I would like to turn this into something longer but will simply offer a quote from Carl Raschke’s TheNext Reformation to see if I can garner some conversation partners first. Here is the quote,
The postmodernist preoccupation with popular culture, which many evangelical theologians disdain, is not necessarily an unchristian fascination with sex and celebrities, but a form of cultural sensitivity and intellectual humility that ultimately offers an evangelical opportunity that hard-core Christian rationalists overlook. (p.20)
love the quote and would love to engage the topic further….count me in!
Don’t know if you read Andy Crouch’s book Culture Making but in that book he says this “we make sense of the world by making something of the world.” For Andy while this is rooted in the fact that we are created in the image of God this making sense of the world is not a uniquely Christian activity, it is a human activity. If he is correct and I think he is then as followers of Jesus we need to be sensitive to the “makings” of the world and what they say to us and about us as human beings. If we fail to do this we risk answering questions that no one is asking and proclaiming a faith that is irrelevant to a large portion of the culture. If that happens it is not a failure of the gospel or an instance of he wisdom of God being foolishness to man it is simple irrepsonsibility.
Paul, you are counted.
Tim, interestingly I just received Crouch’s new book. Yes, I agree. Attempting to make sense of the world is not a uniquely Christian, evangelical, project. Listening to those around us will certainly be a way forward. We may need to find our ears though.
You know…I think it would be good to set some kind of forum up to discuss the book. Todd, what do you think? I’d be in…
David, I like the idea. We might even be able to get Carl to chime in at some point. It would be fun to get him, David Fitch and John Franke to offer some thoughts along the way. Who knows, maybe we could be Peter Rollins to stop by too.
I am sure Andy would be happy to stop by as well. Let me know.