{"id":2699,"date":"2026-01-18T15:46:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.forensicpath.us\/?p=2699"},"modified":"2026-01-18T15:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:46:59","slug":"choice-and-cultural-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.forensicpath.us\/index.php\/2026\/01\/18\/choice-and-cultural-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Choice and Cultural Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, someone pointed me to a video of an interview with Elon Musk.\u00a0 He says he believes there is a Prime Mover that created the universe (though I can’t remember if he used that exact term), and that he has become a “Cultural Christian.”\u00a0 See:here. <\/a><\/p>\n

In the past year or so, I have heard of a number of people who have espoused the same philosophy.\u00a0 They are nominal theists or agnostics who have decided to proclaim themselves “Cultural Christians,” including Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray, Tom Holland, David Brooks, and Joe Rogan.\u00a0 A few folk who do not self-identify as Cultural Christians have become fans, including Bill Maher and Sam Harris.<\/p>\n

It’s interesting to hear the ratiocinations of most of these people.\u00a0 They have looked at the fruit of the tree, and have decided that they would be pro-tree were one to exist, but are not willing to actually take the step and say it’s there — trunk, roots, and all.\u00a0 \u00a0I think this is a perfect example of what I wrote about in my series on worldview\u00a0 \u00a0A Cultural Christian is not a Christian.\u00a0 As Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome, there are two parts to salvation — belief and confession (or declaration):<\/p>\n

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.<\/em>” (Romans 10:9\u201310, ESV)<\/p>\n

Traditionally, most folk believe and *then* proclaim their allegiance.\u00a0 These folk are trying to do it in reverse.\u00a0 They declare a tentative allegiance, but do not believe — to their allegiance is a patina.\u00a0 \u00a0As I wrote in my worldview and faith<\/a> posts, this makes sense.\u00a0 It’s as far as you can go without faith.<\/p>\n

They have seen the fruits of belief but they are waiting for some “proof” that Jesus is who He says He is. That will never happen.\u00a0 There is no “proof” of the existence of God, though there is evidence.\u00a0 There is no “proof” of the divinity, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, though as these people are realizing, there is evidence in how it affects individual lives and society as a whole.\u00a0 If they await that proof, then they will find their answer in eternity.<\/p>\n

That is the whole of faith.\u00a0 God will lead you so far, but eventually, you just have to fish or cut bait.\u00a0 These are folk who have come to the shore and are cutting bait, but have not built up the courage to pick up a fishing pole.<\/p>\n

In my personal theology, I call these two parts — belief and commitment — the John 3:16 part and the Joshua 24 part.<\/p>\n

John 3:16 addresses belief: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joshua 24:14-15: Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of [d]the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

You just have to, as Nike says “Just do it,’ and make the commitment.\u00a0 Everything in life is viewed through a worldview.\u00a0 You can see God in everything, or you can decline to see God in everything.\u00a0 It’s a simple choice.\u00a0 And not choosing is a choice.<\/p>\n

Jesus demonstrated that in His famous discussion with the “young rich man” described in Matthew 19:<\/p>\n

Now behold, one came and said to Him, \u201cGood Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So He said to him, \u201cWhy do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He said to Him, \u201cWhich ones?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus said, \u201c\u2018You shall not murder,\u2019 \u2018You shall not commit adultery,\u2019 \u2018You shall not steal,\u2019 \u2018You shall not bear false witness,\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Honor your father and your mother,\u2019 and, \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The young man said to Him, \u201cAll these things I have kept [g]from my youth. What do I still lack?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus said to him, \u201cIf you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is not a call to poverty.\u00a0 It’s a call to commitment.\u00a0 The young man is like these “Cultural Christians.”\u00a0 He liked what he saw, but, unlike Joshua, he could not make the choice.\u00a0 Once you commit, everything changes.\u00a0 But it won’t change until you do.<\/p>\n

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