Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship recently urged “cultural Christians” to explore putting their faith in Jesus Christ, taking a step further from just accepting the tenets of the religion. In recent months, several high-profile figures, such as Elon Musk and famed atheist Richard Dawkins, have come out as proponents of the outward impact of Christianity amid a culture war in the West.
For example, Musk said in a recent interview with Jordan Peterson, “While I’m not a particularly religious person, I do believe that the teachings of Jesus are good and wise, and that there’s tremendous wisdom in turning the other cheek,” Musk said. “This notion of forgiveness is important. I think it’s essential because if you don’t forgive, I forget who said it, but ‘an eye for an eye makes everyone blind. So I’m a big believer in the principles of Christianity.”
“So in what sense then are you not religious?” Peterson asked Musk. “So [Richard] Dawkins just came out … and announced he’s a cultural Christian.” “Right,” Musk answered. “I would say I’m probably a cultural Christian. I was brought up Anglican and I was baptized.” Musk continued, “There’s an argument that when a culture loses its religion, it starts to become anti-natalist and decline in numbers and potentially disappear.”
Furthermore, Dawkins, who has made a name for himself criticizing Christianity, recently said, “I call myself a cultural Christian. I’m not a believer, but there’s a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian…I love hymns and Christmas carols, and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos.”
Laurie noted that it is powerful that such prominent, secular men are acknowledging the outward manifestations of Christianity. “These men are acknowledging the positive effect that Christianity has had in the world, the positive effect that Christianity has on a nation, and the positive effect that Christianity has on a person,” Laurie said in a statement. “So in a way, it’s an acknowledgment of the reality of the truth of the Christian message, the truth of the biblical message, the truth of Christ.”
While he noted that it is a “step in the right direction” for people like Musk to come out and endorse Christian culture, he implored them to dig deeper. “When someone says they’re a cultural Christian, especially an avowed atheist like Dawkins, or a man of such great influence and innovation and creativity as Elon Musk, I think it’s a step in the right direction, and I would encourage both of them — and anybody else who identifies himself as a cultural Christian — to come into a relationship with Christ himself. That’s what Christianity is.”
Laurie emphasized the ultimate point of the Gospel: putting your faith in Jesus Christ. “Being a real Christian, which means having Christ in your life, that’s the ultimate answer,” Laurie said, calling for viewers to pray for Musk, Dawkins and “anybody else that is truly searching for truth…that they will find that relationship with God.”
Watch Laurie below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.