Evangelizing Cultures and the Freedom Brought by Christ

Otto Friedrich Theodor von Möller, John's Sermon on Patmos

A general response to: How did the Jewish laws affect Paul's ministry? How did the early Christian's allegiance to Jewish law (ie. dietary law, circumcision) make ministry difficult when addressing both Jews and Gentiles?

The Christian call to conversion requires a profound transformation of heart, rooted in faith and love, yet it must also respect the cultural identities of those being evangelized. Jesus Himself proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and “the time is fulfilled… repent and believe in the gospel” (Matt 4:17, Mark 1:15). Scripture and Church teaching warn against both extremes: imposing unnecessary cultural practices can suffocate the Gospel—“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”—and unbounded relativism can dilute it—“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us” (Galatians 5:1, 2 Thess 2:15). As St. Paul teaches, “you were called to freedom… only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another”, and “if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again” (Gal 5:13, 1 Cor 8:13). Even lawful cultural habits must yield to charity (1 Cor 7:19; Acts 15:7–10). Authentic evangelization must preserve the essence of faith while refraining from cultural imperialism [1]. Genuine evangelization respects freedom and conscience; it is a dialogue rooted in truth, not the enforcement of arbitrary customs [2].

The Church understands herself as called to be “a leaven and, as it were, the soul of human society” [7][8]. Her mission infuses social structures with Gospel truth and love, providing “a source of commitment, direction, and vigor” for building up the human community according to God’s law [7][8]. Evangelizing culture means bringing the Good News into every human reality, aiming for the conversion of both personal and collective consciences, activities, and environments where people live and form relationships. It calls for proclaiming the Gospel as a vital alternative to ideologies that judge humanity by efficiency, profit, or power. The ultimate goal is to foster a society that is both more Christian and more human, promoting freedom, responsibility, mutual respect, and dialogue while upholding the dignity of the human person created in God’s image [6]. As described in *Thoughts on Ryan N.S. Topping’s Method of Rebuilding Catholic Culture*, evangelization must foster authentic Catholic identity while elevating what is good in each culture [2]. Likewise, the domestically rooted reflections in *The Domestic Church, Family* show how Christian homes become seedbeds of cultural renewal [3].

Inculturation is essential to this mission [9]. The Gospel must “take flesh” within each culture without betraying its divine origin, purifying elements burdened by sin and error while elevating the morality and life of the people [9][12]. The Church respects what is truly good and beautiful in every culture and, borrowing St. Thomas Aquinas’ insight, allows grace to perfect nature rather than obliterate it [10]. The Council of Jerusalem’s refusal to impose Jewish rites on Gentile believers remains the paradigmatic model: evangelization brings Christ, not the missionary’s own cultural trappings (Acts of the Apostles 15:7–10). [4]

While evangelization is the mission of the entire Church, the laity have a special role through their secular vocation [7][8][12]. By living their faith in families, workplaces, schools, and public life, they witness to Christ within cultural structures. Christian families, when authentically evangelized, act as vital agents of cultural renewal, forming the domestic Church [4], and Catholic universities, scholars, artists, and professionals contribute through intellectual and moral engagement [7][8]. All the faithful, through prayer, meditation, and lives of holiness and charity, help the fruits of Redemption penetrate cultures gradually [5][17].

Contemporary culture often exhibits a weakened sense of dependence on God, skepticism toward objective truth, and rejection of universal moral norms [5]. Evangelization must confront these crises by proclaiming truths about the human person, community, and destiny known through reason and revelation (Romans 1:19–20). Linking freedom to truth and the moral law, the Church upholds that when fundamental human rights or the salvation of souls are at stake, it must sometimes pass moral judgments—even on political matters (Romans 2:15). [7][8] In doing so, evangelization stands as the indispensable leaven that shapes a free and just society.

In essence, evangelizing culture is the ongoing effort to renew human life and society from within, bringing the light and hope of Christ to every human endeavor [11][17]. True conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, measured by charity, not mere conformity. Christ’s command remains central: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34; cf. 1 John 4:7–8). Rooted in Scripture, nourished by Tradition, and guided by reason, the Church continues her mission of incarnating the Gospel into all cultures—respecting diversity where possible, correcting error where necessary, and always inviting humanity into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:21).

Written by Carter Carruthers with some expansion and help with citations from Magisterium Ai and Chat GPT

FN:

1. Carter Carruthers, "How Catholics Define Conversion", Vivat Agnus Dei, August 1, 2021.
2. Carter Carruthers, "Thoughts on Ryan N.S. Topping's Method of Rebuilding Catholic Culture", Vivat Agnus Dei, May 16, 2021.
3. Carter Carruthers, "The Domestic Church, Family", Vivat Agnus Dei, May 13, 2020.
4. Carter Carruthers, "Sacred Tradition or Tradition of Men?", Vivat Agnus Dei, July 19, 2020.
5. Carter Carruthers, "The New Evangelization", Vivat Agnus Dei, October 15, 2023.
6. Carter Carruthers, "Christian Life but Mission?", Vivat Agnus Dei, July 26, 2020.
7. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution on the Catholic Universities Ex corde ecclesiae (15 August 1990), §48.
8. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Mission and Vocation of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World Christifideles laici (30 December 1988), §44.
9. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 854.
10. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 23, a. 8, at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.
11. To the staff of the Vatican Secret Archives and of the Vatican Library (January 15, 1999) – Speech.  
12. Address of the Holy Father to the Bishops of Malta on their Ad Limina visit (June 4, 1987) – Speech.  
13. To Bishops of Nigeria in Lagos (February 15, 1982) – Speech, 3.
14. To the Pontifical Council for Culture (January 13, 1989), 2.  
15. To the third group of Bishops of the United States of America on their Ad Limina visit (March 17, 1998), 6.  
16. To the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic accredited to the Holy See (December 11, 2000) – Speech, 2.
17. George H. Dunne, Generation of Giants: The Story of the Jesuits in China (University of Notre Dame Press, 1962), 54–67.