So much of who we are and what we do is based on our culture that we have been raised in and around. Our culture is primarily where we source our identity. I will be using the term Westernism to refer to the culture (or in the words of Immortal Technique) "lack of culture" from which people from "The West" find their identity. It has been said that "A fish doesn't know what wet is - and so it is with culture." Someone once said to me that there is no "Western" culture, I replied cheekily, "Yes there is, it is rape and exploit." The truth is, at the core of Westernism is the value system, based around finding value in what we own and in extravagance.
In accepting Jesus as 'Lord' you are doing exactly that, His rule and reign is that which you follow. A big thing about the New Covenant we have now entered into is, with accepting Jesus, we have died a spiritual death and are living in spiritual resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 talks about wrapping the perishable in the imperishable and Collossians 3 talks about setting your heart and mind on "the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand ... not on earthly things." Also, Phillippians 3:20 says "our citizenship is in Heaven". So I guess the point I am laying down here is this: We are citizens of Heaven, here, now, on Earth. We are setting out to follow our King and do what He leads us to do. It is in this; in the person of Jesus, as citizens of Heaven, that we must find our identity. In the broadest sense of who we are we must seek to be centered in Jesus - not Westernism.
From the playground up we are conditioned to fit into society, as the French political philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau said in his work The Social Contract, "Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains." We are conditioned into ways of life, ways of knowing, ways of existing; ways of being. Which it is here, what I call to attention the Western diet which we have been conditioned into. I was raised on the Western diet, roast chicken and veges most nights, or steak with mashed potatoes. "Grandmas sloppy mince" was always a favorite. Also it was white bread with marmite and cheese for lunch with a banana to go with it, or peanut butter and jam sammies with an apple or two. And for breakfast, it was nothing but Weet Bix with cows milk and plenty of sugar on top. Can't forget Milo's when I got home from school, so good, straight up the meanest. I would go around to friends houses for dinner and there was always something similar to what my Mum (or sometimes Dad) would cook, something like meatloaf baked with bacon strips on top (om nom nom!). Upon reflection, we are conditioned into "the norm", which is what our diet (and also identity) is based in.
I'm going to wrap up the first part of this here. What I am hoping people to get from this first part is that culture is conditioned and often we are unaware of it; but it is in our culture that we find our identity. Secondly, as citizens of Heaven, we are too re-arrange all of that and find our identity in Jesus; in Kingdom culture.
Within Kingdom life, our priorities are to be re-organised - and looking into Scripture it is easy to sum up what new priorities look like - they all come back to loving God and loving people. In Part Two I want to bring our diet in front of the Kingdom lens, where value systems shift and anything with any worth is based in the love and God and the love of people.
Will try get Part Two up soon!
Blessings,
James
