Cultural Provincialism

1. Nostalgia: God's plan for the world is for things to be like they were when I was a boy.
• This is based on the romantic, frequently unrealistic, memories of childhood. As a child, many of us were protected by our parents from contact with the harsh realities of life. Our parents didn't let us know how bad things were ("We were so poor, we didn't even know how poor we were. We just thought that was the way it was.") Our parents would whisper or wait until the children weren't present before discussing corruption, infidelity, illigitimacy, addiction, etc. Frequently, social problems were referred to only indirectly or through inuendo. Children didn't pick up on it. So as a result it seems to us now that the good old days were a wonderful golden era, free from all the ills of society that are so ever present today. Mom was home all day cleaning, waxing, and preparing our favorite treats. Dad pulled up in front of the perfect suburban home in a new car. The children ran to greet him, excited to be the first to get to ride in it. Etc., etc, etc.
• It is easy to dream, "If things were just the way they were back then."
• This leads to the phenomenon of retro-preaching -- preaching to turn back the clock. Preaching that women should stay home and not work. That a woman should stay married even if the husband beats her. And a whole bunch of other completely ridiculous ideas that are frequently expressed from the pulpits of our evangelical, fundamentalist churches.
2. Familiarity: Gods plan is for things to be what we are comfortable with.
• This form of Cultural Provincialism is based on the idea that God's plan is for things to be what we are used to. What is comfortable. We all want the Church to be a respite from the stress and strain of life. We feel better when we can get away to something familiar and comfortable. Our religion is like an old sweatshirt or a favorite pair of slippers. We are captivated by the lure of the familiar hymns we have been singing since we were children, the organ music, the familiar stained glass windows, the color of the pews, the order of worship. Any change to these things is a sign of deterioration. A source of discomfort and stress.
• This leads to such absurdities as Missionaries going to foreign lands and teaching the people there to use offering envelopes.
• Churches refusing to permit music that will appeal to a younger generation
• Dying churches, made up of a few old people, scattered through the nearly empty pews of what once was a large, alive, and exciting church.

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Copyright © 1996 Steve Falkenberg