Throughout history, the Christian church has existed in many different cultures, so it has had to engage with these various cultures. Thus, Christians have always asked questions about how the church should relate to different worldviews and to different cultures. Answering these questions has not been easy since at first glance, even the Bible’s messages about culture may appear contradictory. On the one hand, the psalmist wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps. 24:1). On the other hand, Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The world and its cultures belong to God, but Christ’s kingdom is “not of this world.”
The larger biblical story shows how these two ideas fit together. God is the Creator of everything (Gen. 1). As the Creator, He rightfully possesses all things (Ps. 50:10). His providence causes everything to fulfill His purposes (Isa. 46:10). He will judge His world (Ps. 96:13). He even uses pagan political leaders to maintain justice and order in society (Rom. 13:3–4). God is also the Redeemer of those whom He chooses out of the world to belong to the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 15:19; Col. 1:13). He brings these people to faith through the work of the redemptive kingdom that Jesus established: the church (Matt. 16:17–19). Jesus entrusted His church with the task of faithfully bringing the good news of His death and resurrection to the world (Matt. 28:18–20).
In this age, God calls His people to live as honorable citizens in their earthly cultures (1 Tim. 2:1–2; 1 Peter 2:13–17). But He calls them to do so as pilgrims and exiles whose “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11). God tells His people to seek peace with those around them “as far as it depends on you” (Rom. 12:18). Christians also know that “the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). Their Lord, Jesus Christ, is going to return and judge the world (Mark 13:26). On that day, there will be an eternal separation between those redeemed by Christ and those who do not belong to Christ (Matt. 25:31–46).