How should the church engage our culture?
The recent political cycle has shattered the lens through which the American church has looked at politics through much of our lifetimes. If we return to the Scriptures, we see Jesus offers us a compelling, alternative vision. His heart was that His followers would be a city on a hill and that people would see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. This was not dependent on the laws on the books, the rulings of the courts, or the leaders in power. His heart was that we would influence culture through redemptive participation, being not just faithful, but also a fruitful presence. His vision was that the church functions as a Creative Minority in a dominant culture.
A Creative Minority seeks not to propose a way to regain cultural dominance, take back our world for God or revisit an unrealistic and nostalgic past. It humbly proposes that if we take on the posture and identity of a Creative Minority, we may rekindle the light in the bushel, and in so doing, cast a hopeful glimmer on the world. A Creative Minority paints a compelling picture of the way the church is called to participate in these challenging and demanding times – seeking neither to control nor abandon the world, but to love it to new life through redemptive participation.
This a a thought provoking thoughts. The church at times withdraws from Culture or try’s to dominate future. We are called to be “Light and Salt” in our world. There are so many insightful thoughts in the 63 pagers. One that significantly impressed was understanding what is the narrative that is being commented by media. Understanding the implication and goal they are trying to establish in our minds. As Bobbette Buster says “Narrative is our cultures currency; he who tells the best story wins. ~ Ian Green