Engaging the Culture with the Heart and Mind of Christ

2. Engaging the Culture with the Heart and Mind of Christ Dr. William Brown President

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. “If you could live forever, would you and why?” “I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we we’re supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.” ---Miss Alabama (1994 Miss USA contest)

8. “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

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

10. “It’s boring. We walked out after, like, one minute.” Paris Hilton onThe Passion of the Christ (Entertainment Weekly, June 11, 2004)

12. Engaging the Culture?

13. “Will and Grace, WWE Smackdown, Eminem, and Madonna have more to do with the direction of our culture than all of Congress.”Bill Wichterman Policy advisor to Senate Majority leader Bill Frist

14. “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 Tickle Publisher’s Weekly “God-Talk in America”

15. Three Approaches Offended by Culture WITHDRAW

18. “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’s Fellowship of the Ring

19. Three Approaches Offended by Culture WITHDRAW ASSIMILATE Delighted by Culture

20. “Our father, God, Allah, we thank you for this moment in time. Bless Kanye, bless his album, take over his album and take it to the highest place possible . . . In the name of Allah and the spirit of our inner essence. Amen.” Prayer by Kanye West prior to a concert, Blender, September 2005, 126.

21. “Church” Man, have you ever really wondered Like why are we here? What the meanin’ to all of this? “The Way You Move”

22. Three Approaches Offended by Culture WITHDRAW ASSIMILATE Delighted by Culture Distressed by Culture ENGAGE

23. The 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

24. The 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

25. The Cultural Challenge While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogues, . . .as well as in the market- place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship. . .” Acts 17:16-34

26. The Cultural Challenge While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogues, . . .as well as in the market- place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship. . .” Acts 17:16-34

27. Paul's Motivation “Greatly distressed”

28. Paul's Methods 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)

29. Check Your Heart Check Your Mind

30. Attitude of Your Heart Altitude of Your Mind

31. Engaging the Culture with the Heart and Mind of Christ Dr. William Brown President

33. Guiding Students to Think Worldviewishly Dr. William Brown President

34. The Worst Analogies Ever Written The little boat drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t. Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots at the center. Her vocabulary, was as bad as, like, whatever. He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

35. The Worst Analogies Ever Written The politician was gone, but unnoticed, like the period after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can. The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

36. Cultivating Worldview Thinking 1. Educating 2. Integrating 3. Mentoring

37. Elements of Worldview Thinking Explanation Focus: Biblical Instruction Goal: Think Biblically Interpretation Focus: Personal and Cultural Evaluation Goal: Discernment Application Focus: Personal Decision- making Goal: Christlikeness

38. Examples of Worldview Teaching 1. Explore the distinctives of the Biblical worldview. Ask, “What if . . . “ 2. Explore the distinctives of other worldviews. Ask, “How would a ____ explain or interpret this?” 3. Ask: “Why?” about everything. 4. Collect worldview current events

39. Examples of Worldview Teaching 5. “Enslave” yourself to everyone. Ask: “What are your favorite . . . songs/groups? Why? movies/celebrities? Why?” 6. So What? Ask: “What do these songs/movies/etc. tell us about ourselves? What is the underlying worldview? What values, actions, beliefs do they promote? How do these line up with a biblical view of life?”

40. Guiding Students to Think Worldviewishly Dr. William Brown President

41. Where Have All the Dreamers Gone? Dr. William Brown President