Book Overview:
Tackling the age-old question of ‘how should Christians engage with culture?’, Dan Strange presents a compelling case to engage with the culture in which we reside by neither fully decrying it nor fully affirming it, but instead speaking of a better story by presenting Jesus to the world around us.
Discussion:
- Which three responses does Strange describe as typical Christian reactions? How does engaging differ? (pp.16-17).
- Look in
- Lash out
- Looking like
- How is culture defined? Would you agree?
- Stories definition: ‘Culture is the stories that express meaning about the world’ (p.23).
Note: Arts definition (p.19), Social sciences definition (p.20), Cultural studies definition (p.22).
- Why should we care about culture? (pp.25-37).
- We have no choice
- We care about following Jesus
- We care about telling others about Jesus
- We care about Jesus
- Strange establishes the rule that humans are culture-builders? Where does he get this idea from Biblically? Do you find it compelling? (p.40).
- How does the fall play out in the world of culture? (p.43).
- Human beings as culture-destroyers; we destroy culture and culture destroys us
- ‘Culture is ‘religion externalised” – it’s how we show on the outside what we believe on the inside.’ (p.47).
- Strange described Jesus as the ‘Lord of Culture’ (p.51). What does this mean? What difference does this make with how we engage with culture?
- How is God revealing himself to humanity in shadows and sunbeams? How does humanity respond? (pp.60-75).
- Suppression (p.66)
- Substitution (p.70)
- Wake up (p.74)
- How do the five solas of the Reformation prove helpful when discerning what to engage with? (pp.77-94).
- What does the phrase subversive fulfilment mean? How and why does the gospel confront and connect to culture? (p.102).
- What does subversive fulfilment look like in practice (pp.117-128 – particularly pp.119-120):
- Entering
- Exploring
- Exposing
- Evangelising
