Is the church more about culture than doctrine?
This is a followup to my previous post: What is Culture?
And when I say church I am speaking of the kind of church I am in. One that would be called a fundamentalist Baptist Church.
Here's my concern and perhaps I am way off but ...
Comment: I appreciate your comments. Help me figure this out! What I see as expected:
- I know a seminarian who told me he aspires to be a fundamentalist pastor.
- I believe in the fundamentals of the faith and as one can see from my doctrinal statement that I could easily be called a fundamentalist.
- When I was in seminary school I aspired to be a Baptist pastor.
- What I believe I am seeing in church is that we are more about culture than about a doctrinal position.
- Examples ... discussions at fellowships:
- What Christian Day school did one attend?
- What Bible College did one attend? "I went to Pillsbury ... or Northland"
- About the culture of fundamentalism: It seems to revolve around the so-called traditional fundamentalist taboos: Movies, dancing, drinking, cards, et cetera. "behaviors that are expected, rewarded and reinforced by and within a particular group.”
- I sense that our churches have become cultural centers (perhaps I should say "sub-cultural" centers instead of bastions of doctrinal truth. And the church is to be "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).
- We gather, I fear, wearing the clothing of the fundamentalist club instead of to worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24)
- Sending one's child to the church's Christian Day School
- A young person enrolling in the approved Bible college
- Being "called to ministry" (want to be rewarded .... express being called!)
- A woman not being a professional.
I'll drink to churches abandoning fundamentalist culture while retaining fundamental doctrine!
ReplyDelete(and dance a little to celebrate, too!)
Because was not raised a fundamentalist (saved at age 20) and Kathee was saved in her early 20's ... we do not "get" the fundamentalist culture .
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I grew up in "fundamental Baptist" churches - I learned how to ACT like a good Christian, but never learned how to BE a Christian. I'm still learning that one, and unlearning many bad habits I picked up in that culture.
ReplyDelete