“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” Romans 12:2

We live in unprecedented times. The forces that shape and control culture have never been so powerful, or in such opposition to each other.  Are we at the mercy of these forces, or can Christians change culture?

50 years ago we hardly mentioned culture. Now we talk about it all the time because it seems to be behind every major problem we face.

This raises important questions: What is culture? How did it become such a powerful force in our lives? And what can we do about it?

Of all these questions, the last one is the most urgent. The point of understanding culture is to change it (Read more at RedemptiveLeader.com).

Faith can change culture.

Christians can change culture. In fact, we already are changing it. Culture changes every day, and men and women of faith are part of the cause of that change.

But we don’t recognize that change because it doesn’t seem to make a difference. We want to make things noticeably better, but it feels like they are only getting worse.

Much of our effort goes to resisting being changed by culture, not changing culture itself.

Sometimes we feel the pressure to fit in, but often we are changed in small, subtle ways we don’t recognize or feel.  The Bible talks about resisting this change in very clear terms.  

This verse draws a clear contrast between what is happening around us (being conformed to the world) and what happens inside us (being transformed by renewal). But something else is happening. When we are changed inside, we see what is outside differently, even if it is the same.

Part of how we understand that change is culture. But recognizing how we change culture isn’t just a change in perspective. We are able to do more with culture than we realize. And what we do adds up to more than we expect.

God is in control, including over culture. We must have faith that he has created and called us to be part of his purpose. With that understanding, we can take action and be confident we are changing culture.

For our faith to stand, it must be based on God’s Word. We must begin by seeing how culture works in the Bible. Then we can know where and how we can change culture through faith.

Where Scripture reveals culture, faith changes culture.