“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? It is from then on good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
(rf. Mt. 5:13–16 MEV)
At present I am being challenged by one of the books I am reading at night before going to sleep. The title is Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien. The theme of the work is to show the reader how much of Western culture has colored the glasses through which we read and understand God’s Word. This is something that we do not realize readily, but how we were raised and educated in the Western world makes a great impact on our understanding of the Bible.
For instance, we, especially as Americans, have been immersed in an individualistic culture where our personal choice is of utmost importance. Indeed, one could say that the American spirit is fired by and shown through how we idolize our own power to make choices for ourselves. However, as the authors clearly point out, this individualistic approach regarding the Scriptures is a relatively new phenomenon. Before the Great Awakening of the 1740s, Christians were attached to their local churches through baptism that took place shortly after birth. They continued to grow in the faith through the ministry of their local church, revealing this lifelong connection in the weddings and funerals that took place there (pp. 106-107). After the Awakening, being a part of a local church was totally based on one’s choice. Since then, this individualistic perspective has so overrun the American church that we now have a multiplicity of denominational and non-denominational churches along with the subsequent local church variety from which to choose. This myriad of choices has only served to weaken the influence of the Church in our time. Furthermore, we can choose to stay or go and be devoted to or not to participate at will. Yet as the authors rightly point out, “This is not biblical Christianity” (p. 107).
When Jesus spoke of His Church and the Apostle Paul wrote of God’s people, they did so, viewing the Church as a collective of people, “Jews and Greeks, male and female, slave and free” (rf. I Cor. 12:13). Jesus did not look at the Church as a group of individuals whose individuality held sway over the whole. The Good Shepherd goes after the lost sheep—why?—to bring him back to the fold (rf. Lk. 15:44). Even in Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount as quoted above, Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth…the light of the world”, meaning all His followers collectively (the verb, “umeis”, is a plural “You” or in the South, “Ya’ll”), not referring to the individual.
If as American Christians we would stop looking at ourselves as individuals, exalting our power of choice, and start viewing ourselves as part of God’s whole, we would see that it is the whole He is working on, the Church, not just ourselves individually. And as we work more together as Christ’s Body, the more we’ll see His work in our midst, bringing His grace to a world that so desperately needs it.
