Christ and Culture

Throughout the book, Niebuhr brilliantly describes five types of Christians who attempt to resolve “the enduring problem” of reconciling Christ with culture: Christ Against Culture, Christ of Culture, Christ Above Culture, Christ and Culture in Paradox, and Christ the Transformer of Culture. However, he misrepresents Lutheranism in the Christ & Culture in Paradox category. It is true that Lutheran doctrine favours paradoxes (and maintaining the tension thereof), but he misunderstands this by comparing it to dualism. Dualism originates from Gnosticism, which posits that the material and spiritual realms are opposed and therefore matter is evil. This is how he describes the Lutheran doctrine of the two realms (or kingdoms), for example. Yet Lutherans do not teach that these two kingdoms are diametrically opposed to each other, but rather they coexist while there are vital distinctions between the two. Lastly, Niebuhr possesses a singleminded bias toward the last view, “Christ the Transformer of Culture,” or “conversionist” view. His fault here is that while he discusses advantages and disadvantages of the other types, he fails to fairly critique the faults of the conversionist model of Christ & culture.

Two Extremes: Niebuhr illustrates five different ways that Christian faith can relate with culture. He first presents two extreme options followed by three median ones. In the first type, Christ against culture, the answer to the "enduring problem" is separation. Christ is seen as opposed to culture, and Christians should not be part of culture. Tertullian and Tolstoy are two notorious historical examples of this option. On the other extreme in Niebuhr's typology, Christ of culture, there is no opposition between Christ, the hero of human achievement, and culture. This group identifies the ideal of a society with the ideal of the Christian faith. Some representatives of this family are James the brother of Jesus, Clement of Alexandria, Abelard, and more recently Albrecht Ritschl and liberal German theologians. Three Median Types: The two extreme types do not recognize any tension between Christ and culture. It is either separation or absorption. Between these two types, Niebuhr suggests three others called synthesis, dualists, and conversionists. In the third option, called Christ above culture, all that is good in culture comes from God. Christ comes to ameliorate what is already in society. Some adherents to this view are Thomas Aquinas and the modern Roman Catholic Church. The fourth and the least clear type is Christ and culture in paradox. In this situation Christians live in a tension between the Kingdom of God and society. They believe they have to be involved in society the best they can while keeping allegiance to Christ. Christians have to live in the tension and reality of two types of ethics. This type is associated with Luther, Troeltsch, and Reinhold Niebuhr. The last type is Christ the transformer of culture. In this mode Christians are to transform every sphere of society and convert it to Christianity. Calvin's transformation of Geneva is a great example of this option.

Very insightful and thought provoking. Made me question many of my views and my perspective of other Christians.

so, from the beginning... its good. I mean you immediately get the sense of where it is going and which role Niehbur's interprets christ as playing but his interpretation of culture as "that artificial secondary environment that man superimposes upon the real..." is quite interesting. its something i can almost agree with, yet enjoy considering. creates a context for stimulating conversation about the substance of culture itself.

H. Richard Niebuhr writes as a Christian, but this work has meaning beyond the scope of the Christian faith. Here, he analyzes how the sacred can relate to the profane, the spiritual to the mundane.After defining "Christ" (Mediator, involving double movement, from God toward man & from men toward God) and "Culture" (the artificial, secondary environment that man imposes on the natural), he dedicates a chapter to each of the five ways he sees the sacred & profane relating. The first of these, "Christ against Culture," focuses on the opposition of the sacred to the profane. He examines the ekklesia, or "calling out" inherent in the sacred (that which is set apart, beyond the horizon). He critiques this approach by showing how ultimately it leads to an otherworldly Christianity which can have minimal, if any impact on the world.Opposed to this is "The Christ of Culture." From this viewpoint, the sacred is discovered in culture. That which is most Christlike in culture is celebrated, the spiritual teachings which bring man into community, which find meaning in the "ordinary" take precedence. The danger of this approach, is that belief will merge with society, and the sacred will be, eventually, completely lost.Adherents to the "Christ above Culture" motif compartmentalize the sacred and the profane. Christ is for church and bed-time prayers, culture is the realm of business. At best, spiritually informed morals guide behavior in culture. By compartmentalizing the sacred as separate from the profane, this approach de-vitalizes the profane and disempowers the sacred. The "Christ in Paradox with Culture" approach sees man as sinful and grounded in culture. Man cannot escape the profane--this is part of his nature. Christ, on the other hand, calls man into the sacred. This is the paradox--called to the sacred, a part of the profane. The only resolution is seen as God's redeeming grace.His final approach considers "Christ the Transformer of Culture." He presents the permeation of all life by the immanent presence of divinity. This lays a geis upon the believer to manifest the Divine within culture, leading to both spiritual and practical, political and social action. He concludes by stating that we must make our decisions in faith, that not one of these five approaches can lay claim to being the "One True" Christian approach.I find it interesting that he takes nearly an entire book to develop the "Christ the Transformer of Culture" idea. This is one which more modern Christian theologians (ie Matthew Fox) develop rapidly as a basis for further discussion. Starhawk, the noted author of Goddess thealogy, starts by assuming an immanent Divine presence, both sanctifying all of the "profane" and demanding that situations of injustice be confronted.