v. Culture
by Ted Slater on 04/18/2008 at 3:48 PM
It's much easier to simply take a side in the culture wars than to actually engage the issues we fight over. I confess that I've found myself taking sides perhaps too quickly on perhaps too many occasions.
So how, then, might we engage culture ... Christianly?
In his article "v. Culture," Boundless author Jonathan Dodson suggests six great ways to start: prayerfully, carefully, biblically-theologically, redemptively, humbly and selectively.
So what do you think? How might these six things help you experience a more robust, redemptive, critical and theological engagement with culture?
1. Carl said the following at 4:01 PM on Apr 18:
Cliffe Knechtle, a pastor in New Canaan,CT does this in an AWESOME way. He travels to universities and holds open-air discussions and gets asked some pretty tough questions in regards to the Bible. Check him out: http://www.givemeananswer.org/main/home/index.html
2. Matthew said the following at 6:00 PM on Apr 18:
I thought this was a great article and felt like it really laid a solid framework for dealing with the products of our culture. If I can add something else, though (I feel like that's what I always do...), let me say that Tim Keller adds another option: move to the city! This is a "big-picture" sort of article, but I think it's a helpful rumination as we talk about engaging with culture. The city is where so much culture is shaped, and I think it's really good to have a good Biblical theology of the city to help us engage with that.
3. Andrew Randazzo said the following at 6:01 PM on Apr 18:
Here's how I see theology helping me engage with my culture. Our theology is what makes us think and act the way we do. So depending on how good our theology is, it'll affect the way we interact with our culture and what kind of results we'll see.
I also think that theology is important because its what we need to rely on to respond to our culture. A good grasp on theology will help us discern error in our culture and will help us Biblically refute that error.
It's good that Dobson broke everything down into six things, but honestly, theology is at the root of the other 5 things. Without proper theology, you're not going to see the need to pray, or be tactful, or humble and so on. That's how I view theology and it's affect in my life concerning culture.
4. Joseph said the following at 12:08 AM on Apr 19:
I agree with the author and the points of the article however, to thoe that turn to "Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" I ask for a different recommendation or source. I recently read it, it has many solid points throughout but when it points to creationists and fundamentalists for hindering the evangelical mind I had a hard time continuing to read.
He seems to side with the divergent group of theologians that came about in the 1800's theology to better accept/integrate Darwinism into their theology and deny the inerrancy of Scripture. While I found it a far better read than "Habits of the Mind", the diversion from being true to Scripture in a connotation of how we must believe to be an intellectual Evangelical I found disturbing.
5. Jonathan Dodson said the following at 4:04 PM on Apr 19:
Hi All,
I'm glad to hear my article was helpful.
Matt, you are correct to point out that the urban context significantly influences the cultural whole, and Keller is an excellent help in this regard. As the city goes, so goes the culture. Perhaps I can talk Ted into publishing my article on the city, now that this very important has been raised! :)
However, there are those particular cultural issues that are unique to small towns and rural areas that must also be engaged redemptively, issues like small town politics and the assumption that older is always better.
Joseph, I'd be happy to recommend a different book if you wouldnt mind clarifying what you are looking for. Moreland's Loving God With All YOur Mind is excellent. Oh, and fyi Mark Noll definitely holds to the inerrancy of Scripture.
6. Chris said the following at 7:56 AM on Apr 20:
As a non US resident (UK) what is this culture war I hear about?
7. Amy said the following at 5:16 PM on Apr 20:
Just a few comments/questions:
Thank you, Jonathan, thanks for a well-written, important article.
Matt, the Tim Keller link was helpful in stimulating my thoughts...still considering how residence impacts the breadth and scope of one's sphere of influence.
Andrew, how does an individual go about developing "good theology", in your opinion?
Initially after reading the article and posts, my thoughts went back to a line Os Guinness wrote in the introduction of James Houston's book "The Mind on Fire", an arrangement of the writings ofBlaise Pascal. Os states, "In an age when attitudes to knowledge are strung out between technicians and fanatics, between knowledge-eunuchs and knowledge hustlers, the distinctive Christian mind--sharp, objective, and critical, but committed and worshipping, is all too rare" (p. 33).
I agree that the place to begin, as was listed first of the 6 adverbs for entry into the "culture war" (which we still need to define for Chris), is prayerfully. The Colossians 4:3 "door of utterance" comes into play here, "walk[ing] in wisdom towards them that are without" (v. 5), and also verse 6, speech that is "seasoned with salt". Without the Holy Spirit's leading and turning our mind toward truth, our theology will be "off", and our attention to and execution of the other aspects of engagement will be diminished and effectually limited.
We wage conversationally, first with the Father, and then with those around us. My prayer is that my life, my "conversation" (as I love how the KJV uses that word to reference and describe one's conduct and manner of living) would produce a lively hope that causes others to notice and ask a reason for it. And, Jesus initiated question-asking with others also, beginning humbly, with "why's" and then probing more deeply, selectively, and redemptively. That seems like a great model to follow.
**It's interesting to me that this has been mainly a male-dominated post (UK Chris, your first name is pretty gender-neutral...care to disclose?). I wonder why that is.
8. Jacob said the following at 3:41 PM on Apr 21:
I think this is great. For too long, the prevailing "wisdom" has been that the culture is going straight to "heck" and therefore we are in the "end times," and therefore we should do our best to just "gettin' people saved" (hence the emphasis on pressuring for decisions without any of the biblically mandated discipleship to follow).
I think another aspect of engaging the culture that Dodson did not include (among many others...and it's hard to pick and choose which ones to address) is patience. We live in a "now" culture where we spend and borrow more than we save. If we can't have it now, then it's a great crime against our lifestyle. What we need is for Christians to return to a bigger understanding of their place in the context of history. The present generation is a link between the past and the future. As Burke said, "society is a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead, and those yet to be born." Rather than measuring success by what fruits we will directly experience or enjoy, why not consider the long-term and ask how our children and grandchildren will benefit? educational institutions come to mind as places where we won't benefit, but we stand to give blessing to our posterity.
9. Laura Grace said the following at 4:20 PM on Apr 21:
Jacob, my friend, that is well said.