There is an old Chinese proverb which reads, “If you wish to know about water, do not ask a fish.”  The only thing a fish knows is water.  For the fish to gain a comparison to the water in which he exists, well, it rarely ends well for the fish.

In many ways, our culture is to us as the water is to the fish.  Culture is the medium in which we move and exist in a country, a family or a locale.  Because our culture is always with us, it becomes extremely hard to identify what culture sometimes “is” and what it “is not.”  If you travel outside the U.S., this grants you a perspective that very few Americans have; if you do not travel, most likely “blissful ignorance” will reign.

Recently, there has been much discussion to change the name of the of the Southern Baptist Convention.  The reason?   There are those who believe we should change the name of the Convention believe that because the word “Southern” is associated in our culture with the institution of slavery, and because the SBC owes much of its beginning to men who either owned slaves or supported the institution of slavery, we must change our name.

Culture is not automatically equivalent to what the Bible identifies as “worldliness.”  Worldliness is all that is opposed to God and the coming of His kingdom.  Now culture can certainly qualify as worldliness, but it does not have to be.  We speak English in church and read Bibles and sing music that also uses the English language.  We are, culturally, an American church, yet we seek to measure ourselves against God’s Word and not our culture.

Now back to the name change for the Convention: Why?  Will anything change?  The supporters claim it will change how we are perceived.  Will our convention be redefined?  No, not really.  Same churches, same pastors and members, same beliefs but no changes in doctrine or theology.  Then why change?

There exist within our churches people who have bought into the perception, ideology and thinking of the cancel culture which is now rampant in our culture.  To change our name because the Convention is no longer geographically defined as being predominantly “Southern,” well, that has some legitimate, logical reasoning and purpose.  But to change it based on what others may think—and these “others” are already hateful toward all things Christian—is a silly compromise to cultural pressure and its unbiblical societal demands.

In Matthew 11:16-19, Jesus said regarding John the Baptizer, “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

There are those in our culture will never be satisfied even if we acquiesce to their demands.  We can attempt to satisfy their calls for cultural compliance, for no matter what we do, we will never satisfy their demands.  We will never reach a point where they will cease to insist that our behavior and beliefs should change.  If we seek to comply with their demands, or attempt to avoid their retribution, we will find ourselves the victim of their ever-changing rules and definitions which are continually mutable.  To do so will only result in our disobedience.

Those who desire that Christians comply will never be pleased.  I’ve read the end of the Bible; there will be more and more persecution of the Church coming and believers cannot escape the consequences of prophecy.  Again, believers do not seek consolation and comfort in our circumstances, but in our sovereign Lord.

Our worship is to be lived to only One, to the worship of only One.  Jesus Christ stated, “Wisdom is justified by her deeds.”  Our deeds, the way we live our faith “out loud” amid our culture, will either justify our use of faith before God or convict us before our culture.

Believers do not live in water; we live in faith.  We hope in a future we cannot see and is not yet here.  Our proof, the proof we offer our culture and this world, is in our deeds.