Alexander quickly proved himself to be a great general when he invaded and easily defeated the long-standing enemies of the Greeks, the Persians. From there he conquered much of the Middle East, including Israel.
Alexander, as enamored as he was by Greek culture, intentionally left numerous cites around his empire as centers from which that culture could spread. They were all named, understandably, Alexandria. Upon his death his empire was divided up, with the family of the Seleucids receiving the share that included Israel. Its later ruler was Antioch Epiphanes, called the Enlighted One.
He decided to spread Hellenism, Greek culture, as a gift throughout his kingdom, and to enforce it on all who would resist it. This included the Jews, who had recently decided to resist all foreign influences. He ordered all Jewish priests to sacrifice to pagan gods. One of these priests killed the messenger of the king, and the War of the Maccabees was on.
One can only admire the faith and the grit of this small Jewish nation that held off the might of the powerful kingdom for about one hundred years, fiercely resisting Hellenic culture with its pagan aspects. Eventually, the Jews even recaptured Jerusalem.
Yet success can produce division, and it did so here. Various factions arose, each vying for control. One of these groups decided to call in Rome for help. And where Rome comes in, Rome does not leave! Palestine became part of the ever-growing Roman Empire, which by the addition of that land now controlled much of the Mediterranean, which they referred to as mare nostrum, or “Our Lake.” They had already made Greece a part of their empire, and Greek thinking had its influence among the conquerors as well as the conquered.
By the time of Jesus, Palestine was a cultural hodgepodge. Jews tried to maintain their identity while being ruled by Rome, in a world largely influenced by Greek thinking.
Jesus himself seems to have remained faithful to the Mosaic Law, but insisted on applying it to the inner person, decrying those who were only interested in cleaning the outer rim of the cup while the inside remained filthy. He also broke through the isolated approach of the Pharisees, often dealing with Gentiles and welcoming sinners.
For his troubles, Jesus was crucified by the combined forces of the two most powerful cultures of his world: Roman and Jewish.
The biblical history is filled with cultural conflicts. So is the entire history of the church. As we shall see in further chapters, the early church was forced to deal with its surrounding culture, and so have Christians throughout history. Yet we now return to modern America to take a look at some of the cultural challenges the church faces today.
Christians in America
Every Christian lives in some culture. And every culture necessarily has some virtues to it, or it could not flourish. The question for Christians at any time is what aspects of their milieu are compatible with Christian faith and morality.
What then are the major aspects of our American culture, and to what extent do they enhance Christian living or make it more difficult?
A Question of Basics
For any worthwhile examination of whether the American culture (or any culture, for that matter) is compatible with Christian life and teachings, it seems necessary to ask two questions: First, what are the irreducible basics of Christianity? And second, what are the basic beliefs and life patterns of that society?
Grace
It is not at all far-fetched to believe that the concept of the grace of God is central to the Scriptures and especially to the New Testament. The Greek term for grace is charis, is evidently derived from chairo, “to look favorably upon” or “to take delight in.” The concept in the New Testament is that God looks favorably on us, even when that favor is undeserved. It is an undeserved gift, an unearned blessing. It bestows on one what he or she has not deserved.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me.4
The concept of undeserved grace is also found throughout the Old Testament.
The prophets continually scold the Hebrew people, who, although called and blessed by God without their merit, still remained stiff-necked and rebellious.
In the exodus, God takes them out of slavery, although they had done nothing to deserve it. Even the Ten Commandments assume his previous activities. These laws are premised in the first word, which reminds them that he had already freed them from slavery, and so in response they must be obedient.
When the Israelites became unfaithful and corrupt, the prophets continually harped on their sins, but in most cases they insisted that after well-deserved punishment, God would rescue a remnant. Hosea proclaims that God will take back his people, just as the prophet himself takes back his unfaithful wife.
Those returning from exile saw that return as a gift from God, which placed upon them the responsibility of obedience.
Throughout the Psalms there is the recurring theme of trust in God’s gracious forgiveness from sin and help in times of trouble.
But it is in the New Testament that grace clearly becomes central. Charis in one form or another is used over 150 times, usually expressing the theme of God’s favor.
Luke tells us that Mary “found favor” with God. The child Jesus “found favor” with God and man.
Jesus himself stresses the gracious nature of the Heavenly Father, who forgives the sinner. Jesus dines with the Pharisee and the publican and welcomes home the prodigal.
The prologue to John connects grace with Jesus Christ himself. He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). “From his fullness we have received grace upon grace” (1:16) And, “The law came through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus Christ” (1:17).
Yet by far the most excited proclaimer of the grace of God coming in Jesus was Paul. Time and time again he expresses joy in his discovery of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, or better, that this grace had discovered him: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is a gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
But Paul did not come to this realization easily. He tells us he was “a Pharisee of the Pharisees,” evidently trusting in his own righteousness according to the law, which he evidently kept scrupulously. He was first an opponent of the new faith, joining in the killing of Steven. Yet it was on a journey to persecute Christians that he experienced the presence of Christ, and was converted to the new faith, for which he became one of its greatest advocates, traveling extensively to proclaim it.
Every writing of Paul rings with his joy in this faith, trusting in the favor of God, and not in his own piety. Nowhere is this clearer than in his Letter to the Romans, a kind of summary of his message. It is in the third chapter of this book that he sums up his message.
Paul, ever the Pharisee, feels it necessary to ask what advantage there is in being a Jew. “Much!,” he insists, because the Jew is entrusted with God’s word. But all, Jew and Gentile, are both under the power of sin.
What the law does is expose our sin and make us accountable. It does not justify us before God (make us just in his eyes). Rather, it shows us that we are not made acceptable by the law, only held accountable by it.
How then can any of us be justified? “We are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . .” (Rom 3:24). God’s righteousness is shown in that he makes us righteous! This is made possible by faith, not by the law; faith in God’s graciousness, not in ourselves.
For Paul, the great example of this in the Hebrew Scriptures is not Moses, the lawgiver, but Abraham, the man of faith: “Abraham believed