In the Introduction to this SIG on the Home Page, the opening sentence is as follows: "Welcome to the SIG on Evangelical Christianity, where Evangelical Christian theology and the implications of Evangelical Christianity on culture, science, and all areas of life and knowledge are discussed." "Culture" is perhaps one of those words that needs to be defined, but in this introduction it may be considered as the beliefs, social forms, shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, nation, etc. (simplified from Merriam-Webster) Therefore, for a nation, it includes religious beliefs, education, politics, science, history, economics, etc. In other words, when we consider Christ and Culture, we are considering "the implications of Evangelical Christianity on . . . all areas of life and knowledge."

Obviously, the topic of Christ and Culture is as broad as it gets, but this is where we live, and it is therefore, no matter how detailed and theoretical it may seem at times, utmostly practical. Our understanding of such things, whether explicitly understood in our minds, or simply assumed, impacts the way be live and think.

A good place to start is with a study of Christ and Culture from a philosophical, theological, and Biblical perspective. At the foundation of the way we think about and interact with our surrounding culture is our philosophy of life and faith. Some think philosophy to be irrelevant and academic, but ideas have consequences and we are all philosophers whether we like it or acknowledge it or not. It's just that some are better philosophers than others, and are aware of their philosophy. If one is not aware of their own philosophy, then it has not been examined nor understood.

Probably the most influential book on the subject in the last 100 years or so is Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr, published in 1951. An expanded, 50th anniversary edition was published in 2001. Any serious study of the topic must include this book. Although we will start here, it will only be the beginning. This could be the beginning of a lengthy, detailed study of what might be an unfolding of the original idea of this SIG.

Neibuhr presents five basic types for the Christian's response to the problem of Christ and Culture. The problem being, how are we to respond to and interact with the surrounding culture in which we find ourselves? Neibuhr's first type is "Christ Against Culture." In the first few centuries of the Christian era, at least in the Roman Empire, where there was much persecution, there was little choice but to be against culture. Those in places around the world today where there is much persecution likely feel the same. Others have so responded even when there was little physical persecution: the Amish and Mennonites may be examples.

Neibuhr's second type is "The Christ of Culture," which makes accommodation to culture, and is usually associated with liberal theology. Neibuhr's third type is "Christ Above Culture," which may be thought of as a central position somewhere between "Christ Against Culture" and "The Christ of Culture." Neibuhr's fourth type is "Christ and Culture in Paradox." This fourth type is dualistic and existential in its thinking. Kierkegaard would be a good representative of this type.

Neibuhr's fifth type is "Christ the Transformer of Culture," and is where most Evangelicals would be. Representatives of this type include Augustine and Calvin, and Neibuhr would include F.D. Maurice.

Neibuhr is neo-orthodox in his theology. A good analysis of Neibuhr from an evangelical perspective is Christ & Culture Revisited, by D.A. Carson, published in 2008. Carson refers to Neibuhr so frequently that he is best understood after reading Neibuhr.

Perhaps a better introduction to the topic of Christ and Culture, which preceded Neibuhr's book by almost 40 years, and is much shorter, and is evangelical, is the paper by J. Gresham Machen, titled "Christianity & Culture." Machen, 1881-1937, was Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1906 until 1929. In response to a growing liberal trend at Princeton, he left Princeton in 1929 and was one of the founders of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. "Christianity & Culture" is a transcription of Machen's address delivered September 20, 1912, at the opening of the 101st session of Princeton Theological Seminary. In the presentation, Machen offers three approaches to Christianity and culture. First, Christianity may be subordinated to culture. This would be similar to Neibuhr's second type. Machen's second approach would be similar to Neibuhr's first type, to be against culture. Machen's third approach would be similar to Neibuhr's fifth type, to transform culture. This paper is posted under Specific Articles on Christ & Culture below.

Another introduction to this topic is the video presentation by W. Robert Godfrey, "Christ, Kingdom, & Culture," given at the conference Being a Christian in a Post-Christian Culture: 2010 Washington, D.C. Christ's Kingdom has already been inaugurated, but not yet consummated. How are we to be faithful to Christ our King as we await His coming? This presentation is a two-kingdoms approach. This is Godfrey at his best: presented with enthusiasm, is informative, and sprinkled with humor. The video is a little over 40 minutes long. The link is given under Video Presentations below.

Below we provide lists of resources for this study: books, magazines, web sites, specific articles on Christ & Culture, and video presentations. Click on the topic to be taken to a specific page for the information

Books