How Culturally Relevant Does the Christian Church Need to Be?
Hidden Enemies and Friday Wrap Up 12-13-2024
Today’s Verse and Thought
“For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”(1 Peter 4:3-5)
From yesterday- It’s easy to pick apart sins and take a stand against one while we may be guilty of others (and may be able to hide it). But when we begin teaching that sin is “good,” or teach “truth” because it’s progressive or relevant to our day - but against God’s Word - we are in trouble.
Blending Christianity with Paganism
Several years ago, I was at a friends house to see her newly renovated kitchen. Among all the gleaming stainless appliances and granite counters was a small alcove tucked into a corner where a smiling bronze Buddha statue sat. I was surprised to see it as she claimed to be a Christian. Why did she have an idol in her home? I was silently confused. I guess she was trying to cover all her bases?
I’ve been in other Christian homes where people have dream catchers in their children’s rooms. These became popular “decorations” especially in the 70s and 80s as Southwest imagery was promoted by the Home Decor industry.
“Ojibwe women started weaving magical webs for the infants. They used willow hoops and sinew to weave them, and they gifted them to the Ojibwe children as a medium of protection. These charms hung above the children's beds to catch any bad dreams or other harm that might be present.”(source)
I’ve also known people who wear jewelry with Celtic crosses. As someone with an Irish heritage, I always assumed that the Celtic cross was an historical Irish Christian symbol. Depending on which history we read, the origin of the Celtic cross is likely a pagan symbol; not a Christian one.
“No matter which Celtic cross you think of, they typically have the same symbolism. The circle in the center typically represents the sun, an important item of worship in Druid religion.”(source)
While the cross today is a Christian symbol, it was historically used in various forms of ancient religions. It was a symbol of life, fertility, the sun - all of these are important elements of pagan worship.
“He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).”(2 Kings 18:4)
The idea of blending paganism with Christianity isn’t a new concept. In Catholicism, starting at the time of Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337 AD, some have claimed that the Catholic Church began purposefully adopting elements of pagan practices and symbols to make Christianity more “accessible and appealing” especially as it legally demanded everyone convert to Catholicism. It was better to have happy converts rather than antagonistic ones, right?
This process has been called "Christianization" or “syncretism.” In theory, it wasn’t necessarily about “endorsing paganism,” but rather about adapting things that were familiar to the culture and giving it a Christian spin. Our most known examples are Christmas and Easter.
Winter Solstice and Christmas: December 25, was likely chosen to coincide with the Roman festival of Sol Invictus, the official sun god of Rome, which celebrated the winter solstice. This was done to provide a Christian alternative to the popular pagan festival and to help ease the transition for converts. It’s similar to celebrating Halloween as a harvest celebration.
Easter coincides with the timing of the pagan spring festivals, celebrating renewal and rebirth. The name "Easter" itself may have been connected to Eostre, an eighth-century Germanic goddess. This origin is debated, however.
Incorporation of Pagan Symbols and Practices
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me…”(Exodus 20: 4-5)
The early Catholic Church adopted various elements from Greco-Roman art and architecture to make buildings feel familiar to the converts. This included repurposing pagan temples into Catholic churches.
Another practice, venerating “saints,” and praying to them for intercession, stem from pagan practices of venerating (an act of devotion and honor) their gods and heroes. Temples to these Christian saints were often built over former pagan sites, and many of their “feast days” were also on pagan festival days.
In some cases, pagan deities were just transformed into “Christian saints.” For example, the Celtic goddess Brigid was absorbed into Christianity as Saint Brigid of Kildare, and the Roman goddess Diana was sometimes linked to Saint Eustace or other saints.
And the goddess Isis was also absorbed into Christianity“…an Egyptian ritual from "The Book of the Dead" of Isis breathing life into the mummified corpse, but many may not know that the same scene is depicted in stone at the foot of a high cross in Ireland…Similarly, our goddess had a sacred cow that suckled a king, the same as Queen Hatshepsut in Egypt. India and many other cultures revere the cow as a symbol of nurturing. In fact, up until the 12th century children were baptized with milk in Ireland”(source)
Christianity Blending With Local Traditions
In Rome, the Pantheon temple to all Roman gods - was subsequently converted into a Christian church in the 600s. It’s known today as the Basilica of Santa Maria and Martyres. The practice of collecting relics of saints and martyrs also drew on the tradition of venerating the remains of heroes and gods in ancient cultures.
