Piper and Christian Cultural Influence

I have the folks over at New Attitude to thank for alerting me to an article written three years ago by John Piper. In "Taking the Swagger out of Christian Cultural Influence," Piper looks at two groups of Christians: those who mock at culture and those who are passive about what happens within our culture. How often do you and I fall into one of these two categories? He writes:

human culture –- in every society –- dishonors Christ, glories in its shame, and is bent on self-destruction. This includes America. American culture does not belong to Christians, neither in reality nor in Biblical theology. It never has.

How true. And, as believers, we need to ask what is our role in a society that is so utterly wicked and depraved? Christ came that we may have life and have it to the full. He came to point the way to the Father. He came as The Way, The Truth, and The Life. How are we, as Piper writes, "serving our culture" to the glory of God? How are we not being passive, but rather, pointing our unsaved friends and family to the foot of the Cross? Again, Piper writes:

Christian exiles are not passive. We do not smirk at the misery or the merrymaking of immoral culture. We weep. Or we should.This is my main point: being exiles does not mean being cynical. It does not mean being indifferent or uninvolved. The salt of the earth does not mock rotting meat. Where it can, it saves and seasons. And where it can’t, it weeps. And the light of the world does not withdraw, saying “good riddance” to godless darkness. It labors to illuminate. But not dominate.

Piper's words have challenged me anew to serve culture for the glory of my God. I want to be salt that does not lose its saltiness, but rather, gives flavor and rubs when it needs to. Here's the link for the rest of the article -- read it for yourself, and let Holy Spirit speak to you.

"Taking the Swagger out of Christian Cultural Influence."