What a culture holds together as group think, tends to reflect itself in the language choices of that group. What is spoken as fact, tends to become fact, regardless of the truth of reality.
This is the case in any culture. They all tend to follow similar lines of inclusion and exclusion in order to determine who can be a part of the culture. There are appropriate and expected standards of behavior, as well as language choices that tend to reflect the innermost and heartfelt belief systems of the individuals involved.
The church does this as well.
We have so often heard so many of the cliches, that we ourselves can no longer see them as such. In the same way that most Englishman of 1550 would know that the king had a divine right to rule. Or that many Americans from
They are the simple facts of our reality. Indisputable.
- This nation was founded on the principles of God.
- As a nation we are wealthy (blessed) because of our Godly foundations
- We are not allowed to pray in schools, Christians are not welcome on campus
- The primary call of a Christian is holiness
- Our faith is revealed in our behaviours
- There is no such thing as a gay Christian
- Why do we shout at a hockey game and stay silent in church
- We need to take back the media, we need Christians in the arts
- God wants to bless you
All the above phrases now have the shiny veneer of simple truth, the only unfortunate thought that occurs is when someone decides to challenge this status quo. Then we grow upset and ask why that person is taking a shot at Christian values. Are they Christian values? Or are they our religious cultural revision of history? Perhaps they are our perspective of what we think is true, or simply a mistaken idea? Maybe most insidious, they are our personal syncretism of societal beliefs that trump our Christian beliefs. The difficulty is that because we have lived with these thoughts so long, they take on the depth and breadth of capital ‘T’ Truth.
I know, I know – huge debate can ensue here – as this clearly shows my attempt to liberalize the gospel. (although even the word ‘liberal’ is now serving to prove my point as the word is often read as ‘non-Christian’ viewpoint. – are not all true Christians conservative? )
