Richard Lovelace’s discussion of destructive and protective enculturation in Dynamics of Spiritual Lifegot me to thinking about worship and nominal Christianity. He mentions the Puritan Regulative Principle of worship as a type of protective enculturation. It can be, if used improperly (thinking only the worship of a particular time is pure & acceptable). And Luther’s view of worship can easily lead to destructive enculturation (worshipping like false religions).
The Regulative Principle states that Scripture regulates our worship. How one interprets that makes all the difference in the world. Scripture does address the elements of worship- and these are what should be regulated. We find lots of singing, prayer, offerings, confession, sacraments and preaching as part of worship. We then remove the cultural baggage, disenculturation, of previous cultures so we can exercise these elements of worship in our particular culture. We cannot put a protective cocoon around them that says only Psalms, or hymns written in a certain time frame, or only certain kinds of prayers and songs may be said and sung.
Our worship should be both like and unlike our culture. It should fit in regarding style, who we dress & speak, how affection is shown etc. It should be unlike our culture in that it conveys the gospel clearly and consistently, and removes any cultural aspects that are contrary to the gospel. Christian worship will look different as you cross cultures- even within the same city. But it should have the unifying aspects of leading us to faith in the triune God, particularly depending on the person and work of Jesus for our salvation, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. It should emphasize God’s holiness & love, our sin and humility, reverence and joy in the reality of justification & sanctification etc. (John Frame’s Worship in Spirit and Truthis a great book to work through some of these issues in interpreting the Regulative Principle)
Churches that focus on the form, rather than the content, of worship risk falling into either destructive or protective enculturation- to their ultimate demise apart from repentance. One loses its distinctiveness, and the other its relevance. The congregation falls into either worship license or legalism.
I also see the increase in nominal Christianity where there is either destructive or protective enculturation. With destructive enculturation, Christian discipleship has no cross. It is easy to be a Christian because there really is no repentance and putting to death of sin in one’s life. You find “cheap grace”. With protective enculturation, the message of Christ crucified (and therefore the primary elements of renewal- justification, sanctification, adoption etc.) are lost beneath a series of legalistic practices. You are a Christian because you abstain from certain things, or do other things. The life transforming union with Christ is absent. You are lost, and don’t even know it because you go to church, give and serve. You have been innoculated to the gospel. So, both liberal and Fundamentalist (legalistic) churches breed nominal Christian, by neglecting the gospel in very different ways.
Cavman Considers 
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