Why There Is No Such Thing As A 'Cultural Christian'

 

Strident atheist Richard Dawkins has made the headlines recently by referring to himself as a ‘cultural Christian’. In a recent social media post, I stated that there isn’t really such a thing as a cultural Christian – it’s just special pleading, to excuse a lack of real faith and obedience yet associate yourself with Christian virtues. And after a discussion ensued, I wrote a few more things, so thought I’d turn it into a blog post, in case it’s useful to any of my readers.

I went on to say that you either accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and seek wholeheartedly to live in accordance with that belief, or like a branch cut from the vine, you bear no fruit and remain far from the source. Jesus is clear; discipleship is full commitment – and while genuine faith can be immature, inconsistent, or still forming, discipleship ultimately entails real allegiance to Jesus as Lord, expressed in repentance and a transformed direction of life. There is no ‘cultural’ middle way there.

One or two Christians took issue and said they do believe there is such a thing as a ‘cultural Christian’ – but I think much of the defence of ‘cultural Christian’ here rests on a category error. The proper definition of a Christian is somebody who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour – it’s a clear cut demarcation line (see 1 Corinthians 12:3, John 3:3, John 1:12, Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17). This isn’t to deny, as I said above, that genuine Christians may be immature, inconsistent, or still growing - but those are questions of discipleship, not definition. One cannot be a “Cultural somebody who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour” if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Similarly, one cannot be a ‘cultural Christian’ by virtue of merely living in a Christian country, any more than a man who is not legally qualified to offer advice about the law can call himself a lawyer, just because he mixes in circles in which lawyers mix. In using the lawyer illustration, I do not, of course, mean to imply that one has to be qualified to be a Christian. Quite the contrary.

Consequently, then, the two most vociferous arguments presented in support of there being such a thing as a ‘cultural Christian’ actually had it backwards, where the objection actually strengthen my case and weakens theirs. I’ll take them in turn:

1. The faulty ‘salt’ metaphor objection
One commenter claimed the ‘salt’ metaphor (from Matthew 5:13) argues in favour of a ‘cultural Christian’, although he has subsequently deleted that comment, so hopefully he now sees it is faulty. Here’s why. Let’s simplify it in set-theoretic terms. Let the set of Christians mean those who have accepted Christ as Lord, as per my proper definition. And let the set of people influenced by Christianity mean all those whose thinking, behaviour, or moral intuitions have been shaped by Christianity. It is obviously true that the set of Christians is contained within the larger set of people influenced by Christianity. But it is not true that the set of people influenced by Christianity is contained within the set of Christians. Being influenced by Christianity does not make someone a Christian. The “salt” metaphor describes how Christians affect those influenced by Christianity. It does not claim that those who are affected by this influence thereby become Christians themselves. So, to infer the existence of “cultural Christians” from the “salt” teaching is therefore a non sequitur - it illegitimately moves from the fact of influence to a claim about identity, without any logical justification. Salt seasons meat; it does not turn meat into salt.

The salt metaphor describes the effect Christians have on the world, not the definition of who is a Christian. One must comprehend that influence does not equal membership. In fact, we can take it further, when we see Jesus warn that “If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no longer good for anything” (Matthew 5:13). That is, salt that becomes indistinguishable from meat ceases to be salt. A “cultural Christian” category actually describes unsalty salt in Jesus’ terms - so the metaphor actually cuts against the commenter’s argument, and strengthens mine.

2. The faulty ‘connotational /notational’ objection
The second objection was that since natural language is connotational rather than notational "cultural Christianity" does have utility, and that in denying there is such a thing as a ‘cultural Christian’ I am attempting to use natural language as if it were notational alone. To which I say, it’s strange that the objector would use the connotational/notational language distinction on their side of the discussion, as this one also weakens the opposition’s case and strengths mine. Here’s why. Defining one’s terms and precision of language is the bedrock of a discussion, and that is why I reject the notion of a ‘cultural Christian. That is, connotational language is still not extricable from meaning - and because natural language is connotational, misleading connotations matter more, not less. So when the commenter said “The phrase has utility because natural language is connotational”, they are getting it backwards. I think the phase ‘cultural Christian has less utility because natural language is connotational – and whether one is a Christian or not belongs in a much more precise category of language, in that one either is a Christian or one isn’t. 

So, ironically, I think the objector’s comment is actually conceding my concern. The primary issue is about whether a term that grammatically predicates “Christian” of people or societies can do so without implying some form of Christian identity. That implication is not something I’m inventing; it’s carried by ordinary usage of the word “Christian” as a noun. So, because language carries connotations, attaching “Christian” to a person or culture inevitably suggests belonging, not merely influence. That is why the phrase does not remain neutral, even when someone hedges it with quotation marks.

In closing
Being ‘born again’ and having the Holy Spirit is a binary distinction (see 1 Corinthians 12:3). So, this is a discussion about semantic scope. I am not denying that Christianity has cultural effects, of course, or that people may identify with those effects. I am denying that the word ‘Christian’ can be detached from allegiance to Christ without losing its meaning. If all people mean is “culturally influenced by Christianity,” then that phrase already exists and is perfectly clear. Introducing the noun “Christian” does no additional explanatory work - so precision of language and definition is key here. Once we are talking about individuals, “Christian” is not a loose cultural or sociological descriptor. In both Scripture and ordinary language, it names allegiance to Christ, because that’s how Christ defines it. Therefore, culturally influenced by Christianity does not equate to 'cultural Christian' because, as I said clearly above, a Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour and has received the Holy Spirit as a result. If you accept that definition (and proposition) - and I can't see why you wouldn't - then one either is or is not a Christian. And therefore, the term 'cultural Christian' is a bogus distraction. A British Muslim who has lived in the UK all his life might be "culturally influenced by Christianity", but we wouldn't be helping matters of clarity much if we called him a 'cultural Christian'.

And this applies to Richard Dawkins too. However much one may admire aspects of Christianity or acknowledge its cultural influence, the New Testament uses the word Christian to describe those who have come to personal allegiance to Jesus Christ. That invitation remains open to everyone, at any stage of life, and Christianity has always insisted that becoming a Christian is not about heritage or admiration, but about response. And there’s always time for Richard – my dear mum became a Christian at the age of 79, and is now 80, and has been totally transformed by her new relationship with God. The invitation remains open to all.