Scattered Thoughts on Theology and Ministry…
Missiologist and church historian Andrew Walls begins his classic essay, “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture,” with a fascinating thought experiment. An extraterrestrial who is a “Professor of Comparative Inter-Planetary Religion” has come to earth to study the Christian religion. The alien visits Christian gatherings across various times and places. He finds thatContinue reading “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture”
Over the last few weeks I have been answering some common questions about Christianity and Culture. Today I turn my attention to the other subject one is never supposed to talk about in a proper setting. Thankfully this isn’t a proper setting – so lets talk politics! How does Christian allegiance intersect with national allegiance?Continue reading “I Pledge Allegiance To….”
Spoilers ahead…. Everything is awesome! If the song is not stuck in your head after seeing Lego Movie then you probably watched it on mute and in closed captioning. Seriously though, the song plays over and over and over again – until you start believing that everything really is awesome. It’s a really clever trickContinue reading “The Lego Movie – an Anabaptist (ish) Review”
Last time I briefly surveyed a few of Neibuhr’s “Christ and Culture Types.” I explained that the understanding of Christ and culture that I am most drawn to (at this point in my life) is the understanding of Christ as the transformer of culture. However all of this is tempered by an understanding of theContinue reading “Niebuhr, Christ, and Culture (Pt. 2)”
Niebuhr’s book Christ and Culture is a classic book on the history of the interaction between Christianity and the culture around it. Over the next few days I’m going to share some thoughts I have on this book…. Are his five types accurate? I think that Niebuhr’s typology pretty accurately represents my experience interacting withContinue reading “Niebuhr, Christ, and Culture (Pt. 1)”
If you are looking for some books on the interaction between Christianity and Culture here are some I definitely recommend. D.A. Carson – Known more for his exegetical prowess than his cultural engagement, but in recent years he has entered the arena of “Christ and Culture”. Carson, D. A. Christ and Culture Revisited. Eerdmans, 2008.Continue reading “Recommended books on Christ and Culture”
Last time we looked at cultural transformation in light of the biblical meta-narrative. Today we wrap things up by looking at what vocation looks like in light of all we have said. _________________________________ God’s Sovereignty and Vocation Working with college students who desire to make an impact on culture, we will certainly minister to studentsContinue reading “Christ, Culture, and College Students – A Reformed Perspective (Pt. 5)”
Last time we looked at the concept of cultural transformation. Today we turn to our third subject: cultural transformation and the Biblical meta-narrative. _________________________________ Transforming Culture and the Biblical Meta-Narrative There are many Christians throughout the history of the Church who have held the view that God desires to transform culture; that God desires someContinue reading “Christ, Culture, and College Students – A Reformed Perspective (Pt. 4)”
A while ago I took a class at Fuller Seminary called “Perspectives on Christ and Culture.” In that class we examined various aspects of the relationship between Christ or Christianity and culture. We looked at and assessed various traditions ranging from Anabaptists to those belonging to the Reformed Tradition, we also examined various topics likeContinue reading “Christ, Culture, and College Students – A Reformed Perspective (Pt. 1)”
Question: How should the church engage culture? Should it seek to transform it? Answer: One of the major conflicts in evangelicalism revolves around the notion of how much the Church should engage culture. Although there is conflict, there are certain things that most traditions agree upon. For instance, there is agreement that the Church shouldContinue reading “Church and Culture, Eschatology, and the Biblical Meta-Narrative”
CWoznicki Think Out Loud 