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Faith Meets Culture

Faith Meets Culture. McKnight Lectures 2010. Being the Church. Thesis: Though despised on the whole from without and even within, the Church/church is God’s powerful secret weapon to change the world (1 Co. 10:1-6; Ep. 3:9, 10, 20).

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Faith Meets Culture

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  1. Faith Meets Culture McKnight Lectures 2010

  2. Being the Church • Thesis: Though despised on the whole from without and even within, the Church/church is God’s powerful secret weapon to change the world (1 Co. 10:1-6; Ep. 3:9, 10, 20). • Implication: Christians must build the church (the local organization) and be the Church (the organism in all of life) (Ac. 2:42-47; 1 Pt. 2:4-12).

  3. How is Culture Changed? Individuals or Institutions?

  4. Individuals Evangelism, Political Action, Social Action

  5. Evangelism Bill Bright “Fast and pray for spiritual revival throughout America and the world. . . .We can help change the world by introducing people to Jesus Christ” (10).

  6. Political Action James Dobson “The side that wins gains the right to teach what it believes to its children. And if you can do that, you write the curricula, you tell them what to believe and you model what you want them to understand and in one generation you change the whole culture” (13)

  7. Social Reform Charles Colson “Transformed people transform cultures”

  8. Does evangelism (alone) change culture? • While 86 to 88% of American population adhere to some faith, the major institutions of our culture (business, law, government, academics, entertainment) are “intensely secular and materialistic.” • Traditional religious adherents give more, attend church more, and get involved in more religious activities but influence has steadily declined over past 175 years.

  9. Is a political and social majority necessary for cultural change? • Jews have had oversized influence on art, science, economics while only 3.5% of population. While only 3% of population gay community has exercised unabated influence in politics, social advocacy and media. • Evolution: 83% of all Americans take a providentialist view of origins. • Abortion: Over 50% believe that abortion should only be legal in a few circumstances.

  10. Institutions Cultural change occurs from the top down when resourceful patrons (financial and political) sponsor dense networks of intellectuals and educators who inspire artists, poets, musicians and institutions to define a new culture.

  11. Historical Examples Early Church, Early Europe, Middle Ages, Reformation, Awakenings

  12. Early Church Early Christianity exercised an oversized influence on the Roman world through the conversion of aristocrats and political influential.

  13. Influential in Early Church • Aristobulus: grandson of Herod and friend of Claudius (Ro. 16:3-16). • Eusebius: lists Xns in places of power. • Philip the Arabian (244-49): first Xn emperor • Diocletian’s wife and daughter

  14. Networks in Early Church • Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Jerome, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine • Christian philosophers who were part of the nobility could speak their minds freely to nobility and fellow educators.

  15. Institutions in Early Church • Christian philosophers changed minds of politically powerful and changed course of paideia(Roman educational system) which resulted in cultural consensus by 300s. • Became dominant politically. Care for poor and disenfranchised (e.g. fatherless children) was distinguishing mark of Christian society.

  16. Early Europe “Barbarians”/”Dark Ages” Fourth-Thirteenth Centuries

  17. Influential in Early Europe • Patrick, Columba, Columbanus, Boniface, Pirmin, Willibrord, Wilfrid, Aiden, Amandus, Vladimir

  18. Networks in Early Europe • Monasteries: centers for learning on every topic, repositories of publications and culture, outposts for evangelization (particularly of politically and financially powerful).

  19. Institutions in Early Europe • Barbarian kings propagated Christianization of culture (built churches, monasteries, schools, libraries, helped the poor). • Clovis (king of the Franks); Ethelbert (Kent); Edwin (Northumbria), Stephen (Hungary), Sigebert (Essex), Boris (Bulgaria); Peada (Mercia), Vladimir (Kiev), Herald (Danes), Olaf (Norway), James (Sweden) • Sponsored relief of the poor

  20. Reformation Fourteenth to Seventeenth Centuries

  21. Influential of Reformation • Growing cities produced wealthy merchants • Zurich, Geneva, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Ghent, Strasbourg, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Cologne

  22. Networks of Reformation • Luther: von Staupitz, Capito, Melanchthon, Dore • Calvin: Farel, Beza, Knox • Cranmer: Knox, Vermigli, Ochino

