How do we live a Christian faith in today's cultural context? What is required of us? What should be concerned about? If anything? How do we talk to our kids about changing cultural norms? And what doe the Bible say about all of this uncertainty we are feeling?
We are starting a new series on the podcast this week we are calling This Cultural Moment to talk about these very questions. In fact this series is something you all have requested. We start with an incredibly encouraging and thoughtful conversation with Dr. Jerry Sittser.
Dr. Sittser recently retired as a professor from Whitworth University and his newest book, Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World gives us some historical reference for where we are today. We are not the first Christians to feel disoriented or overwhelmed by our cultural environment and we can be refined as we walk through spaces that are pushing us past (maybe way past) our comfort zones.
From questions to ask ourselves as we're parenting to spiritual practices we can employ Jerry offers practical and hopeful responses for today's Christians. He also gives us hope that living a life of faith often involves a "third way" that is unfamiliar, yet intriguing, to those living near us. We can have a resilient faith as we do the internal work God asks of us to grow into mature followers of Jesus living in today's world.
An article in the Atlantic, Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
An article in the Atlantic, Why American Teens Are So Sad
Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone, The Upswing
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Dumez
Jerry's new book Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World
The New Catechismal, contact Jerry for more
“Politics is a really bad religion. We all need to be political, and involved to some degree, but we can’t expect from politics what we can only expect from God.
When we turn politics into God we’re in serious trouble. ”
“Jesus is not only the way to life, through his death and resurrection, Jesus is also the way of life.
Both are equally true and important.”
"Small is beautiful if it's faithful to God."
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