Citizenship in Heaven
On the first day of my first class in my master’s program, I learned an important lesson, namely what it feels like to cross cultural boundaries. The professor of this Intercultural Communication class ran a simulation. Students were divided into groups to play a silent card game. At the end of each round the winner from each group moved to a different table and began playing with that group, all while remaining silent. Frustration quickly ensued as the newcomer realized something wasn’t right; the new group was playing the game all wrong, in ways that sometimes felt like cheating. As you have probably guessed, unbeknownst to us students, each group had received a different set of rules to this made-up game. This simulation went on for probably 45 minutes before the professor stopped us for discussion and analysis. There were two main take-aways that day.
- Cross-cultural interactions can elicit strong emotions, often in ways where we regard the “other” in a negative light.
- Approaching a cross-cultural interaction with the expectation that there will be differences allows us to start from a place of curiosity and discovery.
What does Intercultural Communication have to do with evangelical culture in North America? Professor Geert Hofstede, pioneer in the field of cross-cultural dynamics, defines culture as “The programming of the human mind by which one group of people distinguishes itself from another group.”[1] Personally, ever since the day of that simulation in class, I have always thought of culture like the rules to the game that we’re all immersed in. Here’s the rub: for us as Christians we are playing by two sets of rules simultaneously.
As I read Russell Moore’s Losing Our Religion, I kept seeing these two sets of rules playing out. Since the first century, the church has been grappling with this reality. We are unavoidably influenced by the culture in which we live. Moore cites examples of this when he discusses individualism[2], materialism[3], and tribalism.[4]
While we all swim in the water of our cultural environment, the call of Jesus is to faithfully live out Kingdom values first and foremost. This is essentially what Moore is calling the church to and is the premise of his book. He describes it using phrases such as “make Evangelicalism be born again”, “re-find the Way”, and be “amazed by grace.”[5] Moore is reminding faithful Christians that their primary allegiance is not to any person on this earth nor to any political party or ideological camp, but to the Kingdom of God. In the chapter entitled “Losing Our Identity”, he puts it poignantly: “Make peace with homelessness, it’s ok to feel disoriented and like you don’t fit in.”[6] This is another way of talking about our citizenship in heaven, as Paul writes about in Philippians 3. This is a favorite topic of mine, and I’ve written about it in a previous blog.
Moore goes on to discuss a truly alarming phenomenon that blurs the lines even further between national culture and Kingdom culture. He describes a shift he has seen in which the label “Christian” is used in a way that is totally separate from faith in Jesus for salvation. He calls this a post-Christian right which is emerging, claiming “Christian values defined as Western civilization and white identity” without any call for trusting Jesus for forgiveness of sins or relationship with Jesus.[7] I find this particularly disorienting, to return to Moore’s word, because it seems to muddy the waters even further.
I’ll circle back to the framework of cross-cultural interactions to conclude this post. I appreciate that Moore uses the word “disoriented.” It reflects perfectly how cross-cultural interactions often feel. Landing in a new culture and not understanding the “rules of the game”, as I experienced in that simulation all those years ago, engenders frustration and disorientation. In the same way, living by Kingdom values in this world can (and I would argue should) engender frustration and a feeling of “not fitting in” as Moore puts it. As faithful Christians we are living by a different set of rules, a wholly different identity that many around us cannot understand. Despite seeming obvious, perhaps, I keep coming back to this concept for one important reason. When I feel the dissonance between who I am and the culture around me, I need this reminder of my heavenly citizenship. It reminds me that the feeling of dissonance, of disorientation, is a good thing. It is to be expected because of our Kingdom allegiance to Jesus, a King who is not of this world.
[1][1] “What do we mean by culture?”
[2] Moore, Russell. Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America. New York: Sentinel, 2023. 18-19.
[3] Ibid., 44.
[4] Ibid., 69.
[5] Ibid., 254.
[6] Ibid., 145.
[7] Ibid., 111-112.
About the Author
Kim Sanford
11 responses to “Citizenship in Heaven”
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Hi Kim,
The water polo coach from US Air Force Academy is in my bible study. He asked if any one was worried about the election. Most raised their hand. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry God’s got this.”
I have to say, I have been unfaithful. So totally in the world (specifically the elections).
It was a relief to be reminded.
