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Group Captivity: The Cultural Christian Box

This is day two of the series of blog posts, “Boxes that Hold Group Members Captive.” As I’ve mentioned the last three days…There are three very important reasons that a small group leader needs to be aware of these boxes, 1) the only way they will be set free is if a small group leader knows what those boxes are and aids in freeing the small group member being held captive, 2) because we live in an age of very attainable information, many small group members will realize that some expectations are heaped upon them by someone other than God, and rebellion will rear its ugly head, 3) when a small group discusses some issues, a small group member may push back hard, and sometimes they should.
 
The Cultural Christian Box is a box that is instinctively known to those of us who have been church-types for any period of time. This box is overflowing with expectations created mostly by those who have lived their lives almost exclusively with other church types, churchgoers who seldom mingle with those outside the faith. Expectations in the cultural Christian box may be directives that over time were embraced and thought of as biblical expressions. These are most often born in Southern churches in the United States.
 
Responsibilities like attending Sunday night worship services, reading the King James Bible only, or dressing up for church services are illustrations of these.

But oftentimes, the things that fall into this category aren’t expectations; they are attitudes. For instance, passive aggressive behavior or ignoring a fellow Christ follower who said something that was attacking and hurtful rather than going to them to point out the statement and reconciling. The attitudes that drive these actions contradict Scripture, but they are not only accepted; they are culturally normal. They are culturally Christian and undoubtedly contradictory to the teachings of Jesus.

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rhowerton@churchleaders.com'
Rick has one passion… To see “a biblical small group within walking distance of every person on the planet making disciples that make disciples.” He is presently pursuing this passion as the Small Group and Discipleship Specialist at LifeWay Church Resources. Rick has authored or co-authored multiple books, studies, and leader training resources including A Different Kind of Tribe: Embracing the New Small Group Dynamic, Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, The Gospel and the Truth: Living the Message of Jesus, Small Group Life Ministry Manual: A New Approach to Small Groups, Redeeming the Tears: a Journey Through Grief and Loss, Small Group Life: Kingdom, Small Group Kickoff Retreat: Experiential Training for Small Group Leaders, and Great Beginnings: Your First Small Group Study, Disciples Path: A Practical Guide to Disciple Making. Rick’s varied ministry experiences as an collegiate minister, small group pastor, teaching pastor, elder, full-time trainer and church consultant, as well as having been a successful church planter gives him a perspective of church life that is all-encompassing and multi-dimensional. Rick is a highly sought after communicator and trainer.