Transforming Culture

In our book club this week we had an in depth discussion on cultural transformation as it pertains to the life of William Carey. Honestly I came out of our time with more questions than answers and there was a lot to process through (I apologize in advance for the lack of cohesion).

When you compare what Carey accomplished during his lifetime to our generation it can be mind blowing to say the least.

We come out of a group of individuals who enter the college world not wholly prepared to defend our beliefs and oftentimes we don't even know what our ideologies are. This applies to Christians and non-Christians alike. A term that I have heard tossed around is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) which basically describes the modern Christian generally. God is often put in a dropbox that is only opened when necessary and a few core beliefs are held but no relationship is formed. Thus, if an individual is not transformed, no cultural transformation can take place.

One example are professors in Universities across the nation. It is often considered a domain for the liberals and thinkers who are totally in opposition to Christianity. Why is this? Why are the institutions that were often founded by Christians, no longer filled by modern Christians intent on higher level thinking while also striving for answers and openly dialoguing. These people exist certainly but they seem few and far between.

As a short aside, knowledge is certainly good but it is not the be all end all and we can never expect to be fully competent. That is one of the beauties of the body of Christ because each of us often have various areas of knowledge that allow us to do so much more as a community. We will be so much more effective if we all following our varying passions and areas of expertise to change culture.

When you look back on our history at names like Galileo, Newton, and even Faraday these were men who cherished not only God but also discovering what made the world tick.

The likes of William Carey and even William Wilberforce were spiritual men for sure but they also transformed the English and Indian cultures because their ideals so pervaded their vocations and goals in life.

It makes me wonder why things seem so different nowadays? How come higher level thinking, science, and even government must be so polarized and removed from our beliefs in this modern generation?

Here were men who generally had a solid foundation in the faith and they did not force their beliefs on others. It was not their habit to shove their convictions down the throat of their contemporaries. Still their society was so radically influenced by their Christian walks. The infrastructure of India, the slave trade in England,  the scientific world and so much more was turned upside down by this type of "marketplace ministry."

Their vocation and passion therefore was not separate from their faith and it did not need to be. My prayer is that Christians and Churches might create culture and ultimately dictate culture. This goes beyond the university campus and has major implications for the rest of our lives. There is still a lot to chew on but this is the place I am at right now.

As always all the glory be His.