Michael McKinney
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What You Need to Know About Church Culture
IT IS LIKELY that when James sat down to write his letter, he looked at the world scene and the situation of the Church and was concerned about its future. Some of God’s people had been killed and many had been forced to leave their homes and were scattered around the Roman Empire to avoid persecution. He didn’t of course, yet know of his own death or the deaths of Peter and Paul shortly thereafter, but he must have known it was not beyond the realm of possibility.
He must have asked himself, “What then?” “What happens when there’s no one around to look to that actually knew Jesus personally?” “When all they have are some books about Jesus and what he taught?” “What will hold them together and keep them from blowing apart and going their own way?”
The answer lies in the culture of the Church itself—how we do things around here; what is acceptable and what isn’t within the Church and the thinking that is going to carry us through until the return of Jesus Christ. This is a letter to God’s people. It is a very direct, very personal, and very practical letter.