  23. Institutions of the Reformation • Universities and academies: Geneva, Leiden, Oxford, Cambridge • Political states: France, Geneva, Holland, England • Commerce and free enterprise • Mercy ministries to poor and ill

  24. Awakenings Eighteenth to Twentieth Centuries

  25. Influential of the Awakenings • Great Awakening: Wesleys and Whitefield (Oxford); Erskine and Gillespie (Edinburgh); Edwards, Brainerd, Parsons (Yale); Prince, Sr., Colman, Pemberton (Harvard). • Social Reform: Wilberforce, Venn, Clarkson, Simeon (Cambridge); Shore, Teignmouth (aristocracy); Thornton (business elite); Hannah More (literary elite); Pitt (government).

  26. Networks of the Awakenings • Whitefield’s communications network • Clapham Circle • Underground Railroad

  27. Institutions of the Awakenings • Churches: 150 Congregational churches alone between (1740-1760); 25-50,000 converts (3-20% of population). • Princeton • Georgia Orphan House (Bethesda)

  28. Faithful Presence The doctrine and practice of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is the only answer for” dissolution” and “difference”

  29. Without an Incarnate Christ. . . • Culture dissolves: trustworthiness of relationship between words and world (e.g. revisionism, deconstruction, political correctness, political speech) • Culture disintegrates into differences: e.g. racism, multi-culturalism, political parties, rich and poor.

  30. With an Incarnate Christ. . . • Truth, learning, communication possible: “Truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17) • Relationships made possible among different: “Destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of separation” (Ep. 2:14).

  31. In the power of the Spirit, after the example of Christ, and with a willingness to suffer we must practice FAITHFUL PRESENCE as Individuals Networks Within Institutions (existing and new) What do we do?

  32. Individuals • To each other • Christians (Ro. 15:1-3) • Non-Christians (He. 13:1-3) • To our tasks • Cultural mandate (Ge. 2:15-18) • Calling/vocation (Co. 3:22-24) • Within spheres of influence (1 Pt. 2:17)

  33. Networks • Presbyterian Church in America • Gospel Coalition • CMDA; CO/MCO • Christian Legal Society; International Justice Mission • Redeemer/South Africa/WSA • Christians in the Visual Arts

  34. Institutions First Presbyterian Church and Beyond

  35. First Presbyterian Church Restoring People and Rebuilding Places through the Gospel of Jesus Christ

  36. Restoring People • Do Church (Acts 2:42-47) • Worship: Preaching, Sacraments • Work: Teaching, Mercy, Discipline • Witness: Evangelism, Community Development, Cultural Transformation • Be Church (1 Peter) • Cultural Mandate (Ge. 2:9,10) • Calling/Vocation (Co. 3:19)

  37. Rebuilding Places Do church • Places for worship, work, and witness Be Church • Places for human flourishing: • Housing (justice for poor, dignity for handicapped) • Respite for hungry • Restoration through recreation

  38. Global and Lifelong Strategy

  39. A Great Commission Locally: • Harness wealth for strategic purposes • Leverage social capital for kingdom initiatives • Continue WSA’smissional focus • Network with peers to do vocation according to Kingdom values • Influence MCG at highest levels • Influence ASU at highest levels • Set standard for arts • Eliminate social ills: abortion, poverty, sex trade, hunger, homelessness

  40. A Great Commission Send “missionaries” into upper tiers of cultural matrix • Nationally: plant churches in key cities, urge youth to pursue upper tier vocations • Internationally: plant churches and schools in key world cities

  41. Conclusion “This, I would insist, is not a cheap pietism. The fact is that Christ’s victory over the principalities and powers was a victory over the power of oppressive institutions—the sense that reality is what it is, that all is as it should be, that the ways of the world are established and cannot be changed; that the rules by which the world operates are ones we must accept and not challenge. We are not bound by the ‘necessities’ of history and society but are free from them. He broke their sovereignty and, as a result, all things are possible. It is this reality that frees all Christians to actively, creatively, and constructively seek the good in their relationships, in their tasks, in their spheres of influence and in their cities.” ,

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