Paul, Romans 12:1-2 (NRSV)
I'd like to focus on Paul's injunction, above, to "not be conformed to this world." On the face of it, that seems like good advice for those of us who seek to live the Christian life—depending on how we understand what Paul meant. The central tradition in translating this verse beginning with the King James Bible (KJV) right down to the Good News Bible (TEV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) has been to take Paul's words to mean that we are to be non-conformists when it comes to the "ways of the world." That can be taken in at least a couple of ways.
On the one hand, we can take it to mean that we are to be discerning in what values and behaviors we take from society and culture. The Message (MSG) seems to take us in that direction. It translates Romans 12:2 to read, "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking." The Laughing Bird Paraphrase (LBP) puts it this way: "Do not model your life on the usual aspirations of the world around you." This is a "soft" rendering of Paul's words, which instructs us to pick and choose from culture and society, rejecting those things that aren't suitable to the Christian life. We live in the world, but we discern what is best to take from it.
On the other hand, Paul's advice can be taken as an invitation to divorce ourselves from culture and society in a more radical way. The American Standard Version (ASV) has Paul writing, "And be not fashioned according to this world." The New International Version (NIV) states, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." As the illustration with this posting also suggests, here the advice seems to be to withdraw from the world.
The choices offered are to either reject some elements of culture and society or to reject culture and society. In fact, of course, we cannot reject everything. Even those who reject the world, eat what we eat, dress as we dress, and make some kind of living in a capitalist economy. The question then is the degree to which we conform and non-conform. What do we reject? What do we accept? There are those who cite verses like Romans 12:2 to justify their feelings that homosexuality is a sin even though society is rapidly becoming accepting of it. They will not conform to the values of the world. The danger, then, is that we can justify just about anything citing this verse.
One way to walk the fine line of conformity versus non-conformity is to return to the model of Christ while avoiding absolutes and seeking to remain humble in our attitudes, interpretations, and opinions. There is a reason why the Bible persistently enjoins humility as a core value of our faith. We all have to walk the line between conformity and non-conformity, understanding that other entirely faithful individuals walk the line differently than we do. And while the principle of following the model of Christ is easy to state, it is not easy to practice. The best way to walk the line, then, is with humility.
On the other hand, Paul's advice can be taken as an invitation to divorce ourselves from culture and society in a more radical way. The American Standard Version (ASV) has Paul writing, "And be not fashioned according to this world." The New International Version (NIV) states, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." As the illustration with this posting also suggests, here the advice seems to be to withdraw from the world.
The choices offered are to either reject some elements of culture and society or to reject culture and society. In fact, of course, we cannot reject everything. Even those who reject the world, eat what we eat, dress as we dress, and make some kind of living in a capitalist economy. The question then is the degree to which we conform and non-conform. What do we reject? What do we accept? There are those who cite verses like Romans 12:2 to justify their feelings that homosexuality is a sin even though society is rapidly becoming accepting of it. They will not conform to the values of the world. The danger, then, is that we can justify just about anything citing this verse.
One way to walk the fine line of conformity versus non-conformity is to return to the model of Christ while avoiding absolutes and seeking to remain humble in our attitudes, interpretations, and opinions. There is a reason why the Bible persistently enjoins humility as a core value of our faith. We all have to walk the line between conformity and non-conformity, understanding that other entirely faithful individuals walk the line differently than we do. And while the principle of following the model of Christ is easy to state, it is not easy to practice. The best way to walk the line, then, is with humility.
