Cut Flower Faith

Cut Flower Faith                                                                   August 2, 2026

While listening to a podcast recently, I heard the podcaster make a reference to something he called a “cut-flower civilization.”  He explained that the description did not originate with him and provided its source.  I did a little research and found the source of the quote and how it was used in its original context.

A theologian by the name of Elton Trueblood lived during the last century and used that term in a book he wrote in 1969.  Here is the quote in its original context:  “A quarter of a century ago a few of us began to say that faith in the possibility of a cut-flower civilization is a faith which is bound to fail.  What we meant was that it is impossible to sustain certain elements of human dignity, once these have been severed from their cultural roots.  The sorrowful fact is that, while the cut flowers seem to go on living and may even exhibit some brightness for a while, they cannot do so permanently, for they will eventually wither and be discarded.  This metaphor of a “cut-flower civilization” severed from its cultural roots and left seeking a moral center remains a powerful image of contemporary society today.”

As I type these words, I need to remind myself and all of us that Dr. Trueblood’s words were written in 1969.  That means that his reference to a quarter of a century ago would take us back to the mid 1940’s.  Would any of us argue that we, as a civilization, are closer to our moral roots now then we were then?

While I am very concerned about our society, I started thinking of an application that is much more personal.  I cannot answer for an entire civilization, but I am taught that I will answer for myself and that I need to do some serious self-examination.  “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (II Corinthians 13:5, ESV).

The concern expressed by Dr. Trueblood sounds a lot like the parable of Jesus in which some good seeds “…fell on rocky ground…,” but did not produce because “…they had no depth of soil” (both quotes are from Matthew 13:5, ESV).  It should be obvious that roots cannot go very deep in rocky soil.  To apply Dr. Trueblood’s description to individuals, it should also be obvious that the faith of an individual that has no roots at all will not last long.

I started wondering if it was possible for good soil to be available and for a person to still not have much (or any) faith.  As I thought about that, some passages of scripture came to mind.

In Ephesians 3:17-19 Paul tells the church about his prayer for them, “…Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  You may remember that in Ephesians 3:8 Paul wrote about “…the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Another passage that came to my mind is found in Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

It seems to me that I cannot blame any deficiencies in my faith on either the seed or the soil.  If my faith is not what it should be, maybe I need to reassess both my relationship with Jesus and the amount of quality time I spend with God’s word.

There is a solution for “cut-flower faith.”  It’s up to me to take advantage of it.       

By Jim Faughn (Adapted)