Cultures are fascinating. They are also powerful. Cultures develop almost anywhere there are human relationships.

Ethnic groups develop their own culture. The things that might be unique to any given ethnic culture could be things like food, family and clan structures, religion, how they celebrate life’s joyful occasions, wedding traditions, how they deal with death, etc.

Corporations and businesses develop a culture. Universities have a culture. Families have distinct cultural habits and beliefs.

Churches also develop a culture. Culture is a neutral word. It is neither good or bad. It can be constructive or it can be destructive.

In our own experience, we discover there are different cultures by geography even in our own spiritual brotherhood. People in Pennsylvania think and live different in some ways than they do, for example, in geographies farther west.

Cultural sameness can be a binding factor. Cultural differences sometimes create tensions. For example, in the United States today, a black person might view a policemen different than a white person. A native American may view the history of the United States different than those whose ancestors immigrated here from another country.

We tend to judge other cultures from our own cultural perspective. This can become a critical issue for missionaries going into other cultures. We may feel our culture has so much to offer other cultures that we impress individuals of other cultures that we are arrogant Americans.

Does the Bible address culture? I think we would have to say that it does. Jesus made statements like, “You have heard it hath been said…but I say unto you.” He challenged the Jewish culture of His day. The Apostle Paul implores the Corinthians to, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,…” I Cor. 6:17.

There are sharp differences in the Christian community on how greatly a Christian’s culture should be different from the culture of the world around him or her. In today’s world, for example, tattoos and piercings are commonly accepted in some church communities. (By noting this, I am not saying that a person with tattoos or piercings would not be welcome at my church. They would be welcomed).

In today’s blog I want to more specifically address the issue of culture in the “plain” communities.

In the book, “With Cords of Love – A Wesleyan Response to Religious Pluralism” by Al Truesdale with Keri Mitchell, the following statements are made:

1. “… becoming Story-formed, real-world people will require Jesus’ disciples to live counterculturally and to form counter cultural communities (not to be confused with isolationism, I Cor. 6:9-11)
2. “Conformity with one world simply excludes conformity with the other…”
3. “Unless we understand Christian discipleship as living counterculturally, the New Testament will make no sense.”

Those are strong statements! Each of us will probably read those words through the filter of the culture we embrace.

Do we agree with those statements? Or do they make us uncomfortable?

I find that among those I am identifying as the “plain people” there are many different emotions about the culture individuals grew up in. Some deeply appreciate it, others detest it.

How do we differentiate pure Biblical culture from the culture that develops around Biblical principles and Biblical wisdom? Is there a difference? Does a culture that develops around some particular Biblical principle ever come back to hurt us in some way?

Is it possible that the culture that creates cohesiveness within the group also keeps outsiders from becoming part of the group?

Some important questions, because culture is powerful.