Check it out! Our life is small. Whoa! Our life is just a speck. And, God is absolutely HUGE! When we look up at the stars or across the Grand Canyon, we might, just might, get a feeling of insignificance. Let me share with you, if you will, an experience like no other I have [...]

Summarizing the Six Ways

When engaging culture prayerfully, we depend on the wisdom that comes from the Spirit who searches out all cultures, who can enable us to recognize and rejoice in what is true, beautiful, and good, and reject or redeem what is false, ugly, and immoral. As a result, engaging culture can become an act of communion with God. Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit will also mean careful investigation of cultural issues, being critical of our own biases while maintaining an open ear to the arguments of others. However, we’re not left to navigate the turbulent waters of our culture with only prayer and reason. God has given us his Word, a divine and authoritative Text from which we can glean wisdom and theological principles to engage culture.

When wrestling with issues, we must be careful to bring questions, not assumptions, from our culture to the Word, following a pattern of Text-Theology-Culture. This biblical-theological engagement with culture should always lead to redemptive action, restoring what is ugly and immoral from our position as accepted children of God, citizens of Zion. In turn, we can engage culture humbly and selectively, recognizing our limitations and rejoicing in our unique opportunities to engage the world around us.

Finally, try to practice these six ways of engaging culture not just as an individual but in community. To put a spin on Rufus Wainwright’s words: Only when the Church in this country becomes obsessed with glorifying God in all things will we critically and redemptively engage our culture on all kinds of subjects.

If we are honest with ourselves, we probably have doubted God in our lifetime. Or, for sure, we have friends that have. After you get “done” doubting God, it is the worst feeling ever. I use to wonder what God wants me to do with my life. I knew for a fact He was calling [...]

This blog is inspired by our young adults sermon that started off the “Junk Drawer” series that John Blythe just started. I am pretty sure almost everyone, in America at least, knows what the Bible is. It is one of the most, if not the #1, most selling book in America. Whether you are a [...]