[Roundtable] a problem bigger than war

[Jefferis Peterson]

On 1/11/07 11:24 AM, "wes  olson" <wes at the101series.com> wrote:


> This year I am embarking on a study of Christians and war (justifiable force).

> I am also studying Chitins and Christmas and Christians and the movies.  I

> recognize now these all have to do with a Christians response to their

> culture.

>  

> THE PROBLEM

>  

> premise 1: People are driven to celebrate, enjoy seasons, be part of the

> culture around them (e.g. the nation of Israel)

>  

> premise 2: When people get saved, they get a spiritual identity in Christ, but

> no physical culture to replace the one they left.

>  

> conclusion: Christians are left with a cultural vacuum and tension.

>  

>  

> I am hoping to resolve which one of these premise's or what part of this

> conclusion is in error.



Hi Wes, 
I¹m not sure there is a conflict at this point, but let me give you my
initial feedback and see if I¹m understanding what you are after.

Every aspect of God¹s involvement in history has always been incarnate and
in-culture-ated.   The scriptures are written through the fabric of the
culture in which the people live, the governments and the times.

Calvin talked about the three aspects of the OT law: the moral [unchanging
as a reflection of the character of God], the ritual [superceded by Christ's
fulfillment], and the civic [case law that depends upon the spirit of the
law in a local or governmental context].  So, civic laws about 10% civil
taxes, involuntary servitude of aliens, how you approach the king in court,
etc., are conditional laws that reflect the times and the culture. Hanging
horse thieves may have been appropriate in the old West, where people's
lives depended upon their horses; while today it isn't - may be an example
of changing cultural laws.

Have your read the profound by short book by H Richard Niehbur?

Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) (Paperback)
by H. Richard Niebuhr

 http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Torchbooks-Richard-Niebuhr/dp/00613000
39/sr=8-1/qid=1168537630/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1709065-3635268?ie=UTF8&s=books

He talks about the 5 approaches to culture: Christ Transforming Culture is
one of the options.

Jeff 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jefferis Peterson, Pres.
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http://www.PetersonSales.com