Page 59 - Christ and Culture Textbook

Study Section 10 Christianity and the Secular State

10.1 Connect

What does the Bible have to say about the relationship between the Church and the state?
In a gradually secular and ungodly culture, many Christians wonder about their role and
duty. What is the duty in Christians in pagan State and Culture? Should we make every
effort to implement a Christian agenda? Should we completely reform the government or
Culture? The Bible speaks clearly about our duty, and it's all about governing our character.
We are called to live in the world, but not to be of it, Christians must maintain a balancing
act that becomes more precarious the further our culture departs from its Judeo-Christian roots. How
should members of the church interact with such a culture, especially as deeply entangled as most of us
have become?

10.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to discuss the life and Character of Daniel.

2. The student should be able to investigate the foundation Christian behavior.

3. The student should be able to learn how to live a holy life in ungodly culture.

10.3 Our duty in ungodly State and Culture

As believers God has placed us in a culture that resists God's principles of holiness. Many
questions have arisen regarding how much, if at all, believers should interact with their
surrounding culture. The same issue brings to light the question, "At what point, if at all,
should a believer disobey the authorities of that culture in order to serve God?" Few biblical
examples parallel the current quandary of the church as well as the life of the prophet Darnel.
Like today' s church, Daniel was placed both in a culture and under authorities that asked him
to disobey the Law of God. Unlike most of the current Christians, Daniel successfully impacted his
surrounding culture without becoming morally stained by it. This makes Daniel the most shining
example for God's people today. As is made evident by Daniel, impacting the culture does not require.
that believers abandon their morality, nor does it require that they dissociate from the culture.
However, a successful inspiration does require that believers perform at a higher standard of quality in
every area, including health, education, and even in job performance.

Obeying Authorities

Obeying authority is tough in every place. We a strange feeling anytime we hear someone say: “You
must do this. You ought to do that.” We want to be able to say: “Don’t tell me what to do. I want to do
what I want to do.” Our nature hates receiving mandates and commands. In light of this, let us look at a
Christian worldview and how it differs from a pagan worldview. One way to distinguish the two would
be to consider each worldview’s understanding of responsibility toward authority. People who are not

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