As I was reading Andrew Root’s book “Faith Formation in a Secular Age” I was struck at how little I had ever thought about the changing culture of society as a whole. He speaks extensively about conformity and how that has shaped culture across the different generations. Of particular interest to me was the division in cultural conformity found after World War II. Root writes:
The men and women of World War II are considered the greatest generation, and their greatness is legitimated by the historical moments they rose to face, but this greatness is also bound simply in our perception. We see these men and women through the prism of the age of authenticity, as the last generation before the age of authenticity dawned. They are great to us because they did something we cannot imagine: they followed duty and obligation over the desires of the self. They were mobilized by the pursuit of duty, not of expressive individualism. From a place deep in the age of authenticity this is a greatness many of us can’t imagine following. To believe that there was something worse than dying (running from the obligations of your duty) is asocial imaginary that we simply don’t share.(20)
This does seem idealistic, but it does so because as Root would suggest, post WWII, we turned towards authenticity of the self over the community. I think that there are pockets of this idealistic community around today, as exemplified by an all volunteer military (speaking in the context of the USA) and the bonds that are shared beyond the contractual obligations of service. It is an interesting tension to live in, when what I hope we desire in the church (authenticity, community, selfless service) can be much easier to find in an organization that dedicates it’s existence to destruction.
This book has also helped me to recognize the seemingly radical shift between generations. Keeping with recent history as Root does (relatively speaking), there was a strong sense of conformity and community through the generation that fought in WWII. Then following that we saw the rise of individualism by means of rebels (i.e. James Dean) and hippies. This can include the civil rights movement, the war protestors, then ultimately the portrayals of cool and uncool in movies like “The Breakfast Club.”
To know one culture is to only know what conformity is, because how else would you know what is different? However, to be different simply to be different can quickly devolve into making our entire worlds about ourselves. To know what is different creates opportunity for growth, not only in experiences outside of our own, but also in a conformity across cultures through the experience of being a part of the body of Christ.
I think that what I have found lately is that leaning into the spiritual disciplines and practices found throughout the Church’s history is a surefire way to hold onto something that isn’t simply chasing the next “high” of experiencing something new. It’s a home base from which we can operate. With the practices of prayer, Scripture reading, and liturgy, everything else can flourish from there, and it is not dependent on what culture one may find themselves. What has helped me so many times to avoid perfectionism (and as a by product, holding tightly to cultural norms) is that I can always recognize the intention of what I am doing, which in the context of leading a congregation to be in communion with God, is to create space for God to work in and through me and the congregation. That could mean we spend a Sunday in prayer for half the time, or we could hear an amazing sermon from a guest preacher. We keep things simple and consistent, using the same liturgy almost every week, and allow God to work in those moments, but also to use the foundation of our consistency as a jumping off point for God to work deep into our souls.
I think ultimately we as a community of believers seek to recognize God in all things, and if we practice that and model that, we will find ourselves much easier to adapt to new situations or cultures because we have done the work of recognizing God at where we are comfortable, so it’s not as much of an ask to recognize God in the uncomfortable.