Dick Staub has written a thought-provoking book – The Culturally Savvy Christian: a Manifesto for Deepening Faith and Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite. In his opinion, culturally savvy Christians are savvy about faith and about culture.
The author does a good job of exposing the superficiality of much of pop culture but also challenges what he calls 'Christianity Lite' or 'Pop Christianity,' which he defines as "a brand of faith that tastes great but is less filling, and wherever it prevails, it a source of impoverishment of faith and culture." From a church history perspective, the author believes that we are at a low point not a high point because of today's shrinking Christian influence.
He presents three counter-productive ways for followers of Christ to react to culture:
1. Cocooning from Culture. This approach is about fleeing from the world and results in cultural separation.
2. Combating Culture. This approach takes the culture on in a kind of culture wars.
3. Conforming to Culture. This approach results in being more influenced by the culture that we desire to transform.
His solution is a call for Christian to (1) counter culture like aliens, (2) communicate in culture like ambassadors, and (3) create culture like artists. He cites C.S. Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien as examples of culturally savvy Christians.
This book is highly relevant reading for today's church …
Good timing Mark. This sounds like just the book I’m looking for. Thanks
Hi Mark
We are new in Citylife ( less than 2 months).
Our daughter attends Sunday School in Citylife. During the celebration service, she partakes of the emblems ( biscuit and grape juice)as all the Sunday School children do.
We have asked to to refrain from doing so, until she is baptised ( water baptism).
Could you tell us, what is your church view on this.
Regards
Robert
Hi Robert
Good question. With water baptism, yes we believe it is for believers, so best for parents to wait until children come of age and make their own decision before they get baptised.
With communion, we take the foundation of Passover in the OT where each Israelite family took a lamb for a house. The entire family, young and old, partook, with parents explaining the meaning. As children grow older they come to understand it more fully. Obviously, each family needs to make a conscience decision for their own family in approaching this, but as a church we encourage families to partake together based on this biblical support.
Hope that helps
Thanks