David Aikman’s book Billy Graham: His Life and Influence was a very interesting biography of the famous evangelist.  Aikman has an interesting writing style that comes from his experience working as a reporter for Time magazine.  The book focuses strongly on Billy Graham’s development with regards to the issues of race, communism, and theology itself.  Aikman continually focuses on what he perceives as Billy’s journey from fundamentalism to a more open an ecumenical version of Christian.  Aikman summarizes  the Christian message as dealing with both issues of truth, which he summarizes as judgment, and issues of love.  He describes Graham as changing from focusing on a message of truth and judgment to a message of love.  Aikman argues that Graham’s likability was one of the reasons for his success with regard to his influence on influential leaders including many American presidents.  Aikman argues that Graham saw himself as a pastor rather than a prophet. He wanted to support, encourage, and guide people and politicians rather than critique them and their decisions.  Aikman’s book places a large focus on Graham’s involvement in the lives of influential political figures of his time.  Aikman presents Graham as America’s pastor and the person who serves as a spiritual guide for many Americans during difficult times.  This is a very interesting and engaging biography of a man who has not merely shaped Christianity in America but also the influencers who have shaped America itself.

The Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola stands as a call to the church to restore the person of Christ to the center of our churches, lives, and ministries.  I cannot think of a more timely topic to be addressed in the American church.  Sweet and Viola do an excellent job of addressing the need for a refocus on the person of Christ in the church and the beauty of Christ, which is clearly seen in scripture.  The final chapter of the book clearly explains the authors’ views on the topic and the goal of the book by stating:

“But if the truth be told, we have been handed a shrink-wrapped Jesus.  Christ has become our once-a-week Mascot.  We rally around Him on Sunday mornings, selfishly reaching for all we can get from Him – goodies and gifts, all for us.  Then we push Him off to the sidelines the rest of the week.  But the game has never been about us; it has always been about Him.  The gospel that’s so often preached today lacks a revelation of Jesus Christ.  The contemporary gospel boils down to a fire-insurance policy, a Santa Claus God, or a performance-based religion.  As long as we stay on that plane, we’ll never see or comprehend the staggering enormity of our Lord.”

I constantly found myself challenged throughout the book.  I would greatly encourage anyone to read this challenging book that seeks to put Christ back in His rightful place – at the center of everything.

About this time last May, I was on a plane headed to East Asia to serve the Lord doing mission work.  One of the towns that we were in was a large city that had little knowledge of the gospel.  One day, we went to a model display of the city to pray that God would open doors in that city so that people could be drawn to Christ.  This week, I was looking through my journal from the trip and came across one of the reflections that I had while praying over the city:

“Satan blinds [city name] with darkness that blocks out the Light while Satan blinds the United States with religion that is used as a weaker substitute for the Light because the Light is too strong and radical to fit within the American dream.”

May the Light of the gospel shine in both the darkness of East Asia and in the darkness of America’s cultural religion.

This is a modern day adaptation of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.  I wrote this to incorporate in a message for my middle school students and thought I would pass it along.

There once were two brothers who lived on the rich side of town.  Whatever there was to be had, they had it.  They were the first to get the newest video games, the most expensive Mac computers, and the most coveted car in the high school parking lot.  They had it all.

One day, the younger son got to thinking about how much money his dad really had.  He began to imagine what he could do with not just the little trinkets that his dad had given him but with his whole half.  He knew that one-day down the road when his dad finally died he would end up with half of the family money.  So he got to thinking, “Maybe, I could work my way into the money now.  It is mine anyway so I should have it when I want it.  It is my right.”

So the younger son went to see his dad.  He angrily told his father: “I know that when you finally die and are out of my life that I will get half of your fortune.  I know that you only give me small trinkets of what is truly mine because you hate me and do not want me to have all the stuff and fun that I am entitled to.  So, I want you to fork it over now since you are not looking like you are going to pass away anytime soon.”

The father was shocked and amazed at his son’s greed and hatred, but he decided to give in.  After going to the bank and getting some things together, the father reluctantly gave his son his half.  This caused the father not just financial hardship but also personal pain and loss over the son who had abandoned him and taken his acts of love on him and saw them as acts of hatred.  He mourned the loss of his son so much more than the loss of his money.

