A cultural Christian is someone who identifies as a Christian but lives according to the culture rather than Christ. There are many signs of a cultural Christian, but often, the person cannot see that they are living as a cultural Christian. They are deceiving themselves of their reality.
The five signs of a cultural Christian are religious tradition, shallow theology, intertwined Scripture and political parties, misinterpretation of Scripture, and negative worldly interests.
Before we dive into each of the signs of a cultural Christian, it’s important to note that this list is not all-inclusive. There are more signs of a cultural Christian; however, these are some easier things to spot.
Table of Contents
Religious Tradition
Religious tradition can take many forms, whether that be singing a particular hymn or song, saying the Lord’s Prayer every service, or the preacher offering an invitation at the end of the service. Each church has traditions that they abide by. While traditions in and of themselves are not bad, focusing on the traditions more than God is problematic.
For example, there are some Christians who believe that worship must take place in a sanctuary. Most likely, that person grew up going to the sanctuary every Sunday and wants to remain in a sanctuary, which is a preference each person is entitled to. But can God only be worshipped from the sanctuary? What about the times you are driving in your car, singing your favorite worship song or hymn to Him?
That is worship, just like studying your Bible at home is worship. The sanctuary is where Christians can gather to worship the Lord together. The gathering place does not always need to be a sanctuary. In this example, the sanctuary resembles the tradition that is given higher priority than Christ.
It is easy to fall into religious traditions, especially for Christians who have been associated with a particular church for most of their lives and have a preference for how things should operate. However, when it comes to decision-making, always ask yourself: “Is this what God wants, or is this what I want?” and “Is this what is best for the church, or is this something that will please me?” Answering these two questions can help you fight back against religious tradition.
Shallow Theology
Shallow theology is another sign of a cultural Christian. The cultural Christian has likely never studied God’s Word to the point of clarity and understanding. Unfortunately for most, their theology comes from worship songs – which can be a great source of theology if you listen to the right songs. Some artists have twisted theology and intertwined their mistaken theology into their songs, misleading others.
Cultural Christians may talk about God in general ways, as in “God bless America” or “In God we trust,” two common phrases in the United States. However, those are two phrases that people use daily in American culture. When you press the person about Jesus, more than likely, they will not be able to tell you much because of their lack of theology.
This is one of the most significant signs of a cultural Christian. They are not able to give you basic information on the person who saved them from their sins, the person they supposedly professed to be their Lord and Savior. To be clear, knowledge alone does not save you from your sins. However, understanding who your Lord and Savior is and knowing who you serve is very important.
Misinterpretation of Scripture
Closely aligned with shallow theology is the misinterpretation of scripture, which could also be called poor hermeneutics. Biblical hermeneutics is the method of interpretation of the Bible; it is often studied in seminaries by Christians who are training to be Pastors or Professors. Poorly interpreted Scripture is another one of the most significant signs of a cultural Christian because it leads to a series of wrong decisions.
First and foremost, misinterpreting Scripture leads you away from the true Gospel. Not understanding the message of the Bible is one of the worst things for a Christian. It is crucial to get this right. What’s worse is that some churches and teachers preach on those misguided principles and reinforce the misunderstandings that cultural Christians come to. Misinterpreting Scripture is one of the most dangerous mistakes any Christian can make.
An example of this would be the Prosperity Gospel, a false doctrine that has run rampant in the United States. Well-known Pastors and churches preach and promote the Prosperity Gospel, claiming that it is always God’s will for you to be successful. Of course, this sounds great and attracts many people to their churches.
However, that is not what the Bible says. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated for My Name’s sake.” Jesus Himself told Christians that we will suffer because we choose to follow Him. Does a church that preaches health and wealth for all sound like the Gospel that Jesus taught? Twisting Scripture for personal gain is reckless, but it is more common than you think.
Scripture and Politics
When talking about poor hermeneutics and twisting Scripture for personal gain, politics is one of the significant signs of a cultural Christian. Politics will always be a hot topic, and there’s no getting around it. The government directly affects the lives of its citizens, both Christian and non-Christian. Naturally, politics will come up in conversation at times, but the cultural Christians will attempt to use their surface-level knowledge of Scripture to fit their political agenda.
One issue usually divides Christians and non-Christians and sways the vote in a specific direction. Historically, the Republican party has stood against abortion and received an overwhelming majority of the Christian vote. In some places of the country, when you hear the word “Christian” in a political setting, it is a guarantee that the person is a Republican.
However, it seems the Republican party has a stranglehold on the Christian vote because of the abortion issue. How often do Christians consider the other platforms that candidates stand for when voting? Unfortunately, politicians are not always who they claim to be in the advertisements you see from their political campaigns. Personal agendas come into play, and standing for one crucial issue, such as abortion, could give the candidate a pass to stand for some slightly less shady issues.
Politicians will quote Scripture in debates, pray for the public to see, and do their best to appear as a family man with Christian values. But the question is, “Is he doing this because he truly believes the Gospel, or is he doing this to receive the Christian vote?” If asked this question, “If Christians took the abortion issue off the table, would Christians continue to vote Republican,” How would you respond?
Negative Worldly Interests
One of the most frightening signs of a cultural Christian is their worldly interests. To be clear, not all worldly interests are bad. God gave each of us a unique personality, liking different things and enjoying different hobbies and activities. Worldly interests in and of themselves are not bad, but they need to be treated for what they are.
Negative worldly interests are one of the signs of a cultural Christian because this informs those around them that they have no regard for the commands God has given to His people. Instead of focusing on what is good and righteous, the cultural Christian focuses on worldly gains and unrighteous ventures. The hobbies may be wrong in the eyes of God, or the activities could be harmful to others.
Whether others know about the negative worldly interests or not is irrelevant; the fact of the matter is that the person has that particular interest. As long as that interest is there and is regularly entertained, it will be one of the most significant hurdles for the person to overcome. That is what makes negative worldly interests one of the most challenging signs of a cultural Christian.
Signs of a Cultural Christian
The signs of a cultural Christian can be challenging to see if you do not know what you are looking for. Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into a few of the signs of a cultural Christian. If you want to learn more about Cultural Christianity, check out my comprehensive article here!
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