Analyze Your Views Regarding Involvement in Society and Culture

In the book, Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr identified five views regarding involvement in society and culture. Analyze which view best matches your understanding and whether that same view describes your actions:

(1) “Christ against culture” urges Christians to shun cultural and political life because these activities are corrupted by sin. Believers should instead concentrate their efforts on cultivating a deep spiritual life and preparing for heavenly existence.

(2) “Christ and culture in paradox” holds that since human selfishness, sin and ungodliness are pervasive in the world, Christians cannot create a righteous society by engaging in cultural activity. Rather, Christians ought to retard the spread of evil in their countries by promoting evangelism and discipleship.

(3) “Christ the transformer of culture” holds that although sin pervades all human action, Christ is our Redeemer and is sovereign over all human activity. Therefore, Christians should work to restructure cultural life based upon biblical standards.  

(4) “Christ above culture” holds that Christians should work to bring all social institutions under the jurisdiction of the Church. 

(5) The “Christ of culture” view sees little tension between the church and the world, emphasizing Christ’s teachings and actions and those doctrines about Him that seem consistent with the best in civilization.

Your Views  (1) “Christ against culture”  (2) “Christ and culture in paradox”  (3) “Christ the transformer of culture”  (4) “Christ above culture”  (5) “Christ of culture”

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Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. (Matt 5:11-13)