The son immediately took off and began living the high life.  He built himself a huge house, many cars, and gained many “friends.”  He became a celebrity just because of his wealth and the crazy ways that he spent it.  When MTV’s “Cribs” showed up at his door, the son knew that he had made it big.  The life that his father had robbed him of had finally become his.  He was who he was entitled to be.

Like many overnight celebrities, however, the son’s empire came crashing down.  He had spent money so quickly that he had lost count of it.  His credit cards became completely filled up along with his closets, garages, and house.  When the bank came to collect, the son realized that he was out.   What the son quickly found out is that his dream was over.

He now found himself out on the streets in the city that he once was the king of.  He was now a poor beggar with nothing but the clothes on his back.  His friends had quickly found someone else with money and connections to hang out with.  He tried to get a job but because the economy was so bad there were no jobs to be found except that of a garbage man.

The son now found himself doing the smelliest job that he could have ever imagined.  He was so snowed under in the money that he owed the bank that he could not afford to pay for food or a place to live.  He began to scrummage through the bags, which he was paid so little to pick up.  He would find random half eaten fruits and every once in a while some week-old leftovers.

The son quickly began to think.  His dream of riches, fame, and popularity had quickly turned into a situation that was so bad that he could not have even imagined it.  His life had become this way because of his hatred and rebellion against his father.  He began to see the brokenness in his life and he began to mourn.  He knew that he was a horrible son and that he had treated his father in a very hurtful and mean way.

As the son began to think about his father, he wondered what life was like at home.  He could imagine his older brother sitting around the table with his mom and dad having a warm home-cooked dinner.  He began to be able to taste the flavor of his favorite cookies that his mom used to make him.  He began to long for home.

He wondered if he could ever come back to the table as a part of the family again.  He knew that if he had been in his dad’s place that he could never have him back.  He began to wonder.  Was there any hope to be found?  Maybe, he could just ask for the week-old leftovers before they hit the trash.

The son decided to drag himself home to see if there was any hope of some leftovers.  He quit his job and walked to the interstate and stuck out his finger towards home.

Through the kindness of several truckers, he made his way back to his hometown.  He walked from the interstate exit near his house to the neighborhood.  After convincing the gatekeeper to the neighborhood that he was not a criminal, he began to make his way down the familiar neighborhood streets.

He finally arrived at the street where he had lived for so many years in a time that seemed so long ago.  He could begin to see the big tree in the front yard that he and his brother used to play in as children towering in its place at the end of the cul-de-sac.  He was getting closer.

The house slowly came into view.  The son’s legs felt like they were about to snap in two as he got closer to the house.  Part of him wanted to stop and rest but he knew that he had to know what would happen.

As the son got closer to the house, he saw his dad in his usual chair in front of the plasma TV in the living room.  Just as he glanced into the window, his dad looked up from the TV and caught a glimpse of his son.   The father immediately got up from his chair.

Many things began to run through the son’s mind.  He is going to get his gun to shoot me for taking advantage of him.  He is going to go get the paddle that he used to use on me as a child.  He is going to grab the phone and call the cops to get this trespasser off of the property.  But before these thoughts could finish running through the son’s head, the front door swung open.

He saw his father with arms wide open running out to hug his son.  The prodigal son had returned and found that his father was there to love him and welcome him back into the family even before he could get out the words “I am sorry.”

Having recently returned from a mission trip to East Asia, I was really struck by the following devotional that I read last night from Dr. Calvin Miller’s Conversations with Jesus.  I hope that this will be encouraging to you as you seek to share your faith with others both on mission trips and in day to day life.  This is written as a response from Jesus to explain the words of Matthew 10: 14-15, which says: “And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. ”

“Never forget the bottom line as you minister: You are not accountable for your success or failure in any human arena.  Nothing I have called you to do in my name in this world will be dissmissed as trivial in that world to which you are headed.  If you are rejected in your attempt to preach the truth, the truth that caused your rejection will not be judged by those who turn a deaf ear to your counsel.  Those who reject your words must themselves face the last tribunal.

So never despair over rejection.  I knew rejection firsthand.  I never despaired.  The greatest truths are regularly rejected.  You do not need to win any battle in the same moment you take up arms.  As I told my disciples as they began their preaching tour, if you are cast out of any city, do not try to barge back and compel anyone to listen. Just shake the dust off of your feet.  Why?  Because those who hear the truth need to remember that the truth of the gospel is not an option left up to human caprice.  The shaking of the dust from your feet will remind those who listen of their obligation to hear.

