“Post-Christian culture” – it’s a phrase that’s been coined to describe the time we’re in now. But what does that really mean?
You won’t be surprised to hear that Australian attitudes to Christianity are changing rapidly. We see a huge growth in secularism—one report says
that the number of people identifying as having “no religion” has risen from 18.7% in 2006 to 22.3% in 2011. This is an increase in more than 1 million people.
“No religion” is now the most common “belief” category in census data in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory. That’s five out of the eight Australian states and territories.
Only one in seven people attend church monthly. Most people now get married by a civil celebrant.
However, the survey would indicate most Australians see the church in a positive light. Of the non-regular church attenders who were surveyed in the 2014 report, 88% stated that churches are beneficial for their community. 43% stated that churches are beneficial for them personally, even though they don’t attend.
Most who cited they didn’t attend church cited the reason as being “it’s not relevant for my life”.
Finally, according to the 2014 report
, the population of Australia in 1976 was 13.9 million, with 3.9 million part of a church. Today, there are 23.3 million and the Church has shrunk to 3.5 million.
Responding to post-Christian culture
All of these statistics point to a changing culture, and especially an increasing gulf between faith and the everyday life of the average Aussie. As Australia moves out of its nominal Christian orbit, the Church will become more counter-cultural and less accepted in everyday life.
We’ve seen this in the past year through some heated debates over political and moral issues. That includes such high profile issues as the same-sex marriage plebiscite and the question over legalised euthanasia. But how do we respond well?
It can be helpful to analyse how Christians tend to respond. In my view, the responses of the Christian community tend to fall into three categories.
(1) We fight.
We see this in various protests, boycotts, campaigns and social media, aimed at topics like same-sex marriage, abortion rights and gender issues. We are seeking to make our voices heard. But sometimes, by trying to “stand up for our rights”, we can polarize conversation and treat opponents like enemies.
I am skeptical of this approach. Devoid of relationship, we are more likely to alienate others than win them over.
Jesus was bold in calling out sin, but he also had the advantage of knowing intimately the hearts of those he rebuked. We don’t, and we’re in danger of trampling vulnerable people as a result.
It’s true we are not called to conform, and should certainly speak to our beliefs. But at the same time, we should remember what Paul says about being a “slave to everyone” to win them (1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 19-23)—not to “win an argument”.
We have to resist the temptation to demonise the “other side”, instead being servants – even in our attempts to reach others.
Like in any situation, having an antagonistic and defensive response stops conversations. When we choose to speak up, it must be done relationally and wisely.
(2) We conform.
Effectively, we “go with the flow”. Churches change their policies and practices in response to changing worldviews. Christians are harder to spot because they’re like everyone else.
Understanding our church practices next to our culture is not wrong, and actually can be healthy. For instance, your youth group won’t grow very far if it’s still using studies from the 1960s, and your church will need to measure its beliefs against current laws.
There are also many parts of the Bible that we now recognise as bound in culture – for instance, that little number about head coverings for women.
But problems can start to arise when church doctrines start to drift because of the cultural current alone. It’s the equivalent of a scrawny kid in high school who wears cool clothes to fit in that mean nothing to him. Jesus wasn’t about being popular, and the Christian message is counter-cultural by nature and always has been.
“Society has moved on” isn’t a valid reason to change a key idea of the Christian faith, even if keeping a traditional view isn’t popular. Our faith isn’t supposed to conform to the mould of this world (Romans 12:2). I do believe that it’s wise to avoid being rigid and set in our ways, but it’s equally important not to just conform and lose the heart of our faith.
The bottom line is that we are called to be more like Jesus, not more like the world. That’s the starting point.
(3) We engage.
We shouldn’t buy into the promises of our world. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t understand and recognise how our culture operates. It’s better for building relationships with those who are different to us, and ultimately being able to show God’s love.
This doesn’t mean we change our beliefs to fit post-Christian culture. But it means we can convey those same beliefs in ways that can reach people within that backdrop. In Australia, for example, many people feel that faith is outdated or harmful.
It’s not a matter of starting picket lines and putting up posts to demonise the faceless “they”. It’s also not a matter of taking the path of least resistance and being exactly like the world except we got to church now and then.
Instead, we need to think about how we engage. Think about how Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and the prostitutes, the outcasts and the sinners, and met them at where their heart was.
We’re here to be Jesus’ hands and his feet, sharing his words and being his ambassadors. It’s our job to be wise, taking up opportunities and engaging with salt and light, even in post-Christian culture.
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An earlier version of this article appeared in my column at Christian Today Australia.
