Ever wonder why the historical Church is so intricate and complex when it comes to her structure of government, worship, calendar and canon law? The reason it is so is because the Church is to be the heart of the culture. In fact, it is supposed to be the very essence of the culture.
In pre-liberal times the majority of Christians had actual feasts on every feast day of the year, and on holy days…families went to worship on holy days as well as the feast days. Many designed and decorated their homes according to the Church and dressed in accordance to the standards of the Church.
The culture has obviously slipped in the past few generations. And although we may not be able to immediately repair the damage and convince Christians everywhere to abandon their secular lifestyles, we can pray and study in hope and confidence that one day things will change. My view of Scripture tells me that it will indeed change, but not without trial! Here is one of my favorite quotes of all time, from T.S. Eliot:
The Universal Church is today, it seems to me, more definitely set against the World than at any time since Pagan Rome. I do not mean that our times are particularly corrupt; all times are corrupt. In spite of certain local appearances, Christianity is not and cannot be within measurable time, ‘official’. The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide.
— T. S. Eliot, Thoughts After Lambeth (1931)