Engaging the Culture with the

Heart and Mind of Christ

Engaging the Culture with the

Heart and Mind of Christ

Dr. William BrownPresidentDr. William BrownPresident

I. True Leadership:Seeing others through

the eyes of Christ

I. True Leadership:Seeing others through

the eyes of Christ

  19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

  19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

  22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

  22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

“If you could live forever, would you and why?”“I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, becauseif we we’re supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but wecannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.”

---Miss Alabama (1994 Miss USA contest)

“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. . .

…I mean I’d love to be skinny like that but not with all those flies and death and stuff.”

--Mariah Carey

“Smoking kills. And if you’re killed you’ve lost a very important part of your life.”

--Brooke Shields

“It’s boring. We walked out after, like, one minute.”

Paris Hilton on The Passion of the Christ (Entertainment Weekly, June 11, 2004)

Brian “Head” Welch

II. True Awareness:Seeing the power of Culture

II. True Awareness:Seeing the power of Culture

“Will and Grace, WWE Smackdown, Eminem, and Madonna have more to do with the direction of our culture than all of Congress.”

Bill WichtermanPolicy advisor to Senate Majority leader Bill Frist

“Will and Grace, WWE Smackdown, Eminem, and Madonna have more to do with the direction of our culture than all of Congress.”

Bill WichtermanPolicy advisor to Senate Majority leader Bill Frist

“More theology is conveyed in, and probably retained from one hour of popular television, than from all the sermons that are delivered on any given weekend in America’s synagogues, churches and mosques.”

Phyllis TicklePublisher’s Weekly“God-Talk in America”

“More theology is conveyed in, and probably retained from one hour of popular television, than from all the sermons that are delivered on any given weekend in America’s synagogues, churches and mosques.”

Phyllis TicklePublisher’s Weekly“God-Talk in America”

III. True Engagement:Seeing the right approach to cultureIII. True Engagement:Seeing the right approach to culture

Three ApproachesThree ApproachesThree ApproachesThree ApproachesWITHDRAWOffended by Culture

“The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.”

“The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.”

-- Stephen King, Author

““Dear god, if you were alive,Dear god, if you were alive,You know we’d kill you.”You know we’d kill you.”

-- Marilyn Manson “Godeatgod” from the album Holy Wood

“I would thank God, but I don’t believe in it.”

-- Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam

“I’ve got my own religion… If I get into trouble, there’s no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.”

-- Bjork

“Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder.”

-- Bill Maher

“The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot ever fence it out.”

Gildor Inglorion in J. R. R. Tolkien’sFellowship of the Ring

Three ApproachesThree Approaches

Delighted by Culture

WITHDRAWWITHDRAWOffended by Culture

ASSIMILATEASSIMILATE

“Church”“Church”

“The Way You

Move”“The Way You

Move”Man, have you ever really wonderedLike why are we here? What the meanin’ to all of this?

Man, have you ever really wonderedLike why are we here? What the meanin’ to all of this?

Three ApproachesThree Approaches

Delighted by Culture

WITHDRAWWITHDRAWOffended by Culture

Distressed by Culture

ASSIMILATEASSIMILATE

ENGAGEENGAGE

. . . Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

2 Peter 2:7-8

The Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural Challenge

. . . Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

2 Peter 2:7-8

The Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural Challenge

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,he was greatly distressed to see that the he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in thecity was full of idols. So he reasoned in thesynagogues, . . .as well as in the market-synagogues, . . .as well as in the market-place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.that in every way you are very religious.For as I walked around and looked For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship. . .”carefully at your objects of worship. . .”

Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34

The Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural Challenge

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,he was he was greatly greatly distresseddistressed to see that the to see that the city was full of idols. So city was full of idols. So he reasonedhe reasoned in the in thesynagogues, . . .as well as in the market-synagogues, . . .as well as in the market-place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.that in every way you are very religious.For as I walked around and For as I walked around and looked looked carefully at your objects of worshipcarefully at your objects of worship. . .”. . .”

Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,he was he was greatly greatly distresseddistressed to see that the to see that the city was full of idols. So city was full of idols. So he reasonedhe reasoned in the in thesynagogues, . . .as well as in the market-synagogues, . . .as well as in the market-place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.that in every way you are very religious.For as I walked around and For as I walked around and looked looked carefully at your objects of worshipcarefully at your objects of worship. . .”. . .”

Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34

The Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural ChallengeThe Cultural Challenge

“Greatly distressed”“Greatly distressed”

Sought to understand the culture (v. 23) Started where they were (vv. 22-23)

Positive about the truth he found (v. 22)

Knew and quoted their sources (vv. 23,28)

Communicated the Gospel (vv.18,30-31)

Sought to understand the culture (v. 23) Started where they were (vv. 22-23)

Positive about the truth he found (v. 22)

Knew and quoted their sources (vv. 23,28)

Communicated the Gospel (vv.18,30-31)

Engaging the Culture with the

Heart and Mind of Christ

Engaging the Culture with the

Heart and Mind of Christ

Dr. William BrownPresidentDr. William BrownPresident