Culture, Complexity, and Chucking Seed

In coming to Maine, I quickly realized that it has its own cultural distinctives. Since arriving, I’ve focused on listening and asking questions—trying to learn the culture in and around Bangor. What is the church scene like? What are family dynamics in the area? What drives people? How do people express a thirst for meaning and purpose in life? Do those who are not believers mostly feel burned by the Church and are now militantly atheist, or do they simply see faith as passé and irrelevant? 

These are important questions. I was hoping to learn the culture, so that I would best know how to communicate the gospel in relevant terms. And I have learned…Many people are relatively independent, private, and self-sufficient. Building relational trust takes time. There are very few evangelical Christians in Maine (for one article on religious affiliation in Maine, look here), and many nominal Catholics and others who seem to have had negative experiences in churches. 

Recognizing the cultural patterns and values is helpful. For instance, even something as simple as greeting a stranger on the street (which in many places would be considered friendly) here may be considered a breach of privacy. It is important to not assume that others have the same values as I do, lest I bulldoze those differences acting only within my sense of propriety. 

But at the same time as I begin to learn the culture in Maine, I am finding it harder to refer to “people in Maine”. This is far too simplistic. I’ve met people who fit characteristics mentioned above, but I’ve also met people who are very different. And every single person is more than a simple set of characteristics. Not everyone holds their cards close to their chest: over the past couple weeks, I’ve met several strangers in my “regular” coffeeshop, and ended up having significant conversations about faith, family, and background. A man at an estate sale last weekend shared the struggle he and his wife were having after his father-in-law’s death. Parents of players on my soccer team begin to talk about about their own values and backgrounds. 

So although there is certainly truth to the general cultural characteristics, there are always exceptions—and every individual is more than any one set of characteristics. I ought never assume that all “Mainers” will be the same. 

If I simply assume that someone will be stand-offish, I may never initiate a conversation or give them the time of day. And similarly, here in Maine—a place often resistant to the gospel—I must remember that not everyone who appears resistant to God is a lost cause. We are called to share the good news about Jesus with everyone. 

One of my friends mentioned how, in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, the farmer throws the seed everywhere. He doesn’t only seed the good soil; he just “keeps chucking seed”. And although we should seek to discern God’s leading, maybe we also need to just “keep chucking seed” without too quickly assuming about those around us and pre-judging the soils.

Thank you for reading!