By Jared Runck

December 11, 2006

(Editor’s Note: This was originally presented in a slightly different form on October 22, 2006 during the IQ Forum.)

 

Holiness is an Apostolic catchword; we understand that “holiness” is an essential part of what it means to be “Apostolic,” but what does the term mean?

As a lecturer in theology, I’ve questioned many students about this. The typical response goes something like this: “Well, that’s simple! Holiness is, you know, separation, like, you know, I don’t gamble at the casinos and I don’t wear immodest clothes and, umm, I don’t drink alcohol, and, uh, uh…why are you asking me such dumb questions?”

The major problem with this response came home to me as I was pondering Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you . . .” (II Corinthians 6:17, NRS). My students were giving me a list of dress and conduct rules, which left them (and me) with no real idea of holiness. Yet hear the whole statement: “Come out from them and be separate from them…” Here’s the flash of insight: in order to “come out,” you must first know where you come from. At its root, the idea of holiness is a call to, first, understand the surrounding culture, then to answer it.

Answering Culture

To my mind there are three basic ways that church can deal with culture.

1. First of all, the church can react to culture. This is the “whatever-the-world’s-doing-we’ll-do-the-opposite” idea. Whatever the culture says is “cool,” the Church will do the “uncool” thing. That works…sort of; at least, it works until the fashion world decides again that long hair on women is the “in” thing. What should the Church do then—make all the women cut their hair off? You see, when the church defines holiness as a reaction to the surrounding culture, the Church loses its identity.

 

1. Behind door number two lies another possibility. Many churches simply choose to reflect the surrounding culture. For example, many churches today advertise the “services” they offer. In so doing, the Church becomes nothing more than a religious Wal-Mart. I know that the Church should be of service to its community, but here’s the fatal flaw: when the Church defines itself as a “service industry,” it becomes self-centered. “I’ll serve God on my terms, on the days and in the ways that I find convenient!” The Church doesn’t exist to serve people as much as people exist to serve God within the community of the Church. Furthermore, if the Church only reflects its surrounding culture, why in the world would somebody seeking a different life ever join it anyway?

 

1. Actually, the Church is called to do both. There are certain things that the Church must reject as evil (reaction); others must be affirmed as good (reflection). This critical decision-making requires first engagement with the culture--the Church is called to respond to it. We criticize culture that “gives no answers” or “ends in despair,” all the while celebrating how glad we are we found the “answer the world is looking for.” That’s hypocritical.  That’s like making fun of a kindergartener because he or she can’t do long division when they simply aren’t equipped to do it. Culture is equipped to ask questions, not to formulate answers. Now, I’m not promoting the Billboard Top 40 as our new hymnbook, but I wonder, how can we give them answers if we don’t listen to the questions?

Reality Holiness

When holiness is defined only as separation, it all too easily becomes negative--a list of things we don’t do. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that I, as a non-Christian, would be attracted to a church that said, “Come join us and we’ll give you a list of things you can never do again.”

The whole idea of “holiness” is something you do—engaging your culture, naming what is right and what is wrong, and then living out biblical, Gospel-based solutions to those issues. 

 

So, go to the theater tonight and see the latest movie, buy Fergie’s new album, read the latest vampire novel…okay, okay, I’m being sarcastic.  Obviously, there is much in the secular world that has no real cultural value.  Yes, the idea of holiness demands that we be discerning consumers of culture, but just as obviously, “separation from the world” does not equal “isolation.”

Yes, it may be easier to concoct a list of rules to follow and types of people to avoid, but, in so doing, are we being the salt and light that Jesus called the Church to be? And if we’re not fulfilling the mission of the Church to reach the world, can we claim to be truly holy?

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© 2006, Jared Runck

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Jared Runck received his BA in Practical Theology from Gateway College of Evangelism of St. Louis in 2002 and currently serves as full-time Lecturer in Old Testament and Theology at Gateway College of Evangelism while pursuing his MTS at Eden Theological Seminary. He and his wife are expecting their first child in April, and he’s praying the baby looks like his wife as he was an ugly baby. Things haven’t improved much.