How Should We Then Shift?: A Christian Response to Cultural Changes
The West is shifting, and fast. Our society, politics, and culture are in an ongoing state of flux that seems to have escalated. Some see progress to be celebrated, while others see collapse to be mourned (or combinations of the two). Yet either way, there is change afoot. Some of these more recent shifts have reminded me of my former days in sociology when we would have spoken about paradigm shifts, though many of our current changes seem a bit more rapid and turbulent—a bit less like digging with a shovel and more like experimenting with TNT. In light of this, Christians may be mindful of several crucial points when navigating these cultural shifts.
Vibe Shifts and Paradigm Shifts
A clear definition of a couple of these concepts is crucial before proceeding. Paradigm shifts refer to fundamental changes that drastically impact a field of study or discipline. Usually attributed to the work of Thomas Kuhn, this term was originally coined to describe sweeping changes such as one would see in a scientific revolution, where the concepts and practices of an entire discipline changed quite quickly due to a discovery or event. Examples would be the Copernican Revolution with its heliocentric theory, or the discovery of the atom, or the invention of the internet—these are phases that revolutionized much of the world that they inhabited.
But paradigm shifts are not just a scientific phenomenon, as this term can be used to describe any time that there are deep, widespread structural changes in our thought, methodology, and practice. These sorts of changes often follow a time or event of crisis that challenges the old paradigm—in other words, there is often a catalyst that acts like a spark to a fire.
There is also the more contemporary use of the term vibe shift, which seems related to a paradigm shift with some key differences. The term itself emerged from the world of music, fashion, and lifestyle trends, but it has since grown far beyond that usage and has entered into the common lexicon (much like paradigm shift). Vibe shifts describe noticeable changes in the cultural mood or atmosphere, changes that are often more superficial or surface-level than a paradigm shift, reflecting popular or cultural sentiment as opposed to deep structural changes.
However, vibe shifts should not necessarily be so easily dismissed—they are often indicators of much deeper currents that are underway, or in some cases they can be the catalyst which lead to those eventual deeper changes. These shifts can also often be quite transient or volatile, and they can rapidly reverse or change course. This is one reason why vibe shifts are characterized by language that recognizes the fleeting “moment” we are in, such as NGMI and WGMI (“not gonna make it,” “we’re gonna make it”).
Shifts are Opportunities
Christians are not usually opportunistically minded, but there are times that they should be. We are not tossed about by every wind and wave, but we are also not blind to opportunities that we are given. Even Paul had the good sense to pray for an open door that he could walk through (Col 4:3). One of the reasons why vibe shifts are worth considering is that they often deal with inherently moral categories. Opinions regarding abortion or LGBT issues are inherently moral categories. The Christian Church can view shifts in these areas as opportunities to gain ground, or prepare fertile ground for future endeavors, or at least alleviate oppressive circumstances so that deep roots and convictions might flourish. Vibe shifts can provide an open door.
There are currently a few poignant vibe shifts occurring in the West, particularly in the socio-political sphere. One thing that Christians can aim for in the midst of this is engaging with the sort of shifts that produce a lasting unity. These vibe shifts often emerge from both positive and negative directions: there are rejections of previously shared consensus or perspective, coupled with positive unity that is grounded upon shared values and convictions. These often include nominal affiliations and a lack of deep-seated convictions, but that may be beside the point.
In pursuit of unity through these shifts, Christians do well to remember that unity-in-itself is never the end goal: unity must be based upon truth, and unity is the fruit of shared convictions and mission. Christians can-and-should celebrate co-belligerency with others, even while acknowledging that co-belligerency has an inevitable shelf life in both politics and religious partnerships. David united with the Philistines of Gath against their common enemy King Saul, but that partnership was never meant to last.
Shifts Can be Big or Small, but Usually Quick
With something as popular-level and changeable as vibe shifts, there are often bigger shifts and smaller shifts. The smaller shifts (micro shifts) are transient things that we may call trends. These include things like the ice bucket challenge, JNCO Jeans, or dubstep. They are things that achieve widespread popularity, but they ultimately do very little to lastingly shape a cultural landscape.
