It’s fascinating to study John’s assessment of the churches of his time. We can learn so much from his insights. Pergamum’s culture was pluralistic and residents could worship any god they chose — as long as they also worshiped Caesar. The church of Pergamum included those who still held true to Christ, though they tolerated some who had compromised their faith to accommodate the surrounding idolatrous culture.
Like the people of Pergamum, we live in a pluralistic society where almost any belief system is normalized. The plurality of beliefs include some common threads: worship of money, power, and pleasure. Unlike the churches at Pergamum, American Christians are not persecuted for worshiping only God and Jesus. We are free to practice our faith. At the same time, Christians can and do conform to the culture. Not indulging in the buffet of beliefs and lifestyles available to us and deciding to follow only Jesus requires making a countercultural choice. We can easily forget the many warnings in the Old and New Testaments against idol worship.
I believe that contemporary American Christians stray when we spend too much time reacting to our culture and rationalizing our choices. As Christians, we might want to rival the power we see around us and want God to” bless” us in ways that make sense from a human point of view. Examples I’ve seen: prioritizing having impressive buildings, fund raising, and programs; elevating the prosperity gospel; equating denominational and cultural preferences with the gospel; and using our faith to elevate patriotism and nationalism. We can rationalize our choices because we want to “get things done” and “run the church like a business”. We can magnify the challenges that living in a pluralistic culture present.
We need to remember that faithfulness to the one true God and Him alone is the only path to life. Rather than reacting and rationalizing, we need to reflect, repent, and respond. We need to remember to deepen our faith alongside other believers, and keep learning to walk in the way of Jesus. When we realize we’ve strayed, it’s important to understand how we went wrong and repent. God wants us to flourish. We can stray, but He’s not waiting to punish or shame us. Speaking for myself, areas where I’ve been deeply hurt are the same places where I’m tempted to be afraid and go wrong. Jesus understands the ways we are hurt and tempted because He has experienced infinitely worse. We may feel that we are under extraordinary pressure or temptation, but remember the words of Paul:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. I Corinthians 10:13
Application: It’s important to keep Jesus’ parable of the log and the speck in mind as we examine church culture. Let’s avoid blaming our pluralistic culture for our areas of weakness. Ask: “Where am I tempted to add to the gospel? Where does contemporary church culture/radio/television stray from the good news of the Scripture? Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead our church and churches across the United States into reflection and repentance.
Here’s a song to meditate on:
Red Rocks Worship – No Name (Official Live Video)
For an example of wise self reflection, I highly recommend Kate Bowler’s book, Everything Happens For a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved. Kate, a professor who researched the history of the prosperity gospel, was diagnosed with advanced cancer in her 30’s. Her diagnosis led to a reassessment of her own beliefs: She realized that she, like the prosperity-gospel Christians she studied, had a deep rooted conviction that God’s blessings were guaranteed to believers.
Sherry Sommer
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