Biblical Culture: When Tradition, Freedom & Truth Collide

Privilege We Rarely Notice

As an American, I am profoundly privileged.

I enjoy freedoms many around the world do not—freedom of speech, the right to vote as a woman, the right to gather openly. But perhaps one of the most taken-for-granted freedoms is religious liberty.

I can worship Jesus without fear.
I can carry a Bible—one or ten.
I can read it for myself.
I can speak about Him to friends and strangers without life-threatening consequences.

That is not true everywhere.

In parts of Africa I have visited, I had to be extremely careful in written and verbal communication. Missionaries are often called “workers” because the title “missionary” is not allowed. Deportation would be the best-case scenario. In some places, death is a real possibility for sharing the gospel.

Churches are not freely permitted. And while we often choose a church based on music, teaching style, atmosphere, or whether someone greeted us at the door, believers elsewhere gather behind locked gates.

Church Behind Barbed Wire

I have worshiped in churches surrounded by six- to eight-foot fences topped with barbed wire. Security guards stood outside while we sang inside.

I have attended services where gangs waited at the entrance. They taunted worshippers as they walked in. They blasted obscene music during prayer. They planned to rob the offering plate and disrupt the Sabbath.

The enemy works hard to distract from the presence of God.

There is no climate control. No padded chairs. Music may be a cappella and spontaneous. Dancing is often not optional—it is celebration.

And yet, worship rises.

When Theology Is Passed Down

In some communities, pastors and leaders do not have access to Bibles, YouTube sermons, podcasts, or the abundance of resources many Americans enjoy.

So how do they preach?

Sometimes theology is passed down orally. Sometimes it is shaped by culture more than Scripture. And culture, left unchecked, will always try to dictate theology.

Ancestral worship, for example, is very real in certain regions. The belief that ancestors provide wisdom or protection can slowly shift honor into reverence—placing forefathers in the position of God.

Have you ever played the telephone game? One sentence whispered from person to person until the final version barely resembles the original.

The same can happen with theology.

Culture vs. Christ

I have heard of pastors paying monthly bribes to local authorities to keep their churches open. Paying homage to the “king of the land” to be allowed to gather.

I don’t recall Jesus modeling that.

But before we judge, we must look inward.

Culture shapes all of us.

It shapes how we observe Sabbath.
How we celebrate holidays.
When we marry, divorce, vacation, or pursue success.

If we held every one of our traditions up to a Biblical lens, would they withstand the light?

When Grief Dictated Evaluation

After my husband died, I began to evaluate everything.

Every tradition.
Every expectation.
Every habit.

I decided I would live the rest of my life intentionally—not simply doing what we had always done or what others expected of me.

That didn’t mean everything changed. Some traditions were beautiful and worth keeping. But I began asking: Why do I do this? What fruit does it bear? Is it life-giving?

That process scraped away dead weight. It made room for new rhythms. It clarified purpose.

What if we placed our religious habits under that same microscope?

“Because We’ve Always Done It”

It is dangerous to live on autopilot—spiritually or culturally.

When the only answer to “Why do I do this?” is, “Because that’s how it’s always been done,” it may be time to pause.

Not everything old is wrong.
Not everything traditional is unbiblical.

But everything deserves examination.

God’s way is not always the inherited way.

The Gift of the Word

Living intentionally according to Scripture is challenging when you do not have a Bible. Even when you do, many people do not know how to read or study it. Multiple translations, denominations, and interpretations can feel overwhelming.

None of this excuses us from responsibility.

We must read it for ourselves.

There are organizations that have spent decades translating Scripture into heart languages. Men and women have risked—and lost—their lives carrying Bibles across borders.

I have traveled to Christian-friendly villages where no physical Bibles existed. Now, whenever I travel internationally, extra Bibles are packed in my luggage.

Access matters.

If you do not have access to the Word, it is difficult to live under its authority.
If you do not read it, it is difficult for it to refine your thinking.
It is impossible to change what you do not know needs changing.

A Question for All of Us

Have you read your Bible?

Not out of obligation—but with a desire to be changed?

Have you opened it asking the Spirit to refine your thoughts, your traditions, your cultural assumptions?

Does your friend have one?

You might be surprised how many people—both in America and around the world—do not have access to a Bible.

Freedom is a gift.

Access is a gift.

Truth is a gift.

The question is: What are we doing with it?