The gospel has always carried this double obligation.  It obligates the disciple to tell the message and the seeker to listen.  Pity the complacent witness who will not tell the saving story.  Pity the complacent seeker who will not hear of it.

But in this double obligation, important as it is, you must never merely count your converts to measure your success.  Truth is its own reward.  Once you have told the truth, you have succeeded.  Telling the saving truth is your responsibility.  Doing the saving is mine. Counting converts in unnecessary.  It is an unworthy bottom line on earth and unessential in heaven.  So do not grow neurotic trying to become a savior yourself.  That is my title; I will do that work.  That should take quite a load off your mind.  You are only responsible for telling the truth.  So tell it.  If thousands are drawn to the faith, you will succeed.  If you die without a single convert and are crucified for telling the truth, you will still have succeeded.

My friend Jarrod Jones had a very good post about our faulty view of God that causes us to want to perform for Him:

 I lived so many years in religious chains. I lived mainly a “sin-avoidance” gospel. In other words, my Christian walk was mainly about not sinning (no cussing, no lying, no drinking, and so forth), doing Christian duties to keep me from sinning (Church, Bible, Prayer, Bible Studies), and finding Christian techniques to help me avoid sinning (wear Christian T-shirts, listen to Michael W. Smith, and wear a Cross necklace).

I also viewed God as a Daddy who was hard to please.  I always had to prove to myself, and to God, that I really loved Him. My thinking was like this:  ”I’m going to change my life.  I’m going to quit cussing. I’m going to quit looking at porn. I’m going to read my Bible more, pray more, put the Fish on my car, and get a Christian tattoo).  I failed to truly believe and rest in the reality that in Christ I am completely accepted and loved. The Apostle John said, “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sin” (1 John 4:10).  He also wrote, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God loved when I didn’t love Him. He sent His son even while I flipped Him off.  He first loved me and then i loved Him. But still I had it all wrong. I was living as if He loved me because i first loved Him. I didn’t get it. I was chained to religion.

I realized that religion is performance.  Religion is living for God’s acceptance and love. Relationship is living from his acceptance and love. Religion is trying to get God to respond in love. Relationship is living in response to God’s love.  And with that I learned that I don’t obey God to get accepted. Rather I obey because I’m already accepted by God. I don’t serve Christ to get loved, I serve Christ because I’m loved. See it?

Spoke at a conference a couple of years ago. In the front row, to my right, was a girl who looked like she hated being there and hated me (or the message, or both).  After the second day, and the third and last session, a lady approached me with tears in her eyes. She said, “I brought a group of girls here this weekend. They are from a foster home. They are hardened, bitter, and angry. Well, one of those girls gave her life to Jesus. She was sitting in the seats in front of you yesterday.”  It was that same girl.  The lady continued, “Her heart broke for Christ because of something you said. She heard you say, ‘God loves you.’  It was the first time she ever heard a male say that God loved her.’”

“God loves you.” I’m sure you’ve heard those words before from many people. Those three jaw-dropping words are so cliche’ now.  They make for cute coffee mugs and colorful calendars. But have you truly paused, opened your Bible to 1 John 4:10 & 1 John 4:19, Romans 8:14-16, and savored that  
G-O-D    L-O-V-E-S   Y O U!

Staggering.

Are you living a “sin-avoidance” gospel? Is your walk with Christ more about modifying your behavior to look more Christian? Or do you believe with all of your DNA that you are ferociously loved by God, and because of that love you want to live for His glory? His first love for you changes everything. Who wants to be religious with a ruthlessly loving God who wants relationship?  This God, our God, who would give His Son so that we might have that relationship.  Stop living for His love. Start living from His love.  Don’t obey so that you might feel accepted and loved by God. Obey because you are accepted and loved by God. 

Chains be gone! Be free.

Between the Times had a great post on preaching Christological texts:

Evangelicals believe the biblical teaching concerning the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the sole and sufficient Savior for all persons who have lived or ever shall be.  We note that such an affirmation is needed because the Christian church is now confronted with various theological heresies such as universalism, radical pluralism, theological inclusivism, and religious relativism, all of which call into question the clear teachings of Holy Scripture and belief in the particularity and finality of the revelation and salvific work of Jesus Christ.

