When the Culture Defines Hate

When the culture defines hate, expect the fat to hit the fan.

When it isn’t politically correct to be a Christian, when Christian values and morals become immoral to the culture around you, expect that being a Christ-follower will make you look hateful. When the culture defines hate, just not agreeing with their position is hate. You can do nice things, but impact the economy or say some behaviors are immoral, and people will come looking for you.

At some point, what you believe about God, about life, about yourself, and about others will change your life. And, you will call others to change their lives. Any time you ask people to change, or even when you start changing, you impact others. We are interconnected on this planet. If a butterfly in Brazil can cause a weather change in Massachusetts (as Chaos Theory teaches), then you changing how you live because Jesus has taken over your thinking and your choices will impact others around you.

Paul’s culture defined hate in Acts 19. For two years he had taught the good news that God wanted to invade our lives through Jesus and take over (the Kingdom of God): Paul… had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Then people’s lives began to change because God was now calling the shots. Paul released a slave girl from demonic domination and her employers lost income. People burned their magic books and began realizing that the current religion was bogus…so they quit buying the silver dolls used in the sex-worship of the culture. This impacted the business sector, because the demand for silver and for silver dolls dried up. AC 19:23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

Businessmen lost income, and when their pocketbook was touched, they got angry. As long as these followers of the Way just did their own thing, had their nice Bible studies, minded their own business, no one was going to get hurt. But, when they started changing what they bought and how they lived, the fat hit the fan. The culture thought it was hateful to teach people that dolls weren’t necessary to life and happiness. The culture thought it was hateful to impact people’s livelihood that supported what was obsolete. When the culture defines hate, expect to be ridiculed publically. Expect to get shouted down. AC 19:28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar…. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there... they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" AC 19:35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

This story from Acts 19 teaches us some lessons about how to react when the culture defines hate.
• Don’t go to the arena (don’t get involved in arguments. Your reactions and arguments will only be seen as defensiveness. False thinking is self-evident.)
• Don’t speak evil about others’ beliefs or behaviors or fight over cultural issues.
• Declare clearly that God gets to call the shots in our lives (the Kingdom of God)