Reshaping Scripture: Why the Church Must Stand Firm Against Cultural Compromise
Vance Havner said, “The devil is not fighting religion. He’s too smart for that. He is producing a counterfeit Christianity, so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it.”
It is time for the church to stand up and live out true Christianity for the world to see.
For centuries, Christians approached the Bible as a sacred text to be interpreted with reverence and obedience. Today, however, many churches are reshaping Scripture’s language, tone, and expectations, making it more accessible, relatable, and, some argue, “easier” to obey.
But what is gained, and what might be lost, when ancient commands are adapted to modern sensibilities?
Let’s begin by examining how cultures can negatively shape how we interpret Scripture.
In 2013, the Lord called my wife and I to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti. We left behind good-paying jobs, a home we sold, and everything we owned fit into a 5X8 storage unit. Yet, we were excited to embark on an adventure that the Lord had clearly called us to. We were eager, ready to roll up our sleeves and spread the Gospel. We hit the ground running, putting on roofs, building homes, and starting Bible studies in multiple locations. We began to witness many people coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
However, one aspect of Haitian culture proved a glaring obstacle, making it hard for some even to enter a church building.
We learned, at least in the area where we were working, that people who came to church without shoes were often not allowed in. Also, the dress standard was held to a high level. If one wasn’t dressed appropriately, they were likely to be stopped at the front door.
Without recognizing what they were doing, the locals were sending a clear message to those less fortunate: Jesus was only for those who could dress suitably and afford shoes. In light of this sad reality, we determined to go out to those who couldn’t go to church.
When I read the Bible, I see that Jesus had compassion on those who were less fortunate and was no respecter of persons. Yet many locals seemed to have implemented rules and guidelines that fit their culture, imposing them on God’s Word.
You may be thinking, we need to educate the locals, teaching them about the care that Jesus had for everyone—regardless of economic status. You are correct! However, many sadly neglect to understand that our own culture has also been adapting the Bible to suit our culture.
In many cases, I believe the enemy has done a pretty good job convincing the church to shy away from speaking Biblical truth in order to appear less “radical.”
When you think about adapting Biblical doctrines, truths, and practices through the lens of society’s interpretation, what kinds of things do we see in our modern church culture?
One thing we see regards politics. Many insist the church should not engage in “political issues” because addressing these topics will alienate certain individuals from accepting our message. But what if the “political” questions that often divide us, at their core, are biblical issues relating to how humans ought to live, govern, and love one another?
God’s Word doesn’t need our meddling. We don’t need to reshape the Gospel to make it more palatable to our culture.
The Lord said this in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This passage convicts me to my core. We take all sorts of topics and make them more “convenient” or “easier to obey,” modernizing Scripture and adapting it to our culture. Like many of you, I can see ways I have inadvertently been guilty of this very thing.
Most Christians don’t even realize what’s going on. Why? Because this is simply how we were raised, accepting certain ways of doing things. But when I read and study the Scriptures, I find that, in many cases, churches are not adhering to what the text actually says.
I don’t believe the heart of the Lord would be for us to adapt, modernize, or in some cases, completely ignore His word. Instead, the Lord is calling us to read, study, and be discerning. Christian, it’s time to obey God’s Word as it’s written. Set aside what others think or say about how we should “obey” God’s Word.
As we seek true obedience to the Lord, we will be blessed by becoming the salt and light that He said we could be.
I love the church, I love God’s people, and my prayer is that we would reevaluate our obedience. Let this be a time in which the church will get back to standing up uncompromisingly and proclaiming Jesus to a lost and dying world.