What is it that drives Baptists like us, and evangelical Christians as a whole, to make such strong statements of theology and faith?  I believe the answer can be found not only in “the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture” in general, but in the great Christological texts in the New Testament in particular.  I refer to the quintessential quartet of John 1:1-18; Phil 2:1-11; Col 1:13-23; and Heb 1:1-3.

The clear exegesis and exposition of these four passages are the bedrock foundation of biblical and orthodox Christology.  Both his person (full deity and perfect humanity) and work (sacrifice and atonement) are gloriously expounded in these texts, though it is his person that is more strongly emphasized.

What we think and believe about Jesus influences all aspects of our theology: what we think about God, the Bible, and salvation, for example.  If we are to think correctly, that is biblically, about Jesus, these four great texts should be taught clearly, consistently, and courageously without compromise or apology.

What might four expository sermons on these great texts look like? What would be an accurate assessment of their theme and emphases? I would like to propose the following for consideration of how to get at these passages in preparing to proclaim them to the people of God.

1). A message on John 1:1-18 might be titled “Jesus Christ: The God of Incarnation.”
Such a sermon would declare that as the Word of God Jesus powerfully preexisted (1:1-5), was prophetically witnessed (1:6-9), was personally rejected (1:10-13), was permanently incarnated (1:14), is properly exalted (1:15-17), and that he perfectly communicated (1:18).

In this text emphasis is placed upon the Logos, the Word, Jesus as coeternal, coequal, and consubstantial with the Father (1:1-3).  He is the perfect embodiment of God revealing himself to humanity (1:14, 18).  By believing in Christ alone we can become children of God (1:12).  Various structural analyses of the passage generally agree that the focus is on vv. 10-14, while vv. 1 and 18 also receive emphasis.  The central verse is considered to be either v. 12 or v. 14.  It can be argued, in fact, that v. 12 contains the soteriological heart of the passage and v. 14 the Christological heart.  This text is so full theologically, one could consider a six part series of these 18 verses.

2). A message on Philippians 2:1-11 could bear the title “Jesus Christ: The God of
Humiliation.”  This passage declares first that we must cultivate the disposition or mind of our Lord (2:5) by seeking unity (2:1-2), humility (2:3), and sensitivity (2:4).  Second, we must consider the humiliation of our Lord (2:6-8), who humbled himself in his renunciation (2:6), in his incarnation (2:7), and in his crucifixion (2:8).  Third, we should celebrate the exaltation of our Lord (2:9-11), who has an exalted position (2:9), designation (2:9-10), adoration (2:10), and confession (2:11).

The second and third divisions of this passage (2:6-11) is believed by many to be based on an early Christian hymn of two stanzas.  It may find its Old Testament roots in Isaiah 53.  The passage is ethical (especially vv. 1-5) and soteriological, with emphasis falling on the humbling and emptying of our Lord.  The incarnation was not a subtraction of deity.  It was an addition of humanity.  Emphasis on Christ’s full deity and utter uniqueness as the God-man is clearly communicated in the text.

3). The third message on Colossians 1:13-23, could be titled “Jesus Christ: The God of Creation.”  Here the message is that Jesus is Lord of the Cross or Savior (1:13-14), Lord of Communication or Revelator (1:15), Lord of Creation or Creator (1:15-17), Lord of the Church or Leader (1:18-20), and Lord of the Christian or Master (1:21-23).
 
Also viewed by many as an early Christian hymn, this text emphasizes that (1) Christ makes visible the invisible God, (2) Christ is the agent of creation, and (3) God’s fullness dwells in him (cf. 2:9-10).  Perhaps used as a polemic against first-century heresy, this text is quite relevant in confronting “New Age” ideas concerning the relation between God, Jesus Christ, and the world.  Further, the preeminence of Christ “in” and “over” his church sounds a much-needed call in our day when personal agendas and self-serving attitudes unfortunately prevail in too many of our churches.

