” Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead…”
The Apostle Paul
You cannot cause someone to accept or admire another culture by forcing them or teaching them to despise their own. Someone who comfortably affirms the good things in their culture while acknowledging those things that are wrong and need to be improved will be able (or enabled) to do the same for other cultures. Including ones that are exceptionally different.
This has been the historic character of American culture. The music industry of the 50’s -90’s pulled music styles from different cultures into one another. Artists influenced by cultural genres very different than their own would purposefully use those styles, methods, intonations of other cultural genres. It was both an acknowledgment of the value of those and the creation of new amalgam of culture.
This grew out of and flourished in a metaculture that was Judeo-Christian. “Honor your father and mother…” You cannot do this while despising your culture. “You shall not bear false witness…” honesty and reality, never perfectly in place, were still valued. “Love your neighbor as yourself…” requires a denial of self-love and emphasis of loving others. These are what is being destroyed.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) corrupts and is culture destroying. CRT cannot correct mistakes in any culture because it demands the replacement of culture with an anti-culture.
Meaning the CRT-based culture, once dominant, will immolate. Why?
Because behind the curtain of CRT is the controlling force of power-worship. The unacknowledged driving force is a desire for power and control. While the culture being lost is characterized by Judeo-Christian influence, CRT (and it’s mate, WOKEism) is Marxist.
“For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.’ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ”
Ephesians 5:14-17 NASB
Missionaries into the culture
The modern missionary works have produce good fruit and, well, not-so-good. Let’s cut to the point. Good missionaries carry their culture with them but not as part of the Gospel. Their culture is always subservient to the Gospel. In other words, cultural ideas and norms have to be held with great humility and readily replaced or used as the Gospel applied.
For example, when a Christian missionary encounters a culture that does not wear the same clothing, it is best for the missionary to take on that culture’s clothing norms and preferences. One important exception would be when that cultural norm for clothing is no clothing. There is a Gospel reason for covering certain parts of our bodies and certain amounts of our bodies. Another exception would be when that clothing is part of a cultural religious practice or act of their worship. Such as face coverings in certain countries. The missionary now has to consider a “meat-offered-to-idols” scenario, and carefully consider what the Gospel requirement would be.
The first missionary work always begins in your place. My neighborhood. Our sphere of operation (work, school, commerce, social). It is here that a conflict of worldviews is underway. Failure to realize that CRT is not an “analytic tool” that we can use, but a replacement force that will silence the Gospel is destroying the culture and our ability to speak the Gospel into that culture.
The sleeping must awake.
Why Six Days? 