BE - Engaging :: The Culture around us

This is where we are right here right now. Emmersed in our culture, filtered into our mindsets and standpoints. It is useless to think that our culture doesn't effect us, it does. It effects how we think, learn and act in many different ways.

In many ways our culture presents a world view that contradicts our christian mindset, but where does that leave the Christian? On the outskirts of postmodern living, tongue tied in relativity and losing faith in a multifaith society...

Christians need to wake up and start engaging with the culture around them. Learning to discover what is society portraying in their media and art, what are the cries of desperation that society to is longing for, what are the morals, what is the crutch and framework of their ideology?

With those questions in mind, I want to ask:

And how does this fit in with the Gospel?
How can the Gospel relate to what society craves and the image that they are displaying?

I want to be like Paul as he looks around in Acts 17 "For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship" Paul is observing the culture, observing the idols and then from there he can begin to relate to them, to preach the Gospel in a way that is relevant and captures them so that they realise that the idols they were after are worthless compared to God.

We can do this now. We can pass along and observe the books, films, magazines, adverts, conversations, art, music and fashion and see the objects of worship. Learn to observe and not to hide away from culture.

So what I have decided to do is a series in BE-Engaging and look at various books, music and films and see what they portray and the messages that have been given out through them and the see what the Gospel says. How can we preach the Gospel to the world when a thousand other messages are coming to their ears??