Over the course of my 36 year life, I’ve embraced several markedly different views of the relationship between Christianity and culture. In fact, I switched views more often than Madonna® and Prince® change public profiles. Early on, I was a cultural anorexic which soon gave way to a reaction that was something like cultural gluttony, which has now given way to what I hope is a view more resonant with the teaching of Christian Scripture.
The … [Read More]
Theology & Culture (2): Alternative Views
Theology & Culture (1): Introduction
In 1998, at the age of 24, I left the United States for the first time and moved to a predominantly Muslim republic in the former Soviet Union. I had never traveled further west than San Antonio, further north than the tip of Maine, further east than Nags Head (NC), or further south than Miami. Can you imagine what a never-ending carnival of cultural wedgies the next two years were for me?
The first week in … [Read More]
Gospel, Church, and City (3): The Gospel Invades and Transforms the City
In the second and third sessions of the Greenhouse Church Planter’s CoOp, we (1) set forth the gospel by tracing the four major plot movements in Christian Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation; and (2) talked about the gospel’s implications for humanity, the church, and the city. The CoOp had assigned those attending to read portions of Tim Keller’s Church Planting Manual, so we used some of Keller’s material, modifying it a bit and … [Read More]
Aspect 4(b): A Mission Focused on This Nation (Multi-Faceted, All-Encompassing, Church-Centered)
(By: Danny Akin & Bruce Ashford)
Our mission must be multi-faceted:
In addition to proclaiming the gospel from inside of the four walls of a church building and in addition to community outreach programs and door-to-door visitations, we must continually remind ourselves and our congregations that everything we do matters to God. Drawing upon Martin Luther’s concept of vocatio, we must teach that every believer has the privilege and responsibility of bringing glory to God in each … [Read More]
Aspect 4(a): A Mission Focused on This Nation (Confront the Brutal Facts)
(By: Danny Akin & Bruce Ashford)
Our convention must confront the brutal facts:
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations. This includes our own nation-the United States of America-and yet the truth is that we are failing to meet the challenge. While the population of our nation increases, the population of our churches has not kept pace. While the United States becomes increasingly diverse, the Southern Baptist Convention remains a mostly middle-class, … [Read More]
On the Dangers of Seminary (Pt. 4): The Danger of Becoming a Dork
Dork: [dor'k] noun. USA pejorative slang for a quirky or socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with “nerd” and “geek,” but does not imply the same intelligence level.
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In this series of posts, I am dealing with the perils of the unique and sometimes bizarre world of seminary education. Most of the dangers of which I speak are dangers to which I have succumbed at one point … [Read More]
20/20 Conference, Plenary Session V: Danny Akin
Question: How does the gospel come to life according to Jesus?
Answer: Love.
Jesus taught us in Matt. 22 that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind. The second greatest is to love our neighbors as ourselves.
John says his Gospel that they will know we are his disciples if we love one another.
John says in 1 John that we love because God is love. He loved us so … [Read More]
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20/20 Conference, Plenary Session IV: Bill Brown
Bill begins with a story about the squalor of Calcutta: who takes care of these people? Hindus don’t-this is their lot in life. Muslims don’t-they are the scum of the earth. Only the Christians take care of these people.
Bill looks forward to the day when people don’t think of right-wing extremists when they hear Christian, but think of the gospel come to life. He’s talking to us about “Engaging the Culture for Life.”
The text is … [Read More]
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20/20 Conference, Session III: Mark Driscoll
Today Mark is picking up where he left off last night: his seventh point.
7. The doxological view of culture
Worship is not an event. It includes events, but it is all of life. Worship does not start and stop, like a church service. Worship is not reduced to music, but it includes music, because music is part of our life with God. Worship is not something done solely by Christians or religious people; all people worship … [Read More]
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