Cultural Christianity’s Ambivalence

The question of what to do with our Christian inheritance—what we call “ cultural Christianity ”—has become unavoidable. Cultural Christians wish to preserve the cultural, political, and intellectual traditions and institutions Christendom left behind, and for good reason; modern democracy, intellectual honesty, and the pursuit of truth are fruits of Christianity, and their erosion has had dire consequences across politics, academia, and journalism. But while cultural Christianity can prove valuable as a conservative force that resists thoughtless reforms, when divorced from the Church’s core mission of salvation and conversion, it ultimately proves not only insufficient but even self-destructive.

In the public square, pro-Christian voices can be deeply valuable, and many cultural Christians have good intentions. Some, however, become attached to a nostalgic ideal that has little bearing on reality. In parish life, it’s been my experience that such individuals can be hard to handle: They show up with strange expectations or demands. To be fair—at least they show up; they choose to participate, more or less, in their Christian communities rather than walk away. But they often do so on their own terms and forget to anchor their zeal to the mission of the Church; fearing annihilation, an instinct to survive takes over, and they want to keep up culture and institutions, not to say appearances, even at the cost of giving up substantial parts of the faith.

Here lies a real danger for those committed to “evangelizing the culture.” How does the Church reach out to actual people? Are we evangelizing “the culture” because it is less messy than dealing with individuals and families? Culture, whatever its influence, is an epiphenomenon. God created and redeemed human beings, not human culture.


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