Who Are We?

"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." — Gandhi

We are embracing a new vision statement at First Pres, and as part of thinking that through the big question has been why now? In response, most of it has come down to the idea that our culture has changed. Someone in our group meeting asked, what is the culture now?

It's a valid question. What is our culture? Who are we? If we don't know that, we won't really know who we're trying to reach or how. I've been thinking about that question. I think our art — TV, movies, music, books, visual art, etc. — is a reflection of our core values. If you agree with that, and you consider those mediums now, it says a shockingly high amount about how our culture has changed.

In a recent survey from the Pew Forum For Religious Studies, it was noted that 77 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. That's excluding Mormons. That's a huge number, but when you look at our society you are hard pressed to believe that. But I think it boils down to a couple things. First, we still think of ourselves as a Christian nation. Second, I don't think most people know what it means to be a Christian.

I would be willing to bet that 77 percent of Americans believe in a generalized concept of God. That makes them deists at best (of course some in there are Christians). But I don't think faith means the same thing today. Consider recent statistics from Colorado. According to statistics, only 23 percent of people in Colorado belong to an Evangelical church, and only 44 percent of people in Colorado say their religious beliefs and practices are important to them.

Then consider the rise of humanism — where man displaces God as being central in life and faith. This to me is exemplified by the theology presented in Superman, which offers the idea of a super being that looks out for the best interests of humans because we're pretty great. That's the perfect sort of religion for a culture that's as shallow and superficial as we've become.

Consider the role of celebrity today. America is obsesses with celebrity, and tend to make celebrities out of everyone and anyone. That's disturbing. Worse yet, with all our technological advancements and the rise of reality TV, everyone thinks they can become a celebrity. The youth today are obsessed with grabbing their 15 minutes. We've become voyeuristic and shallow. Not a great sign.

That goes along with the changing nature of connections. I wrote about this last week, so I won't re-hash that, but we have more connections today than people 25 years ago, but they're not even half as deep. We share every mundane detail of our lives on the Internet, but how many people know their neighbors? This puts us on a dangerous course.

And there are three other things that I see as current cultural values reflected in our art:

1. We worship the anti-hero. Think about the protagonists out there. Tony Soprano, Dexter Morgan, Vic Mackey, Walter White, and Don Draper lead some of the most gritty dramas of recent years. But none of them should be considered heroes. The problem is, they are. Even Superman this summer snapped a man's neck, Batman is a straight up vigilante, and most TV cops would be happy to plant evidence if a creep got sent to jail. These don't make them noble. In fact, shows like "The Walking Dead" emphasize that morality and nobility are a weakness.

2. We believe the ends justify the means. As long as the result is one we want, we don't seem to care how we get there. That's been bad for us in politics — where civil liberties continue to be trampled. And it's bad for us in terms of morality. Two wrongs don't make a right, but a lot of people in our society — including Christians — can't be made to care if the right person ends up in jail.

3. Truth is relative. This is probably the most frightening trend. We have individual truth, including individualizing our faith. There are hundreds of Christian denominations in this country and, as Donald Miller asks, do we think that's the work of Jesus Christ or the work of the devil? The fact that so many have strayed so far from clear Biblical truth even within Christendom is frightening, let alone the world.

That's what makes Christianity so vital and so important. Jesus is a hero. Jesus believed the means were just as important as the end. And Jesus stood for universal, unequivocal truth. That's the Gospel we need to share. It won't make us popular, but it's never been more vital.