Feature
04 May 2026

Popular culture is inescapable, and we encounter it on a daily basis. Because much of its messaging contradicts biblical teaching, many Christians believe that it should be rejected or shunned. The widespread influence of the mass media has often been blamed for the moral decline of society, and we might be inclined to agree with Kenneth A. Myers when he contends,

“I believe that the challenge of living with popular culture may well be as serious for modern Christians as persecution and plagues were for the saints of earlier centuries.”

Does the consumption of popular culture mean friendship with the world, which is enmity with God (James 4:4)? Not necessarily. For all our legitimate concerns, it should be acknowledged that there is value in some of its elements. We can surely think of songs and movies with positive, or even distinctly Christian, themes, and these should not be hastily dismissed as worldly. Instead of rejecting popular culture lock, stock, and barrel, we ought to critically assess its cultural forms to determine their value.

T. M. Moore, in Redeeming Pop Culture: A Kingdom Approach, encourages us to do this by considering three factors—beauty, goodness, and truth, which the ancient Greek philosophers regarded as “transcendentals”. Beauty is related to the issue of aesthetics. Does the cultural form demonstrate the use of skill? Is it aesthetically pleasing?

Goodness is related to the issue of purpose. What is the purpose of the cultural form, and is it successfully achieved? Furthermore, is this purpose consistent with God’s kingdom purposes?

Truth is related to the morality and message of the cultural form. Does it express biblical truth or deny it?

Instead of embracing or rejecting cultural forms blindly, we should ascertain their value by asking such questions, basing our assessment not on the standards of the world, but the standards of God. We can then discern which aspects of a cultural form should be rejected, and which should be accepted or even affirmed.

Having an informed understanding of popular culture can make the Church more effective in mission, because it expresses the values, beliefs, hopes, and dreams of the people around us. It reveals to us what is in their hearts; it tells us what they think and feel, what speaks to them, and what they desire. Knowing what makes people tick, regardless of whether their values are right or wrong, can guide our efforts to reach them for Christ. Some awareness of popular culture can help us to communicate more effectively with non-believers by employing a “language” that they are familiar with. Otherwise, our faith can easily be dismissed as irrelevant.

Moreover, popular culture may have contributed more to the Church than we realise. Consider the contemporary praise and worship movement. The musical styles of modern worship songs work because they are popular. People can connect with these musical forms, and this facilitates their experience of God in sung worship. The musical arrangements of some well-known choruses were inspired by secular songs, and some beloved classic hymns were written using popular secular tunes. Should this shock us? Not if we see God as the ultimate source of all creative inspiration and believe that He can and does inspire even non-Christian songwriters in their craft.

The selective use of movies and video clips in sermons, Bible studies, and even theological training courses is another example of harnessing the potential of popular cultural forms for kingdom work. The rise of the arts in Christian ministry reflects the awareness that this is a powerful way of connecting with believers and non-believers alike.

Of course, even though there are benefits in drawing from popular culture, there are also dangers and pitfalls. Craig Groeschel notes that “in some places, [the] church is so relevant that we almost seem to worship culture more than Christ”. Sadly, for many churches today, Groeschel’s words are not far off the mark. Popular culture must not be wholly embraced for the sake of relevance, and what is efficacious is not always beneficial or acceptable.

Let us not forget that the Church is called to an innately counter-cultural existence. After all, Scripture tells us that we are “strangers and aliens in the world” (1 Peter 2:11). We must therefore be careful about our association with forms of popular culture that propagate ideas that are repugnant to the word of God.

The sort of engagement with popular culture that is espoused here demands much critical thinking. Our assessment of cultural forms must be biblical-theological, meaning that it is based not only on the plain teaching of the Bible, but also on theological principles which are drawn from Scripture that can inform our perspectives on issues which may not be explicitly addressed therein.

We should not exempt ourselves from evaluating popular culture’s myriad expressions. In The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll urges us to take this task seriously. He observes,

“For an entire Christian community to neglect, generation after generation, serious attention to the mind, nature, society, the arts—all spheres created by God and sustained for His own glory—may be, in fact, sinful.”

It should be clear by now that critically engaging with popular culture in a discerning and biblical manner is necessary hard work. Unfortunately, we are often people of extremes, guilty either of failing to engage sufficiently (being overly conservative) or of engaging to the point of compromise (being overly permissive). Instead, we ought to take a more balanced and informed approach, even if the alternatives may seem easier.

God has not left us without positive examples in Scripture. When Daniel and his three friends were captives in Babylon, they did not entirely reject Babylonian culture. Instead, with godly wisdom they understood where to draw the line in their participation in it. As a result, without compromising their faithfulness to God, they were able to significantly influence the king of a pagan nation.

The Church today should endeavour to make a similar impact in the world around us. May we, guided by the Holy Spirit, engage with popular culture in a discerning manner so that we may connect meaningfully with an unbelieving world for the cause of Christ.

Revd Christopher Chan serves as a priest with the Anglican Diocese of Singapore and is currently the Vicar of St Andrew’s Cathedral. He is married to Adeline, and they have a daughter named Shannon.