4). Finally, a sermon on Hebrew 1:1-3 could be presented under the title “Jesus Christ: The God of Revelation.”  The message of this passage is that Jesus is God’s best because of his 1) proclamation (1:1-2a), 2) his possessions (1:2b), 3) his power (1:2c), 4) his person (1:3a),5) his provisions (1:3b), 6) his purification (1:3c), and his 7) position (1:3d).  Seven marvelous characteristics of our Lord weave this text together.  Thirteen times the author will use the word “better” in this book to convey the superiority of Jesus to prophets, angels, Moses, and Aaron, i.e., to the entire Old Covenant economy.  The emphasis of the prologue (which closely parallels Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3) is upon Christ’s superior revelation to anything previous, as well as its climactic and definitive nature.  Jesus is God’s very best in every way.  When we have Jesus, we have all from God that we need.
 
Though there is some degree of overlap in these texts, each is unique in its own right, and all four are essential in laying the foundation for a biblical orthodox Christology.  We need to preach about Jesus.  We need to expound his person and his work so that his people will know their Savior for who he is and what he has done.  I commend these four great texts to preachers of the gospel across our land with the prayer that their exposition will exalt the wonderful Savior who loved each one of us so much that had anyone of us been the only person to ever live, he still would have left heaven and died on the cross of Calvary just for us.  His death does not teach that we are great.  His death teaches that He is great.  He is great in love and holiness.  He is great in power and purpose.  He is simply a great God.

The following is Dr. Andreas Kostenberger’s book recommendation list for 2008:

The end (of the year) is near, and once again it’s time to list the best books in biblical and theological studies that appeared in 2008. This year seems to have been an especially fruitful year for publications in these areas. Here is my list:

1. The ESV Study Bible (Crossway): While people may debate the merits of the ESV as a translation, the qualities of the ESV Study Bible are indisputable. An exquisitely produced, high-quality product that sets a new standard for study Bibles.
2. Eckhard Schnabel, Paul the Missionary (InterVarsity Press): A worthy sequel to Schnabel’s landmark 2-volume work Early Christian Mission. The new “Ronald Allan” on Paul’s missionary practice. Both thorough and practical.
3. D. A. Carson, Christ & Culture Revisited (Eerdmans): A timely book on an all-important subject, the relationship between Christianity and contemporary culture. Carson properly takes his starting point from Niebuhr’s classic work Christ and Culture. A very important book.
4. Robert Stein, Mark (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament; Baker): I haven’t read Stein’s work in toto yet, but from what I’ve seen so far, this commentary is first rate, as one would expect from this senior Markan scholar.
5. David Chapman, Ancient Jewish and Christian Perceptions of Crucifixion (Mohr-Siebeck): The revised version of a dissertation at Cambridge University under William Horbury, this will be the standard work on crucifixion for a long time to come.
6. Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger, Jesus and the Feminists(Crossway): This book should have been written a long time ago. A judicious survey of various feminist approaches to Jesus. J. I. Packer calls it “scrupulously fair.” In the interest of full disclosure: I am married to the author.
7. Cosmology of New Testament Theology (ed. Jonathan Pennington and Sean McDonough; T & T Clark): Finally, a monograph on this very important but widely neglect aspect of New Testament theology. Worldview matters, then and now.
8. Craig Blomberg and Mariam Kamell, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: James (Zondervan): A great start to an important new series from Zondervan. Blomberg here teams up with Mariam Kamell, a doctoral student at St. Andrews University.
9. Suffering and the Goodness of God (ed. Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson; Theology in Community series; Crossway): Another promising start to a new series, with contributions by, among others, Robert Yarbrough, Walter Kaiser, Dan McCartney, and John Frame.
10. Clyde Fant and Mitchell Reddish, Lost Treasures of the Bible: Understanding the Bible through Archaeological Artifacts in World Museums (Eerdmans): A great publishing idea, and well executed. As a teacher and student of Scripture, this is a resource I will value highly.

Final note: Readers may want to be aware of the imminent publication of The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization (ed. George T. Kurian; Blackwell), a massive, 4-volume compendium. Ambitious in scope, with a large number of fascinating entries. Publication has been delayed until early 2009, however.

The Resurgence had an interesting article about engaging culture:

In a recent interview, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright surprisingly remarked: “We’re so obsessed about debunking Bush in this country that we don’t spend time on any other subjects. That’s a little depressing.” Wainwright’s point is that many Americans neglect a whole range of cultural issues, often neglecting political engagement for finger-pointing.

