What does it mean to be a “cultural Christian?” I think it’s an important question to ask, as there are many people who think themselves to be practicing Christians that have a strong relationship with God. But their actual beliefs and the way they live their lives should cause them to question that. They are “Christian enough” to blend in with a wider segment of society that identifies as Christian, but there are some signs that what they are actually practicing is a watered down version of Christianity that doesn’t quite pass the smell test when one actually examines it.
I think it’s important to say up front that in this podcast I’m going to be speaking in somewhat broad terms. I believe that there is room for nuanced discussion on each of these issues. I’d also like to say that just because you might not pass the smell test on one or two of these issues doesn’t mean in and of itself that you are simply a “cultural Christian.” But it is something that I think you should actively consider how you align with these points might be an indication that you’ve drifted a little of course in your following of the Lord.
Be sure to listen to this podcast as I full flesh out each of these issues!
Signs Of A Cultural Christian
- You believe America is a Christian nation, and believe and espouse in some flavor of “Christian nationalism.” And you somehow think the faith once and for all handed down to the saints is also the same as being a republican or democrat. Jesus isn’t affiliated with any political party, leader, or platform.
- You are trying to become wealthy, and think your success, social status, and material possessions are a sign that God favors you.
- You condone, celebrate the practice of, or engage in sexual immorality, in all its forms. And I say this, not just to pick on some “icky” sins in a Pharisaical manner. Rather I call these out because the sexual sins are also social sins that require not only another participant, but because sexuality in our culture also tends to shape our very identity and who we think we are, and who God is. These aren’t just isolated sins, but sins that consume the entirety of who a person is. Sins that the apostle Paul called sins against one’s own flesh. And when these sins start being considered acts of “love,” instead of acts of selfishness tied to a broader cultural idolatry, we’ve entered into a dark hole that’s hard to climb back out of.
- You have a negative view of immigrants, poor people, and “others.”
- You aren’t regularly part of a Christ centered community.
- Your family is the most important thing in your life.
- You major in love at the expense of truth, or truth at the expense of love.
