In the Culture but not of the Culture

Most of the treasured sayings of Christianity have their roots in scripture, though sometimes the actual phrasing can't be found literally in the Bible.

One good example of this is, "God helps those who help themselves," which I've heard quoted as if it's scripture many times. But it's not - its origins are actually in Ancient Greece. On the other hand, a favourite Bible passage of mine, Romans 8:28 (ESV) says something that is in some ways quite simiar, though more focused on God's help than on our abilities and efforts: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

An even more famous quote among Christians is, "We are in the world but not of the world." Now, this exact literal phrase cannot be found in the Bible, but numerous passages such as John 15:19 and 17:14 are logically and fully consistent with this phrase.

What that means in some ways is that Christians could be said to be "inside outsiders" - expected to participate and contribute to the betterment of all they're involved in, but not expecting to be accepted or fit in.

What's interesting is that, in the same way we're called to live as Christians in non-Christian contexts while contributing the best we can, sometimes we're also called to live as Christians with one cultural background in the context of Christians with another cultural background, and accept that we might not be as accepted as we think we should be, for the sake of our faith and calling.

Certainly, that's been my experience in the Catholic Church. While I can honestly say that my wife and kids are as culturally comfortable in the Catholic Church as any insider could be, and that I get more at home in it every year as well, I'll always feel like a bit of an outsider, always a bit uncomfortable with some cultural behaviors that I have no intellectual dissent about, but they just don't mesh with my culture and personality.

Fortunately, I've found that the more forgiving I'm able to be of my fellow Christians in the Catholic Church for being different from me, the more accepting they seem to be of me and my differences.

(Copyright (c) 2011, Reg Harbeck, all rights reserved)