You wrote, “When I feel the dissonance between who I am and the culture around me, I need this reminder of my heavenly citizenship. It reminds me that the feeling of dissonance, of disorientation, is a good thing. It is to be expected because of our Kingdom allegiance to Jesus, a King who is not of this world.”
Double Amen.
Such a good post, Kim. Thank you for again reminding us that our citizenship is in heaven. I went back to your previous post. You mentioned: “In the midst of the internal conflict and anxiety I feel, I remind myself that I am ultimately a citizen of heaven. It is right and good and a cause for rejoicing when society’s values conflict with Kingdom values because it affirms that Jesus is my true King.” This is a good point to remember when I am uncomfortable in a situation where my values are questioned. I am curious. I know we as parents often understand the complexities of living in a culture that is foreign to Biblical values. How have you prepared your boys to also navigate their own belief systems in a society that is possibly at odds with theirs?
It’s true that our children are confronted as much, maybe sometimes more frequently, than we are with values that run counter to the Kingdom of God. The fact that we order our lives differently has always been part of our family conversation. So much so that our kids will now come home with anecdotes their friends have shared or about how a teacher reacted to something and they’re telling us about the dissonance in worldly values vs. Kingdom values. That said, I’m not naive; as they grow up they will surely face many difficult decisions where they will have to decide for themselves which values to make their own.
Kim, I loved the cross-cultural game your professor made you play! What a great experience. I think we are living in a time, especially as the election nears, where “Christians” are having to bridge cultures when it comes to denominations, mega-churches vs smaller churches, MAGA churches vs other churches, Christian nationalists vs those who are not Christian nationalists, you get my point. I am finding it impossible to have a theological conversation with those who have become Christian nationalists. We are not speaking the same language at all, nor are we coming from the same perspectives. Anyway, I guess my question to you is, do you experience the Christian nationalism phenomenon in France or is this mostly a USA thing?
I love Moore’s comment to “Make peace with homelessness, it’s ok to feel disoriented and like you don’t fit in.” That is a powerful reminder and one that I will take with me.
At this particular time in history the Christian nationalism phenomenon is especially rampant in America. We hear a lot about the rise of right wing populism worldwide, but as far as I know there isn’t a religious connection in other places. We definitely don’t see it in France because there just aren’t that many Christians/evangelicals in France. It makes me wonder, and I have seen some comparisons, to Germany in the early 1900s. What role did religion play in the rise of Nazism?
Kim, you state, “Moore is reminding faithful Christians that their primary allegiance is not to any person on this earth nor to any political party or ideological camp.” And yet, even though this IS a great reminder from Moore, this is exactly what happens within denominations. A pastor/friend of mine says that (and I’m paraphrasing), within our own denomination, we have pastors walking around in our denominational assemblies with unstated priorities / allegiances. We would publicly say that our primary allegiance is to Christ, but functionally we often adhere to (little?) idealogies under the guise of doctrinal purity or “orthodoxy” or something else. No one would admit that publicly, of course. Well, maybe some do. I think Moore is trying to help with this dilemma.
Travis, you bring up a good point. And you have a front-row seat to the inner workings of a denomination, much more so than I do. So, in your role or in your denomination, how do you challenge those misplaced allegiances when you see them?
Kim, I add to this conversation in my response to your response on my blog post. My hope is that my small NPO project helps with this very thing — challenging some of those “allegiances,” though I know it will only be a small part (and very limited), and probably in an oblique way.
Your game rules illustration is perfect! So good. What a great way to set up your blog and the powerful points you made.
I’ve come to discover that you and I think very similarly on topics like these. I appreciate that, but even more than that, I appreciate how you push my similar beliefs to another, albeit slight, place. I am grateful for the nudge. Specifically it’s the nudge to think more cross-cultural – important even in Salem, Oregon!
🙂
Kim- as others have said: this was a great way to synthesize Moore’s concepts. Something stood out to me: as Christians, we are playing by 2 sets of rules…. Do you thing is is clearer to understand the distinctions in a country like France, where Christianity is not the assumed worldview?
You bring up a good point. I do feel like the contrast is starker here in France where secular humanism is king. Sometimes it’s subtle; sometimes it’s more pronounced, but we definitely bump up against these differences in values almost daily. And it’s not just because we’re foreigners. Our church friends talk about it frequently and actually sometimes they are even more intentional about separating themselves from the prevailing culture than we are. But I’m guessing you still have plenty of examples of how this plays out in the Pacific Northwest. Any come to mind?