Creating Culture

Ancient painting of Jesus on the wall of the catacombs

I’m old enough to remember that any manufactured goods that were stamped “Made in Japan” were considered a cheap imitation, and “Made in the USA” was a mark of quality and pride. The US was the standard by which all other countries were measured. This “great experiment of self-government”, guided by the hand of God, created a country that was the envy of the entire world. How things have changed!

What began as a “shining city on a hill” has become a cheap imitation. We have abandoned our faith and lost our moral compass. We have lost our identity, becoming like the nations around us. Our affluence only masks the cry of our soul.

A life lived apart from God is a life of imitation. To live as a follower of Christ is to live an authentic life, fully alive and fully human. The nation of Israel was deported to Assyria as punishment for their rebellion against God. Their indictment? They had rejected God and had imitated the nations around them. They had become a cheap imitation rather than a light to the nations.

As Christ followers, we are called to transform culture. The early church turned their world upside down. What started out as a small sect of Christians eventually transformed music, art, architecture, education, and literature.

We need to return to this kind of primal faith. We need to follow Jesus into the arts, into the media, into literature, into politics, into the marketplace, into cyber space, and into the church. We need authentic disciples, no imitations or imposters allowed. We need followers of Jesus who have the courage to create culture, not conform to it.