Cultural Christians, Aren't

There is a growing trend for certain groups of the US to refer to themselves as Cultural Christians. What they mean by this is that they like the aesthetics of certain parts Christian moral precepts and cultural norms but they don't want God in the mix. It may sound as if those people are natural allies of the Christian politically. I am not so sure that is the case though. Its not clear to me that christian moral precepts can be safely adopted without a faith in the God who handed them down. That moral code is a full package. The Ten Commandments start with an admonition to worship only God and to put nothing else before Him. The entire basis of the moral code flow from obediance and worship of God. When it becomes divorced from God tragedy ensues. History is full of examples where cultural christianity was used to justify very ungodly activities.

The Risks of Cultural Christianity

A purely cultural christianity comes with risks that are inherent to the absence of God acting as the safeguard. If it is not rooted in a continuous active pursuit of God it becomes unmoored from the very things that make it work. While cultural christians may occasionally align with us on specific issues they fundamentally can't be expected to intrepret those issues with the entirety of scripture in mind. They aren't motivated in the same way. Their end goals are not the same.

Goals and Motivations

Christians are meant to be intrinsicly motivated by their faith and relationship with God. This is why the Ten Commandments start the way they do. The entire system is meant to be approached with the basic question. What would God have me do in this situation? They are not just a set of rules but a philosophical collaboration with God that motivates our thinking and desire to conform to them. To conform in a way that considers the whole of scripture. Not just the pieces that meet our desired cultural expectations.

Ultimately a cultural christian is just adopting the parts of christian culture that appeal to them at this time. They are not approaching our cultural norms with a desire to conform to Christ. They are trying to conform christian culture to their own. They do not share the same end goals so it is inevitable that eventually they will be at odds with us and with God.

Picking and Choosing

Without the inherent intrinsic motivation of the christian faith then the temptation to pick and choose from the moral precepts and cultural norms will inescapble. You won't have a strong foundation to motivate what you keep vs what you leave out.