Christianity is often painted as if it and general society were the same thing. Christianity is often shown as part of a normal American’s repertoire. That is false. At one point in recent history, calling yourself Christian in the United States may have been the norm, but our culture has always been nominally Christian at best. The values of Christianity and the values of man have never been in complete agreement. We associate Christianity as the value set of our older generations, but this is not the case. When we look at the values one has when they follow Christ, and the values one has for simply being old in this country, they are different mutual or overlapping. Being Christian isn’t about investing in a good 9-5 job, having a decent home, and managing finances conservatively. Being Christian is about investing in the eternal, sojourning through this life, and spending yourself for Christ. There is little to no crossover between traditional American values. Newer values are also not Christian. Values of “You do you” and “Do what makes you happy” are about as far as possible from the Christian values of prioritizing others and self denial. Your friends who think they are rebellious by being atheist or doubting the Bible are statistically inseparable from most other Americans. Claiming to not be Christian isn’t making a statement of uniqueness. It is just agreeing to flow with the deluge.

“And what if Christ’s call in our lives is not to find comfort in our culture? What if Christ in us actually compels us to counter our culture?” ― David Platt