Perhaps it is time for the executives of these corporations to step down from their ivory towers and engage with a wider spectrum of the public they ostensibly cater to. Doing so might compel them to create more broadly popular entertainment, and could actually alleviate these industries’ financial woes.
Rabbi Simcha Backman
Chabad Jewish Center
Glendale
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I don’t believe Christians are avoiding contact with the culture as a whole as much as we’re choosing not to immerse ourselves in activities that run counter to our faith. Consider the examples given: books, movies, music, dating Web sites. Each involves what we take into our minds or our hearts. And for Christians, that’s sacred ground that belongs to Jesus Christ.
Certainly it’s easy to only interact with people who are like us and many believers have withdrawn too far, not bothering to reach out and love the lost. But in some ways our culture is withdrawing to places that Christians shouldn’t go. The other extreme is harmful as well: churches that are no longer distinguishable from a secular culture, compromising the truth of the gospel and Jesus’ call to righteous living. We are in the world, but not of it and that’s not always easy to navigate. Loving God first and loving others as ourselves is a great place to begin.
The Bible teaches that there are two groups of people — those who are “in Christ,” loving and following him and those who are “of the world,” trying to live independently of God. The “world” gives hearty approval to Christians and churches that compromise with them. Jesus offers deliverance from the sin and brokenness so prevalent in the world: “I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).
Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
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There will always be tension between Christianity and culture, and that’s reasonable. Christ came to change culture, not approve its bad behavior. He didn’t need to come if everything was copacetic, so when Christians engage culture, we know that just as people of Jesus’ day got fed up and crucified him, that we will find ourselves marginalized or running into glass ceilings where sin most proliferates. Christians don’t want to be blocked from media or entertainment, but it seems that the business thrives on pushing the envelope of decency, and having moral voices echo Jesus is rarely welcome. I remember one acting class in secular college where the teacher got miffed because I, a Christian, refused to theatrically render the blasphemous G-D profanity. Apparently I didn’t “have what it takes for the craft,” he said. Apparently not.
Cooke rightly cites Jesus as an example Christians should emulate, but then assumes we aren’t doing as Jesus; hanging out with prostitutes and people of low moral character, or doing outrageous things that he believes this maverick Jesus did. The fact is, Jesus “hung out” with like-minded disciples. He taught worldly people to repent of their sins when he encountered them. He was gracious, but never condoning. He’d say, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11) not, “Hey, may I join you?”
So when Christians form their own faith-based matchmaking services, we do so because our religion is foundational. What familial harmony would come from a spiritually antagonistic marriage? Besides, Jesus said, via Paul, “do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2Co 6:14). It’s one thing to have a voice, but quite another to just negate God’s purposes so as to garner relevance with a people who only put up with “what their itching ears want to hear” (2Tim 4:3 NIV).
The Rev. Bryan Griem
Montrose Community Church
Montrose
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I would say that the landscape of Christian marketing and media is seriously uneven.
The more conservative voices have been very well funded and connected in the public square, in large part due to a now-waning partnership with the Republican party. Those voices have dominated television and radio. People who are not otherwise Christian-connected may assume these are the only voices answering the challenges of culture as they understand them. Many young people actually use the word “Christian” to mean “conservative.” The media strategy of framing morality-related messaging, combined with the ability to repeat that message multiple times across multiple media, has indeed successfully “bubbled” many consumers of Christian messages, music and products.
But despite the prominence of conservative voices, the landscape is also heavily dotted with moderate and progressive Christian believers, who come and go freely between Christian community, marketplace and mixed social gatherings. The daily disciplines of peaceful interaction, compassionate listening, caring acts and thoughtful conversation do change the world, but in small, unheralded ways that are not part of a media strategy. Others of us do hang out in the Temple Square, enjoying the work of engaging hard questions. Some of us are strategically connected to one another. Many of us are good at social media and messaging, film-making, and the composition of Christian music that is more about “we” and “all of us” than it is about “me” and “my salvation” and “all those people out there who don’t have a relationship with Jesus like I do.”
Despite our efforts, I agree with Cooke’s claim that we have not sparked the sort of voice that attracts funding for big-time messaging. Or perhaps it’s the other way around. Significant investment causes sparks and big, warm fires. If you are someone who would like to underwrite such an explosion of relevant Christian messaging and music, please email me and let’s gather a crack team and get going.
Last word: many believers know from experience that “missionary dating” is not the best way to tell people about Jesus or find marital bliss. Let’s let single people look for Christian mates without scolding them for exclusivity.
The Rev. Paige Eaves
Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church
Montrose
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He may have a point. There may be a “bubble boy” aspect for some Christians, although in recent decades (if not this past election cycle) some evangelical Christians were a powerful voting bloc. George W. Bush probably owes his election and reelection to conservative Christians. So I don’t see them as irrelevant, and as the next election cycle rolls around, I expect to see them as a force to be reckoned with.
The issue is that not all Christians are evangelical; some of us consider ourselves progressive and even liberal. In fact, in the past two election cycles, progressive Christians were quite active, having learned something from the evangelicals, and maybe Barack Obama owes his two elections to progressive Christians. So I’d have to say that we’re out there and not in a bubble.
I am troubled by the assertion that the church has become irrelevant; maybe we just need to have a new understanding of what the church is. We aren’t in the 1950s anymore, and the church shouldn’t be, either. The prophet Jeremiah talked of a “remnant” and of God working through that “remnant”. What that idea means to me is that we aren’t as many as we once were, but we don’t need to be as many, either. As Jesus suggested, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5: 13-16). You don’t really need a lot of salt or a lot of light to make a difference.
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge
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My impression is that media today is hyper-specialized, period. The people in bubbles with like people aren’t only Christians.
What I think is seriously out of touch is any notion that Christianity is no longer dominant in our public life. It is a rare politician who fails to ask for God’s blessing in every speech. Our money and the flag pledge invoke God. Congress couldn’t agree on anything last session yet managed to affirm that our national motto is “In God we trust,” by a vote of 396-9. I must have missed its being threatened.
The Tournament of Roses is on New Year’s Day, but never on Sunday. Even the presidential inauguration will be moved this year. Apparently President Obama will be sworn in on the 20th, but inaugural festivities postponed to avoid Sunday.
These changes are not to accommodate those who think Sunday is a special day because it brings us big bundles of good journalism. Clearly Christianity is not being drowned out.
Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose
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The problem is not that Christians are withdrawing from the world. It is that the world, Western society, anyway, is rejecting religion. If Christians have created their own cultural references, it is because mainstream culture no longer meets their needs, and because it subjects them to damaging, inappropriate influences.
In certain respects I see nothing wrong with seeking refuge in books, music, literature and films that reflect and reinforce our faith. However, I agree with Cooke that we shouldn’t retreat so far that we lose the ability to have a positive influence on the world around us.
To his point, the example of Christ is instructive. The Savior had the strength to engage people from all walks of life, even those who hated him, without descending to their level. He met their arguments — and insults — with patience, love and wisdom. If we are to engage the world effectively, whether it be in national media or in our neighborhoods, we should prepare spiritually to emulate him to the best of our ability.
On a very granular level, perhaps those of us who are steeped in years of church culture should examine our vocabulary. When discussing our beliefs with others, we have a tendency, LDS members included, to rely on phrases and buzzwords that may sound strange or even sanctimonious to others. This can build walls rather than bridges, despite our best intentions.
Yet for all of the words we may speak, it is our actions that matter most. Christ-like behavior, that is, behavior that demonstrates charity and compassion for others regardless of their attitudes, is difficult to criticize and even harder to ignore.
Michael White
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
La Crescenta