What’s more depressing is that many Christians are just as guilty of this charge as non-Christians. As a result, there are few citizens who think through cultural issues critically, and even fewer who think them throughredemptively. Here are six ways to promote critical and redemptive engagement with culture.

1. Engage culture prayerfully. I’m not suggesting that we should actually bow our heads and recite a prayer before reading a newspaper or book, watching TV or a movie, or going shopping, though that certainly wouldn’t hurt. Instead, we are to live life and engage culture in a spirit of dependence upon God; we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We should approach culture just as we should approach all things: prayerfully.

   What should we pray? We should thank God for the gift of culture, confessing that all cultures contain truth, beauty, and virtue, asking Him to help us recognize and rejoice in these good gifts, which come down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Alternatively, all cultures also disdain truth, beauty, and virtue. Thus, we are dependent upon God to enable us to recognize and reject those things that are harmfully false, ugly, and immoral. By asking God to give us the perspective of His Spirit, “the Spirit who searches out all things, even the depths of God” (1 Cor. 2:10), we can begin to discern between the things which are true, beautiful, and good and the things that are false, ugly, and evil.




2. Engage culture carefully. When approaching any given issue, from parenting to politics, we all have our biases. In order to engage culture well, we must strive to avoid the paths of both the sectarian and the secularist, of both blind rejection and uncritical acceptance. This will require careful investigation into the issues we face, taking the opposing view seriously and weighing its merits. Make a habit of hearing both sides of an issue before you baptize your opinions. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19).




3. Engage culture biblically-theologically. Why hyphenate biblical and theological? Why not just say “think biblically”? Well, the plain fact is that the Bible does not explicitly address most cultural issues. It does not tell you who to vote for, which school to go to, what movies to watch, whether or not you should date, whether or not to abort your baby, or how to respond to cloning. Instead, the Bible offers theological principles which we can appropriate in order to form opinions and convictions about cultural issues. For instance, there is no verse in the Bible that reads: “Thou shalt not have an abortion.” However, the Bible does inform us that God is the author of life and that to take human life is murder, which is prohibited by God. The circumstances surrounding abortion can be complex. A mother’s life may be threatened if the life of the baby is not taken. The Bible does not say, “Preserve the mother’s life.” However, there are principles and practices in Scripture that can help us make wise decisions about cultural and ethical dilemmas.

   The problem, however, is that we often start with culturalassumptions about what is right, beautiful, and good and go to the Bible to prove them. Instead, we need to bring cultural questionsabout what is true, good, and beautiful to the Bible, reflect on them theologically and then prayerfully, and carefully form our opinions. Don’t begin with cultural convictions and end with biblical proof-texts; end with cultural wisdom by beginning with biblical-theological reflection. Start with the biblical text and reflect theologically on cultural issues. Move from Text to Theology to Culture, not the other way around.




4. Engage culture redemptively. Strive to connect your theological reflections regarding culture to redemption. We can redemptively engage culture in two ways: practically and positionally. To practically redeem, identify what is broken, what is in need of redemption, and take restorative action. Ask yourself questions like “How can I bring the gospel to bear on this issue?” or “How can I restore, forgive, or reconcile in this situation?” For example, if you come to the conviction that abortion is ugly and immoral, think about how you can help those who are suffering from the devastating affects of abortion. Don’t just debate others. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Learn how to counsel mothers. Don’t become self-righteous and inactive; practice your cultural convictions. Live them out redemptively.

   Our practice should flow from our position in Christ. Our actions ought to reveal our redeemed identity, not form our identity. Consider the danger of mistaking your newly-formed habits for who you are. For instance, do you think of yourself now as an environmentalist or as a citizen of Zion with an environmental conscience? Do you draw significance from being a “pro-lifer” or from being new creation in Christ Jesus? Ask yourself, “Am I confusing my practice with my position?” or “Am I finding my significance in what I do instead of who I am in Christ?” Guard yourself from subtly allowing cultural convictions to take the place of your identity in Christ. Ground your identity in the gospel and your practice will be more redemptive and more honoring to the Lord.




