I found myself today pondering on the name of a worship band, Jesus Culture. I was reminded myself that Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yet, at the same time, I found myself thinking of how they got this band name. Jesus Culture, not relationship, culture. The use of the word culture implies a few things. Let’s start with the dictionary definition of culture.
cul•ture
[kuhl-cher]
noun, verb, -tured, -tur•ing.
–noun
1. the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3. a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.
4. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
5. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.
I would say that a Jesus Culture would fit into definition 5. So to say it another way, it’s a Jesus behavior and belief characteristic of a particular social, ethnic or age group. Since Christianity doesn’t have an age group and crosses all ethnicities and all social statuses, we can eliminate that part of the definition. A Jesus Culture would then be a Jesus behavior and beliefs characteristic of a group. We can probably get rid of behavior too because well, same reason as the others. This makes Jesus Culture equivalent to a Jesus beliefs characteristic of a group. I almost find this fitting to be honest. When in a close relationship, one believes certain things about this person. They know everything about them (theoretically) and can tell them anything. The group part of it really just means there are multiple people that believe it. To experience a Jesus Culture is to be in that close and personal relationship with Jesus! It’s exciting! If you are in a close and personal relationship with the creator of this universe, you’re part of the Jesus Culture! And I must say I love what Jesus Culture does through their music and through their name. Their name provokes thought like the one I experienced not half an hour ago.
Cheerio,
Ryan
