Tag: cultural Christianity

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what is CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY

Yesterday I was mesmerized listening to an interview with Granger Smith. On June 6, 2019, Granger’s youngest son, River Kelly Smith (age 3), died following a drowning accident at his family’s home. It happened the evening before Granger and his band (country western) were supposed to leave on tour. Up to that point, Granger had a relaxed attitude towards Christianity. He describes his pre-tragedy life as “culturally Christian”.

JUST A GUY DOING WHAT HE LOVED BEST

Granger grew up in the church, was very involved in Young Life, and told his mama at age four he was going to become a preacher. As the years went by, music took over his life, and Granger relegated God to a speck in his rearview mirror. It’s not like Granger became a drug addict, led a wild life, or had a prison record. He was just a guy doing what he loved best. Occasionally, when he wasn’t on the road, he attended church. Granger was happily married, had three children, and didn’t give God much thought.

THE “MAN UPSTAIRS”

Granger was a country western music writer and performer. It is so easy and safe when writing lyrics to give “thanks to the Man Upstairs” and mention going to church. At venues, bands would often offer a word of prayer before going on stage. The atmosphere was pretty wholesome. Granger clearly labels all those years before the tragedy as his being lost in “cultural Christianity”. He said he could explain the Gospel easily to anyone. He knew the expected behaviors, but Christ didn’t occupy a significant part of his life. However, cultural Christianity came up short when they lost River. Life hit the fan.

SELF-HELP CAME UP SHORT

Granger was great on self-help books, and he thought he could get himself out of most difficulties. The torment of losing his son dropped him into a pit that seemed bottomless. On his downward spiral of grief, a longtime friend challenged Granger to start reading the Bible.

TRANSFORMED BY TRUTH

God gradually pulled Granger out of the spiral as he began devouring God’s Word. For the first time, Granger developed a hunger for God. His relationship with God now ran much deeper than a nod to the “Man Upstairs”. Granger was no longer a cultural Christian; the friendly good guy comfortable to be around. He became a child of God, transformed by the Truth.

Granger notes that at the end of this life, a good percentage of many faithful church people won’t find themselves in heaven. They know about the “Man Upstairs”, but don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How about you? Are you living the life of Granger, pre-tragedy? Are you just a cultural Christian?

Click to listen to his story or read his book “Like A River”.

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NICE, BUT “OF THE DEVIL”

Image of woman caring for child

I John 3:4-10 is a difficult passage of Scripture for me. It’s personal and hard to observe very nice people (by our human standards) and lump them into John’s summary: “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”  What about “Mrs. Krebs”, the church “saint”? (Name withheld to protect the non-innocent) Whenever the church puts out a plea for help in the kitchen, she is there. If they need a Sunday School teacher, she responds. No matter if they are toddlers or teens, she has a lesson and a pocket full of M&M’s that meets the needs of any age. Mrs. Krebs serves, regardless.

WHAT IS A SAINT?

I call her a “saint” using the Google definition: “a very virtuous, kind, or patient person”. Mrs. Krebs possesses all three of these qualities. However, the Bible defines “saints” as a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom.  That’s what holiness is: being set apart for God alone.

THE METRIC FOR KNOWING GOD

Growing up in the church, I met a lot of people who love to go to church and participate in all the activities that are offered: Sunday worship, youth activities, baptisms, weddings, and yes, even funerals. We smile and serve year after year, but none of these things are the metric for evaluating an actual relationship with God. That’s the important part: saints have a genuine relationship with God and are set apart for Him alone.

THE “CULTURAL CHRISTIAN”

Mrs. Krebs is what is termed as a “cultural Christian”. John says, “No one who lives in him, keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him, or known him?” (I John 3:6).  Mrs. Krebs does good things, but doesn’t know Christ. In secret, she sins and just shrugs it off. People may like a church, grow up in a church, and have an affinity for everything that the church approves of, but they may only be what are called “cultural Christians”. They don’t know Christ or have the heart of Christ. They just have religion; not a relationship.

THE UNSAVED CHRISTIAN

Dean Inserra has written a book called “The Unsaved Christian”. He says, “Like their New Testament counterparts from Matthew 7, they know religion, but they don’t realize that their religion is the very thing from which they need to be saved. I tried to imagine the faces of those calling “Lord, Lord”, when Jesus told them, that they won’t be going to heaven. Their religious resumes were something to admire, yet Jesus wasn’t impressed–He was outraged. Rather than calling them good people, He called them lawbreakers.”

RELIGION IS THE DEATH KNELL

John’s warning is in the present tense. The phrase “continues to sin” refers to a habitual action of defiance and rebellion. People who become Christians will sin, but they will not live as they once did because they know Him. At the moment of belief, His divine seed is implanted in their lives. God’s new life gives both the desire and the power to live a holy life; a life set apart for Christ. We may serve in a lot of wonderful ways like Mrs. Krebs, but religion is the death knell for the Mrs. Krebs’ of the world. She doesn’t have a personal relationship with Christ.

So how do you measure up? Does God define you as a cultural Christian or a genuine Christian? Has the work of Christ alone both saved and preserved you? Has God implanted in you His holiness plus a desire to serve a life dedicated by love for Him? Does “set apart for Him alone” describe your life? Maybe you need to have a talk with Him.