5. Engage culture humbly. Recognize that you have much to learn from a given culture. Read, converse, and reflect on cultural issues with a teachable heart. Ask God to shape your convictions through whomever or whatever He wills. Avoid proud dogmatism and cultivate humble conviction. Don’t put others down who believe differently from you. Consider others more important than yourself without surrendering your convictions. Yet, be willing to revise your opinions through a process of Text-Theology-Culture.




6. Engage culture selectively. Realize and embrace the limitations of your own time, experience, and interests. Spend your time wisely. Don’t sacrifice time with God, church, or family in order to become more culturally savvy. Everyone has been created differently, to live a unique life. Make the most of your experience by redemptively engaging culture, but try to avoid making the experience of others your own. There are too many issues in the world for you to become an overnight expert on Christ and culture. Be selective about what you engage.

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.

Enjoy the following post from Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:

A recent caller to my radio program raised an issue of obvious personal urgency.  He explained that he and his wife had recently experienced the death of a young child.  He spoke of his faith in Christ and of his desire to be obedient.  “But, can we question God?” he asked.

Of all possible tragedies, the death of a child is singularly horrific.  The caller did not relate details of this tragedy, but we all heard enough to feel the unspeakable grief experienced by this young Christian couple.  Do they have a right to question God?

It seems to me that the answer is both yes and no.  Beginning with the biblical affirmation that God is omnipotent and omniscient, sovereign and ever-reigning, we start with the understanding that whatever comes to pass does so by the express command, ordination, or permission of the Father.  Thus, the Creator is at all times responsible for his creation — and for his creatures.

So, is it legitimate to question God?

Perhaps we should consider how God has revealed himself to us as Father.  Considering a human father for a moment, we can recognize two different ways of questioning his ways.  The first way would be to rest secure in his love and fatherly care, but to express confusion over his ways.  Even the most faithful and trusting children wonder about their parents at times.  What are they up to?  Why did they make that decision rather than the other?  What was the purpose of that action?  As close as children are to parents, parents often perplex children by acting like adults.  In this mode of questioning, the child never questions the father’s love and faithful disposition, but does admit confusion — and perhaps even disappointment.

The other way of questioning a human father is to question his character, his faithfulness, or the authenticity of his love.  This is an altogether different mode of questioning.  In this second pattern of questioning, the child questions the father’s heart, not merely his actions and ways.

Now, move from considering these two different modes of questioning a human father to a parallel set of approaches to questioning our heavenly Father.  It is not unfaithful to admit and to articulate a sense of perplexity and pain in observing the ways of God.  There are times when we cannot offer an explanation of God’s ways.  At times, we cannot even detect any possibility of a purpose.  We can admit this to ourselves, to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to our heavenly Father.

The other mode of questioning God, on the other hand, constitutes sin and implies unbelief.  We cannot remain faithful and question God’s own faithfulness.  His love for those who are in Christ is beyond question.  His character is a constant and his love never fails.  He is not loving and gracious toward believers at one moment, only to turn into a malevolent deity the next.  He never changes.

In this light, it would be sin to question God in this second sense — the sense in which we might question whether God really loves us, or if He is really faithful to his promises.  This is not the questioning worthy of a believer, but of an unbeliever.

In Numbers 23:19 we read:  “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change his mind.  Has he said, and will he not do it?  Or has He spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”  To question God’s faithfulness is to assault his character.  Finite human beings are incapable of understanding the wisdom of God, except when that wisdom is mediated to us through the miracle of revelation.  We are not promised that all of our questions will be answered on earth.

We are promised, however, that on the Day of the Lord every believer’s eyes will be dry, and every tear will be wiped away.  We will understand all things in a transformed light.  We will know in a fully revealed sense what it means when we are promised that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  On that day will not be God’s interrogators or questioners, but worshipers who will see him face to face.

Is it legitimate for a believer to question God?  Yes and no.  Even the Apostle Paul admitted to being perplexed [2 Corinthians 4:8], but by his own affirmation he was not crushed.  We have no right to question the steadfast love of God for us, however, because this insinuates that God is either unable nor unwilling to keep his word.  As the Bible reveals, He is neither unable or unwilling.  He is ever faithful, even as his ways are “past finding out” [Romans 11:33].

One day, we will be beyond asking any questions about God’s ways.  Until then, it may help to remember that even the Apostle Paul was sometimes perplexed.  Perplexed, that is, but not unfaithful.