As I have continued to work through my class on intercultural studies, I have been challenged with many topics. Most of these involve evaluating my own culture to see things which seemed most basic to me. Part of the class is to focus on what is essential and what is connected to culture.
One such topic is that of individuality versus the group mentality. I have been forced to realize that both in life and in the American church, individuality is stressed and applauded. I see now that our culture celebrates and emphasizes the importance of the singular person. We are encouraged to be our own man and to help ourselves. It is the individual who achieves great things that garners much attention. This same mentality can often affect Christians.
I have realized that I see a great emphasis on individual faith as separate from the feature of the church. A person is to prove and work out their salvation in order to please God. This is all acceptable and Biblical to a certain extent. However, I feel we need to carefully evaluate how much is Biblical and how much is cultural. As you study Scripture, you see collections of people forming the basis of the Christian faith. Jesus discipled a small group of individuals. After his ascension, the group gathered for prayer. It was in this group setting that the Holy Spirit came upon the people. On that day, a great number were added to the church. The Bible records the activities which the church performed together.
I guess that the basic point is that I have been starting to process the concepts of my cultural perspective and how it clouds my interpretation of Scripture. We need to be very careful to study the singular message of the Bible in its appropriate context, extract the core timeless message, and then apply those concepts to our current culture and needs. Truly, the practice of theology is just that, organizing the timeless truths in a time restricted sensible fashion. Let us not become conceited in our current construct of that process.
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