By: Anthony Orzo

Anthony Orzo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:31:31 +0000

That book should be on the Christian’s recommended reading list!

By: Clay Cass

Clay Cass — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:22:14 +0000

I like this value a lot. So much could be said but this is a preliminary thought from your point that we are students of culture. In his book Culture Making, Andy Crouch points out that the description of man as being made in God’s image from Genesis 1 has important implications for our understanding of culture. Basically, when God says “let us make mankind in our image” God is making that statement after He has put in a full work week creating the rest of the world. God sees his good creation, and yet does not see anything that reflects his image. One of the essential ways we as people reflect God’s image is through our drive to create. It is impossible to be human and not be creative – it is our nature. Culture then, he says, is what human beings make of the world. The reason we are students of culture is because culture making is our normal mode of operation. God used human culture to reveal himself and create his holy word and he uses it today to communicate that message. To be sure, we don’t just blindly accept or try to baptize every cultural creation we encounter. But the point is that all or our attempts to understand God’s word and communicate that message come out of a cultural context. This is why some attempts at evangelism can be correct in their message but fail to win the heart. One of the supreme ways to love people is by understanding their cultural background, their world, and entering into it the way Christ entered ours, with grace and truth.

Comments on: Value # 1 “Biblical and Cultural Relevance”

By: Anthony Orzo

By: Clay Cass