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Besides the Bible, no work has impacted the discussion around Christian engagement with culture more than H. Richard Niebuhr’s book Christ and Culture, published in 1951. Its perceptive message is hauntingly accurate even in displaying today’s Christian trends.

Throughout history, Christians have questioned our relationship to culture. It is clear from Christ himself in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are to be salt and light unto the world. But the question has always been: how are we to relate to and engage with culture?

In his book, Niebuhr provides five models for how Christians engage with culture. These views still accurately display modern Christian approaches to culture and continue to shape the Christian cultural engagement discussion today. Most believers will find themselves adopting different positions to meet the needs of specific issues or opportunities, though you may find yourself holistically more in agreement with one view over another. For this reason, let’s break each one down.

1. Christ Against Culture

In the ‘Christ Against Culture’ model, culture outside of the church is seen as corrupted beyond repair. Christians should avoid, reject, and separate from culture. Niebuhr indicates that Tertullian and Leo Tolstoy had views that aligned with this model. Ideally, these Christians look to create a pure Christian culture apart from the culture of the world around them. One modern example would be the Mennonite and Amish communities.

2. Christ of Culture

In the ‘Christ of Culture’ model, culture is seen as inherently good and without any conflict to Christian truth. Proponents of this view attempt to view Christian Truths equally to cultural truths. In reality, though, cultural values generally outweigh the values of Christianity. Niebuhr sites classic Gnosticism and liberal Protestantism as holders of this view.

3. Christ Above Culture

In the ‘Christ Above Culture’ model, culture is seen as basically good. However, Christian revelation is required to best explain and perfect those cultural expressions. Niebuhr points to church fathers like Thomas Aquinas, with his belief in combining reason with revelation, as proponents of this view. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches tend to fall into this view, as well. This model can lead to the institutionalization of Christianity through finite and materialistic expressions.

4. Christ and Culture in Paradox

In the ‘Christ and Culture in Paradox’ model, there is a tension that is ever-present between the Christian and their interaction with culture. Christians are forced to simultaneously live between the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of Heaven by accepting some aspects of culture and rejecting others. Niebuhr points to Martin Luther as an example of this view. The tenets of this model, while more accurate in its description of how Christians experience the world, can lead to a more conservative engagement with culture.

5. Christ the Transformer of Culture

In this final model, the Christian is seen as a conversionist, a person who seeks to transform the values and objectives of culture to the service and glory of God. Christ came to redeem all of creation, and as Christians, we are to participate in this redemptive work now, while awaiting his coming Kingdom. Niebuhr points to John Calvin and Augustine as holders of this view. It is the view traditionally held by Christians in the Reformed tradition.

Scripture Above All

Niebuhr’s five models for Christian cultural engagement provide a good spectrum for how Christians have related to culture in the past and relate to culture today. These views shape our discussions and thoughts around cultural engagement and help point out areas that can be difficult for us to see in ourselves otherwise. However, these models alone do not provide a perfect answer.

Ultimately, scripture should be our primary and final authority on how we are to relate to the culture around us. We are to be salt and light unto the world, whether encouraging other believers, performing everyday tidying up chores with our family, or sharing Jesus with the attendees of Drag Queen Story Hour. As Jesus explicitly states in Matthew 28, we are to do this into all nations. Our engagement and relationship to the world, the culture around us, will vary between all of these views developed by Niebuhr, based on the situations we face. But through it all, taking Christ to the culture around us will bring glory to God!

Want to know more? Check out our article about how Christians can redeem culture, and we highly recommend reading Nieburh’s book!