The Foundation of Culture (1)

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5.44, 45

Reason not enough
In his book, How the West Won, Rodney Stark argued that Western culture has proliferated and prevailed through the centuries on the strength of sound reason. If we want to understand why science, the arts, technology, business, education, government, and countless forms of everyday culture, grounded in Western thinking, are the preferred forms and systems throughout the world, the answer, according to Dr. Stark, is the power of sound reason.

Dr. Stark credits the strong influence of the Christian faith over the centuries as helping to shape sound reason so that it functions for human flourishing. Other historians, such as Tom Holland and Joseph Henrich, have also commented on the power of the Christian worldview in cultural formation.

Every human being operates on reason. We all want our lives to make sense, no matter what the social or cultural context in which we exist. We have what we consider to be good reasons for how we live, including the choices we make in our cultural lives. We choose cultural forms and activities because they seem reasonable. The same is true for every person in every cultural context.

Every culture operates on some form of reason. But Dr. Stark insisted that the reasoning used in the formation of Western culture has been more sound, that is, more true to the way things are and work, than the reasoning of cultures which have either not flourished beyond a certain geography or have simply disappeared. But what makes the reasoning that has gone into Western culture sound?

Common grace
Dr. Stark explains that Western values—which shape the form and use of reason in Western societies—have produced more overall good for the world than the values of any other culture, past or present.

Western values have given rise to a wide range of artifacts, institutions, and conventions which have been adopted by people in other cultures. They have encouraged societies based representation and fixed laws. They have encouraged universal education, the development of the arts, and the right to private property, free speech, and lawful assembly. Western values have promoted business and industry, led to tapping the resources of the earth for the common good, and have promoted advances in science, medicine, and technology, the likes of which no other culture has even come close to achieving.

The sound reason which has led to such achievements thus reveals some distinctive values, including, a recognition of individual human worth, a demand for justice, freedom for creativity and cultural development, the creation of powerful institutions, and a sense of responsibility toward the future.

But such values are shared, to some extent, by every culture, as C. S. Lewis argued in The Abolition of Man. So the question of where such values arise, and how they are developed into enduring social and cultural norms and forms, lies beyond the scope of human reason alone, and even beyond the parameters of Western culture. Human beings are reasoning creatures, and it is inherent in human reason, at least to some extent, to seek justice, beauty, goodness, dignity, and the good of one’s neighbors, at least in some culturally-relevant form.

These values are not the product of reason nor of Western culture; rather, they come from the grace of God—His common grace. These values may be more pronounced and have borne more cultural fruit in Western cultures, but that they exist among all human beings, in some form and to some degree, can be clearly seen.

The foundation of all culture is thus the same. It is neither reason nor values; rather, the foundation of all culture is the common grace of God.

The lovingkindness of the Lord
By “common grace” we mean what Jesus outlined in our text. There is an expression of God’s grace—His immense and unfathomable lovingkindness—which reaches to all people at all times, even those who are His avowed enemies. Because every human being is made in the image of God, and owes their existence to Him, God regards all human beings as the objects of His love. God loves all people, and He desires all people to come to the knowledge of eternal life (2 Pet. 3.9). He has bestowed His goodness and lovingkindness on all human beings in a wide variety of ways, including the many forms of culture we enjoy. The purpose in this is to encourage people to seek Him, their great Benefactor, and to know Him as their Creator, Savior, and King (Acts 17.26, 27).

God’s common grace is not at all “common” as in “not extraordinary”. Common grace is common in that it is shared; it reaches to every human being, bringing goodness, beauty, and truth into lives that otherwise would be utterly impossible. Without the common grace of God, the world could not exist, creatures could not function, and nothing of what people everywhere cherish and depend on in their culture would be even remotely possible.

Common grace provides the foundation for all culture, everything people make and use to define, sustain, and enhance their lives. And God’s common grace abounds even where His special—saving—grace is yet withheld. A Christian approach to culture must therefore include an understanding of and appreciation for common grace and how it functions as the foundation of cultural life, allowing people in all cultures to make use—often unacknowledged—of His kindness, generosity, and wisdom.

For reflection
1. Take five minutes and quickly survey your surroundings, right where you are. Jot down every aspect of culture or creation that strikes you as an example of the common grace of God.

2. How do the objects you jotted down above speak to you of God’s love? How do you use at least some of these in loving your neighbor?

3. How might you expect a better understanding of common grace to affect your approach to the culture you make and use?

Next steps—Transformation: Use the list you drew up to give thanks and praise to God for His common grace. Make this a daily practice.

T. M. Moore

Two books on culture are available to accompany this series on “A Christian Approach to Culture.” Christians on the Front Lines of the Culture Wars shows how important it is that we consider culture as a way of bringing glory to God. Order your copy by clicking here. Redeeming Pop Culture examines the nature of pop culture and some ways we can make good use of it for God’s glory. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.