There are also major shifts that have more formative power, and often entail an inherent moral or ethical quality, raising questions that involve our religious and epistemological commitments and convictions. The COVID era is a worthwhile negative example, where a perceived health crisis led to major cultural shifts in a variety of spheres. All these major shifts also reveal an important dynamic for taking advantage of vibe shifts: there needs to be a solidifying agent, a means to advance institutions and laws that will help to preserve and cement those advances into the cultural fabric.
While vibe shifts can be big or small, they often appear to be quite rapid. There are gradual transformations that inevitably occur in societies, like normal demographic shifts that occur within populations. There are also rapid changes that can shape and form, such as cultural or political revolutions. The point is that these things often do not take long. It did not take Israel all that long to forget about the downsides to slavery and prepare themselves for revolt against Moses in favor of a few leeks and onions.
Shifts are Often Sparked
When Israel sought the onions of Egypt rather than pursuing the produce of Canaan (Numbers 11), God turned their course by the leadership of Moses. Social shifts like these are often sparked by a singular catalyst. There are usually other factors at play too (as there were in Moses’ case), yet there is often one pivotal figure who conveys great influence. We are used to thinking of this dynamic in the context of sports (a galvanizing figure energizing an entire franchise), but we are often less likely to see this at work in socio-cultural contexts in a favorable light.
This is where the conception of a vibe shift can be helpful. We may think of paradigm shifts as a more scholarly pursuit that engages scientific or socio-cultural change, while the vibe shift describes a broader yet more ephemeral social change. Individuals acting as catalysts can be the glue that binds those dynamics into something that re-defines entire swaths of society, which should help explain why even national presidential campaigns are paying close attention to podcasters and social influencers.
Important for Christians is the realization that a catalyst can bypass the need for widespread social acceptance. In other words, social change can occur without the vast majority of society being supportive of the change. C.S. Lewis broached this theme in the Ransom Trilogy by exploring how a small group of elite figures like Lord Feverstone and Professor Frost were able to change and manipulate a widespread cultural transformation through means such as media and institutional influence. It’s all in Lewis, all in Lewis, after all.
Shifts Do Not Always Make Sense
Vibe shifts do not always make a great deal of sense. This should not be a major surprise, as we live in a culture that is often behaviorally anti-rationalist while wearing the clothing of rationalism. Rationalism championed the thought that our exercise of reason is our basis for knowledge and truth. It should be little surprise that, as rationalism made inroads into the church, things like creeds and confessions became less popular—after all, each felt it was their place to arrive at their truth through individualized reason (and often devoid of biblical instruction). And unfortunately, there is a long and storied history of anti-rationalist behavior among God’s people—there was never anything rational about bowing in front of a golden calf (Exod 32).
It was already observed that vibe shifts do not often happen in isolation, which is probably due in large part to the global nature of so many things. Our societies are frequently interconnected—whether technologically, or economically, or even culturally. Characters from TV shows can even have an impact on societies across the globe. There is much to critique with these trends, but this cultural diffusion is able to spread ideas and practices quite rapidly from one culture to another, including cultural shifts.
This should highlight why Christians cannot be hesitant to engage these shifts, even those popular-level vibe shifts that are so prevalent in our day. Part of that involves understanding what the shift is and realizing that there is an irrational way these things tend to pick up steam. Christians are prone to looking for widespread societal change from the ground up, yet we may also realize that there is value in leading our culture from the top-down. There have to be those times when the high priest Hilkiah finds a dusty copy of the book of the Law and brings it to King Josiah, and the reforms and shifts flow from the top down to the people.
On the other hand, we may see the king of Nineveh call for wholesale societal repentance from the leaders of the city all the way down to the cattle (Jonah 4). We may still seek to see grassroots efforts and widespread revival among a culture, such as those that Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield labored toward in the Great Awakening. Vibe shifts are often rapid and volatile, but that does not make them our enemy. Important for the Christian response is that when God provides us with an opportunity, that we engage it, solidify what is worthy of preserving, and use these shifts to the glory of God and advance of His kingdom.