TO CONFORM OR NOT
CONFORM - THAT IS THE QUESTION
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
“Do not conform any longer to
the patter of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and
perfect will.” Romans 12:2
Advertisers know the power of peer pressure. The need to
feel accepted by a group that is of importance to the
individual has a tendency to lead him or her to conform to
the groups expectations. Few people want to go through life
without the support of others. We exist as social beings in
relationship with others in the community. Even our sense
of identity and self-worth depends on relationship to
others in society. Responsibilities, roles and status in
society are culturally defined and in a continual state of
development. The core values of a society or any of its
sub-groups can change over time. Some associations can be
easily terminated, whereas others cannot. All have an
inherent rules or expectations which all members are
expected to observe. But, how is compliance achieved? There
are two basic ways. The first is through a formal
identification of rules and regulations that are enforced
through disciplinary action. In more informal associations,
unwritten norms may be enforced by the leadership without
formal procedures. The second compliance mechanism is more
subtle and relates to peer pressure. Group values must be
accepted and conduct must comply with expectations. Those
who refuse to go along will be marginalized or ostracized.
In a corporate environment, people realise that often they
need to go along with things they disagree with without
complaint if they want to advance in their careers. At all
levels of society, we face great pressure to conform to the
values and expectations of the groups we are associated
with.
Within societies, one can always find a tension between the
need to restrain forces of anarchy, chaos and exploitation
on the one hand and the need to protect self-expression on
the other. Competing interests in society must be balanced
in some way. To prevent a collapse of the social order,
there must be at least a minimum of rules that are accepted
by all, together with a means of enforcing them. In light
of this, how do we interpret Paul’s admonition not to
be conformed to the pattern of this world? After all, in
the following chapter (Romans 13), Paul argues that
Christians must submit themselves to the governing
authorities. Clearly Paul is not of the view that we should
never be conformed to “pattern of this world”
when it comes to questions of law. Because the state has
enforcement powers to deal with wrong-doing, it acts as
God’s agent in this regard. Consequently, one can
conclude that some degree of conformity to shared values is
necessary to promote the common good. At a first level, we
need to obey the laws of the land. At a second level, we
need to conform to the shared ethical values of our society
that encourage voluntary service, philanthropy and other
forms of altruism. Common social values that express
principles of the Kingdom of God that deserve to be
respected. What Paul is undoubtedly referring to are values
in a society that are incompatible with the values of
God’s Kingdom. A good example of this can be found in
the business world. The industrial revolution brought with
it horrible working conditions. Christian business leaders
did not think that mistreatment of workers was in any way
incompatible with their membership in the Church. Those who
spoke out on this issue were not well received. Early
leaders like Wilberforce refused to be conformed to the
predominant thinking of the age, but rather spoke out on
behalf of the exploited, many of whom were children. It is
not easy to swim against the current. Turning a blind eye
is often better for one’s one personal interests,
assuming one disagrees. Part of the problem is that there
are many people who are incapable of seeing what is wrong.
The selfishness of a small but powerful group often
prevails over the best interests of large constituencies in
society. In order to begin to change the world, one must
start by changing one person at a time. Each one of us
needs to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The
values of God’s Kingdom need to be internalized and
lived in our daily lives. Following the example of the
prophets of old, we need to be able to identify what is
right and then have the strength of character and will to
stand against forces that would marginalize, dehumanize or
exploit. To do this, we need to take the time necessary to
develop a Christian world view that is informed by
Scripture and inspired by the examples of the great agents
of social change in our world. More particularly, we need
to take time to become informed about the issues if we are
to put them in a Christian perspective. May God renew us
for service. Amen.