Stewardship and Renewal in the Christian Tradition
The first section of Christians in Culture focuses in on how to establish the Christian worldview, which is appropriate, as Christianity must be established before it can be properly utilized in the culture. Matthew Pinson and Christopher Talbot begin by taking the reader through a history of Christian cultural engagement a history of the influence of ideas. These two chapters are particularly crucial to the book, as it helps situate Christianity within cultural history itself.
Yet knowing cultural history is not enough; Christians are called to be stewards of this knowledge as well. Talbot states this point well in noting that Christians “are the stewards of that which others have passed down to us: thoughts, art, philosophies, and more. God has called us to steward these things well.” [3] Matthew McAffee ends this first section by moving the discussion along from stewardship to renewal. Establishing the Christian worldview begins with stewardship, and righteous stewardship leads to renewal, empowered by the gospel and special revelation. [4] This inevitably leads to questions about how to apply stewardship and renewal, which the authors of this book turn to next.
Examples of the Christian Worldview in Action
The second portion of Christians in Culture focused on practical, everyday steps for Christians to take in terms of implementing the Christian worldview. Chapter’s eight (art and entertainment) and chapter fifteen (sports and recreation) in particular stood out to me. For art and entertainment, Matthew Bracey makes the astute observation that both art and entertainment have a theological grounding in that they are direct results of humans being image bearers of God. [5] He then goes on to outline several points of emphasis that Christians should keep in mind when engaging with art and entertainment, starting with making Christ your foundation at the outset and ending with a challenge to exegete art and entertainment culture with care and wisdom. [6] The theological point should not be missed. As followers of Christ inevitably impacted by art and (especially) entertainment, we must always remember that we are God’s image bearers first and foremost. This mindset can – and will – impact how we engage with the culture at large.
Finally, Greg Ketteman and Gregory Fawbush propose various ways that the Christian worldview can be properly and practically applied to sports and recreation, a particularly relevant topic as sporting events continue to dominate the public sphere and impact the lives of millions year-round. Ketteman and Fawbush, in similar fashion to Bracey, begin by highlighting the need to establish the theological foundation of sports, which they ultimately identify with the creation mandate in Genesis 1:28. The authors of this chapter then transition to various challenges, such as how to make sure Sunday worship takes precedent over sports, how to perceive athletic excellence without idolization, and, crucially, how to treat sports and recreation, in general, as a serious avenue of Christian engagement opportunity as opposed to a lost cause.
Final Considerations
Michael Horton once noted that “No more than reason, experience, or tradition is culture itself to be viewed as inherently opposed to faith.” [7] Christians in Culture definitively proves this point. From the conservative tradition to technology to economics and more, this book serves as a valuable resource to the individual believer and the Church alike.
You often hear Christians lamenting about how the culture is lost and significant cultural change is not achievable. It is as if culture used to be a worthy cause to contend for, but no longer is. Nothing could be further from the truth. In terms of cultural engagement, Christians not only have something to contribute but also have an obligation to practice both stewardship and renewal, grounded in special revelation and natural law. [8] Christians in Culture serves as an excellent resource to this larger discussion, and I look forward to its continued impact on the church specifically, and on the culture more broadly.
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