–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Every culture shares its own set of strengths and weaknesses. The West, for example, is infatuated with the sins of materialism and entertainment, whereas Muslim nations more easily embrace transgressions like polygamy. 

Christian Worldview

As a general principle, a nation that’s been influenced by Christianity will enjoy more strengths in its culture than those countries affected by paganism and false religions. This is because the gospel changes a man’s destiny and his deeds, his future and his feats, his end and his endeavours. Christianity isn’t a mere accessory in one’s life, like a spoiler on the back of a sports car. Rather, Christianity is a worldview that drives a person’s life, like the engine in a pick-up truck. 

Just as some cars have bigger engines than others, some cultures are “superior” to others, not in the sense of inherent worth among the citizens but in their society’s expression of that which is good, true, and beautiful. 

If the culture of Scotland, for example, was not superior to the culture of the cannibals on the New Hebrides, why did John Paton waste his time landing there? Why teach them to read, write, and count? Why didn’t ships constructed in Tanna and Aniwa sail to Scotland instead of the other way around? 

The answer is that Scottish culture was superior to that of the maneaters in the South Pacific, but not because of anything inherently good in Paton or Scotland. Superior ethics, superior agriculture, superior education, superior architecture, and superior economics didn’t come from within. It came from without. It sprang from the leader of Christianity—Jesus Christ—whose influence through God’s Word had arrived in Scotland a millennium before Paton’s birth and had exploded throughout the land three hundred years prior. 

African Time

An example of a pagan cultural practice that needs to die is the concept of African time. Anyone who has lived or worked on the continent knows about this loose view of punctuality. 

Some nations are known for their excellence in timeliness. Switzerland, for example—that nation of watchmakers—is known for being prompt. Swiss trains, as with Swiss people, are rarely late. One author wondered how to “explain [Swiss] cleanliness and punctuality? No one knows for sure.” He suspected farming in the mountains was the answer. I believe it’s because of their Christian heritage, a worldview that says when I value your time, I value you. 

Nations like Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands also enjoy good reputations for punctuality. Countries known for being late include Indonesia, India, and most African states. In South Africa, there is now, now, now, and just now, none of which means “at this very moment”. During my travels throughout Ghana and Botswana, Malawi and Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, I’ve noticed it is common for pastors to give the starting time of a church service long before it actually starts in order to coax timeliness.   

Westerners notice this but tremble that they’ll be considered a racist for censuring such obvious tardiness. Instead, as Corbett and Fikertt did in their book When Helping Hurts, they present two views of time, neither of which is superior to the other. The monochronic view—which could just as easily be called the biblical view—“sees time as a limited and valuable resource.” This view is embraced by most Western nations, and not surprisingly, the locations in African countries that succeed at promptness—like the cities—are also the most Westernised. 

The authors then speak of the polychronic view, which puts less value on arriving on time. This perspective, according to the writers, values people over tasks, as though most people in Africa are late because they’re so busy building deep relationships. 

Some years ago, a pastor from Zambia spoke at our church and said, “What is this I hear about African time? Nonsense! You simply do not value time. You are sitting with your friends chatting when your neighbour calls and asks why you haven’t arrived yet with the shovel, and you say, ‘Oh, I’m on the way,’ when you know very well you are not on the way.’ African Christians should be ashamed of African time.”

The Sin of African Time

I recognise that defining “on time” is not a perfect science. I’m not urging Punctuality Pastors to start rebuking their flock every time they arrive five minutes late. But I do believe that a habit of tardiness is sinful, as is any culture that does not value the preciousness of time. Being late is unchristian. Here are three reasons why.

First, tardiness is stealing and stealing, according to the eighth commandment, is sinful (Ex. 20:15). A man who wears a black mask and steals your TV at midnight is a thief. A woman wearing lipstick who arrives at your meeting an hour late in broad daylight is also a thief. She’s not only stolen your money (because time is money), but she’s stolen something more valuable than money. Time which can never be retrieved. 

Second, tardiness is lying and lying, according to the ninth commandment, is sinful (Ex. 20:16). You say you’ll arrive at eight in the morning, but you arrive at nine without a care in the world. Any culture that normalises this practice cannot function efficiently. This is why there are no wealthy nations on earth with the supposed “polychronic view” of time. This truth may hurt your feelings, but facts don’t care about your feelings. 

Finally, tardiness does not follow Jesus’ example, who always arrives on time. According to Romans 5:6, Christ died for the ungodly “at the right time”, and not a moment too late. According to Galatians 4:4, God Almighty sent forth his Son “when the fullness of time had come”—and not a moment too soon. 

Action Point

Here’s a three-fold way to overcome the sin of tardiness. First, recognise that promptness is a moral category and resist the temptation to blame this problem on culture or “just the way we do things”. Japan didn’t become an economic powerhouse until it admitted that other nations did some things a lot better than them. 

Second, employ practical aids to help you succeed. Wear a watch. Set timers on your phone. Think ahead. Apologise when you’re late. Rub shoulders with those who model promptness and learn from them. 

Finally, start forming the difficult habit of arriving on time. The bad news is that bad habits are difficult to break. The good news is that good habits are also difficult to break. Be not weary in doing good (Gal. 6:9).