One of these is H. Richard Niebuhr; he proposes the majority of Christians interact with Christ and culture in five unique ways. The first of theses he terms Christ against culture, this type argues Christians should separate themselves from culture. The Christ against culture type “uncompromisingly affirms the sole authority of Christ over the Christians and resolutely rejects culture’s claims to loyalty” (45). This can be taken to extremes—often proponents of this type renounce reason, are rigid legalists, and deny the God in favor of spirituality. The second type, Christ of culture, argues the other extreme, advocates of this type “harmonize Christ and culture…[and] seek to understand the transcendent realm as continuous in time or character with present life” (84). However, in trying to understand the character of Jesus by their own cultural values, their comprehension of Christ’s multifaceted character is limited. These “cultural Christians” may have departed from truth in favor of
One of these is H. Richard Niebuhr; he proposes the majority of Christians interact with Christ and culture in five unique ways. The first of theses he terms Christ against culture, this type argues Christians should separate themselves from culture. The Christ against culture type “uncompromisingly affirms the sole authority of Christ over the Christians and resolutely rejects culture’s claims to loyalty” (45). This can be taken to extremes—often proponents of this type renounce reason, are rigid legalists, and deny the God in favor of spirituality. The second type, Christ of culture, argues the other extreme, advocates of this type “harmonize Christ and culture…[and] seek to understand the transcendent realm as continuous in time or character with present life” (84). However, in trying to understand the character of Jesus by their own cultural values, their comprehension of Christ’s multifaceted character is limited. These “cultural Christians” may have departed from truth in favor of