“…the Pantheon remained pagan until Emperor Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface Iv in 609 and the Pantheon is Christianized. The Pantheon Basilica is dedicated to St. Mary and Martyrs since then.”(source)
Catholic missionaries also adapted Christian practices from local pagan customs to make conversion feel “familiar.” For instance, St. Patrick, in Ireland, is said to have used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity.
“The Shamrock was initially associated with the Celtic goddess Ana or Anu, with the three leaves representing her status as the maiden, mother and crone of Ireland.”(source)
The adoption of pagan practices in the early Catholic Church - after the 300s at least - was the way that the church became progressive and relevant to their culture. It’s very similar to the rock band music and skinny jeans of cool pastors who are trying to make their churches “seeker friendly” today. It’s an age old practice. We adopt the things of our culture in order to make church inviting and familiar and then sell it as a good thing - something that will help people become attracted to God.
“The day has finally arrived for us to not only entertain the idea of the 'seeker-friendly’ church, but also to embrace it. This move isn’t made in order to capitulate to culture; rather, it flows from a proper understanding of the gospel.
The New Testament endorses the seeker-friendly church. Jesus was a big fan, as was Paul. Peter and the other apostles avidly promoted it too, as evidenced in their letters to all the seeker-friendly churches they planted. Because it was the model in the first century, the 21st-century church should also be radically seeker-friendly.”(The Gospel Coalition).
So What Does God Want?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”(Romans 12:2)
Some scholars see pagan adaptation as a method to help spread Christianity. Walter Burkert was one such modern scholar. He was a renowned historian of religion, who claimed that the Roman Empire’s Eastern mystery religions - Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, Gnosticism, etc. - significantly influenced the development of early Christian ritual and theology.
While he doesn’t argue that Christianity simply copied paganism, he acknowledges that elements of pagan ritual and religious expression (such as symbolism of death, resurrection, and immortality) were shared with Christianity. He suggested that early Christianity adapted elements from these cults to make people in the Roman world attracted to Catholicism (The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, 1972 and Homo Necans, 1972).
David Adams Leeming (The World of Myth, 1990) was another scholar, and professor of linguistics, who taught that Christianity, like other world religions, borrowed mythological and symbolic elements from ancient religious systems.
He claimed that the "mythic" structure of Christianity - especially the story of Jesus' death and resurrection - resonates with themes found in ancient mythologies of dying and rising gods such as the death and rebirth of Osiris in Egypt or Dionysus in Greece.
As a nonbeliever, he wrote that Christianity simply incorporated these established themes into their religion. This has been a longstanding argument among nonbelievers who accuse Christians of “stealing” ancient practices as their own. This is also prominent with the flood story.
The phenomenon of "Christianizing" practices has become widespread in our churches today. Various spiritual, cultural, and even "pagan" or esoteric practices are being integrated into contemporary Christian worship and spirituality in order to maintain their appeal and cultural relevance.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”(Romans 12:2)
This week we have looked at some of the ways that the Church has succumbed to cultural pressure. But there are other things that may not be as overt as a Drag Show in church that’s chipping away at the truth of Christ, and can be found in more traditional settings as well as liberal ones. As we consider each of these things, the primary question we need to ask is: What does God want?
To be continued…
Today’s Question
Verses to Explore
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.”(Leviticus 20:6)
“And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.”(2 Kings 21:6)
“The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”(Romans 14:6)
Today’s Prayer
Father our goal is to glorify you in all we do. None of us can act as another’s conscience. Each of us must work out our salvation in honor to you and you alone. I pray today for leaders in ministries to stand boldly for truth even if it is unpopular. We are so subject to the opinion of others. The peer pressure can be immense. So many times we simply want to run back to those things that are familiar or that don’t clash with our friends. Today Father we are often labeled negatively if we seek to stand out for you. I pray that you give each of us the spiritual authority and conviction to share our faith in every aspect of our life. Even if it is by our own choices or behaviors, let us be found guilty of doing it all for you. I pray that whatever we do, we do it to please you. May our lives always bring you honor and glory. Amen.❤️