Cultural Authority vs. Biblical Authority

In every age, the church faces many of the same essential questions. Often, we can forget this and act as though the challenges the modern church faces are fundamentally different from those in past eras. This is not to say that there aren’t unique aspects of modern society that press the church to think well about core issues. One example today is the rise of artificial intelligence (a vast topic in its own right). AI forces the church to consider afresh how to articulate a biblical vision of humanity to a culture that has lost all grounding on what it means to be human. Notice that at the root of this dynamic between the culture and the church is the question of authority. If the church is going to faithfully engage the cultural questions and issues of the times, we must have a clear vision of the locus of authority. The question of authority is therefore a foundational question when it comes to how the church is called to be salt and light in the world. 

In light of this truth, how any given church body answers the authority question serves as a spiritual barometer of sorts. For instance, there are many churches that are churches in “name only.” This is akin to those who profess Jesus with their mouths, but whose hearts and lives are not yielded to Him in repentance and faith. In the case of such churches, the authority question can function as a diagnostic tool. Often, what happens in “name only” churches is they have shifted the locus of authority. Instead of being guided by biblical authority, such churches look to cultural authority. The difference between the two should not be underestimated. The essence of cultural authority is viewing the values, priorities, and overall worldview of one’s current culture as the lens through which the church thinks and ministers. When this happens, churches lose the gospel. The reason is that the dominant cultural values, priorities, and overall worldview of the culture will always be antithetical to the gospel in their fundamental allegiance. This is the consequence of the world being under the sway of Satan (1 John 5:19). To give one example, how the church thinks about sexuality and gender is massively important. For “name only” churches in our current culture, sexuality and gender are interpreted through the lens of particular assumptions. For instance, many now take it for granted that the only rule for sexual morality is consent and that gender is merely a social construct. The language of gender being “assigned at birth” expresses this view about gender. What happens when a church embraces these ideas? Transgender activism often replaces the preaching of the gospel. The result of this thinking is adopting the narrative of our culture regarding sexuality and gender rather than God’s perspective. Many fail to see that doing so results in destructive and harmful outcomes for those who live according to these views. This is seen in the growing number who followed the guidance given by medical providers favorable to transgender ideology. Testimonies given by these individuals express the regret they feel and the psychological distress they continue to carry. In addition, promoting and encouraging sexual sin in the church is directly opposed to following Jesus. The point here is not to delve into the complexities of sexuality, gender, and transgenderism for much more needs to be said. The point is simply to illustrate how God’s design for sexuality and gender is for human flourishing and His glory. When we deviate from His good design, negative results follow. Sexuality and gender is only one example of how a shift to cultural authority from biblical authority has a corrosive impact on churches.

In contrast to cultural authority, biblical authority grounds a church’s mandate, beliefs, and conduct in God’s self-revelation. An excellent encapsulation of this is found in Romans 12:2, where Paul writes of the need for Christians to “not be conformed to this age” but rather to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This means the church is guided by truths which are transcendent and fixed. Truths grounded in what God has revealed about Himself and the world do not change for God Himself does not change and He never lies (Malachi 3:6; Titus 1:2). God never lacks any information and He knows the end from the beginning (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:10). In contrast, the passing fads and sensibilities of culture make for an unstable and unreliable guide to truth and an impotent prescription for our spiritual need. Therefore, when a church is guided by biblical authority, they faithfully carry out the gospel mandate that God has placed upon His people in every time and place. Of course, this is all done in the power of God’s Spirit as we can do nothing on our own (John 15:4). The implications of this for our example above, sexuality and gender, are instructive. Contrary to cultural assumptions, sexual morality is guided by much more than mere consent. God’s design for sexuality is clear: it is reserved for the marriage relationship between a husband and wife (Matthew 19:4-9). This means any other sexual activity is sin. When it comes to gender, this is not something anyone “assigns at birth” (how would this even work?). Rather, gender is tied to biological sex as God has made human beings either male or female (Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 19:4-6). While these truths may be unpopular, they are the path to true flourishing and happiness for they are given by a good God who loves us. 

 With God’s help, let us be a church grounded in and guided by His authority and truth both corporately and in our daily lives.