The term "Christ and Culture" was popularized through a book bearing that name written by H. Richard Niebuhr in 1951.  The book asks the basic question:  What is the relationship between the Church and the World?  Niebuhr presents five views on the subject, quite obviously slanting the discussion in favor of the final one: Christ Transforming Culture (he finds fault with all but that one).  In my opinion, the problem with his presentation stems from how he defines the term "church" in the first place.  He writes off as a "sect" any group which does not properly belong as a subset within the surrounding society, thus excluding at least one of the views from consideration (Christ against Culture), and thereby devaluing all except that view which focuses on improving civilization itself.

Although Niebuhr's seminal book inspired dozens of others along the same lines, rarely ever does anyone address the relationship between Christ and Culture from the viewpoint which Niebuhr labeled "Christ and Culture in Paradox".  The reason for this should be obvious:  Only those with a vested interest in changing contemporary culture would exert the energy to write a book about the subject.  Those uninterested in "transforming culture" will not give the topic much thought.  That is unfortunate, since in my opinion the believer rightfully feels torn between "setting his mind on things above" and "blooming where he's planted" as one who is not internally divided by an artificial duality.  What does it mean to be "in the world, yet not of it"?

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