POP goes the CULTURE

Here's another book that looks promising. I read the excerpt from COLLIDE magazine and was impressed. The book was released in early April and was not yet available for purchase at my local Christian bookstore.

Here are a couple brief points from the book as they appeared in COLLIDE (a magazine that I highly recommend):

"Every church makes a choice in hpw to respond to pop culture, and the choice it makes determines how much of an impact it will have on its community."

Author Tim Stevens goes on to point out the five choices that are possible. I will list them here without his commentary. To find out more visit http://www.colidemagazine.com/ or http://www.popgoesthechurch.com/

Here are our choices:

• Condemn the Culture
• Seperate from the Culture
• Embrace the Culture
• Ignore the Culture
• Leverage the Culture

"[Jesus] would read our books, go to our movies, watch our TV shows, look at our magazines, and surf the Internet so that He could better understand our culture."

Bumper Sticker Culture

I just finsihed reading an excellent book titled Lord Save Us from Your Followers by Dan Merchant. I found the book both convicting and moving. Maybe that wasn't so much the book as it was the Holy Spirit. None-the-less Merchant "speaks the truth in love" and presents important ideas about grace, love, communication and cultural engagement that should be considered by all who call themself Christian.

Here is just one passage from the book:

"A bumber sticker is, quite possibly, the weakest, most strident form of communication possible

--because of its one-way nature. In this information age, communication styles are more influential than ever. I've identified four primary ways that have (seemingly) become accepted ways we communicate our ideas, both through the media and in person.

• Myopia--our communication conveys our point of view exlusively. While our facts may be acurate, we lack context and, ultimately, understanding by ignoring information that doesn't put forward our agenda.


• Hyperbole--our communication again conveys our point of view, but e exagerate the facts and distort the available information to create an intellecually dishonest and, possibly, more persuasive case for our agenda.


• Hysteria--our communication conveys our point of view in an emotional and aggressive manner based primarily on our feelings, what we want to be true, and our blind desire to be right and see our agenda come to fruition.


• Truth--our communication conveys as balanced a review of the facts as possible, including the weaknesses of our position and the strengths of the other's. The goal of communication is the illumination of reality, and, in this case, our agenda considers the well-being of all people, not just those who agree with us..."

In a nutshell, the book advocates active listening and sincere grace as the forum for bringing people closer to Christ. I highly recommend this read.