Christianity Today "Beautiful Orthodoxy" Book of the Year in 2016. Keep Christianity Strange. As the culture changes all around us, it is no longer possible to pretend that we are a Moral Majority. That may be bad news for America, but it can be good news for the church. What's needed now, in shifting times, is neither a doubling-down on the status quo nor a pullback into isolation. Instead, we need a church that speaks to social and political issues with a bigger vision in mind: that of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christianity seems increasingly strange, and even subversive, to our culture, we have the opportunity to reclaim the freakishness of the gospel, which is what gives it its power in the first place. We seek the kingdom of God, before everything else. We connect that kingdom agenda to the culture around us, both by speaking it to the world and by showing it in our churches. As we do so, we remember our mission to oppose demons, not to demonize opponents. As we advocate for human dignity, for religious liberty, for family stability, let's do so as those with a prophetic word that turns everything upside down. The signs of the times tell us we are in for days our parents and grandparents never knew. But that's no call for panic or surrender or outrage. Jesus is alive. Let's act like it. Let's follow him, onward to the future.

Engaging the Culture will inspire a greater understanding and participation in the Great Commission by Christians of all ages empowering people to engage their world with the "Good News" right where they are. Most American Christians are unable to explain their faith to a non-believer. Studies have shown, seventy percent of Christian young people fall away from their faith once they enter college. Right now, the Christian church has an unprecedented opportunity to be right where the action is. It's time to speak up. The gospel not only confronts us spiritually with the cross but also equips us practically for its cause. Jesus started it, Paul and subsequent generations continued it, and it is now left to us to finish it. In God's eyes, sharing our faith has never been, nor shall ever be just an option. One day we will stand before God for our generation. Engaging the Culture examines the biblical mandate for evangelism, identifying the common challenges people face sharing their faith while equipping the reader to be ready to give an answer to the skeptic or Bible critic with confidence, clarity and compassion.

The Christian Today Study Series delves into today's vital cultural issues to get to the heart of what these topics mean to you. Each 8-week study is based on articles written by some of today's leading Christian authors and published by the Christianity Today magazines. These remarkable studies will foster deep, authentic, and relevant discussion that will challenge and grow any small group. Engaging the Culture will take on a variety of topics, such as: Culture . . . Love It? Leave It? Or Transform It? Kingdom-Minded Living in the Kingdom of This World Engaging the Skeptics Cultural Stereotypes and Misconceptions of Christianity Based on articles by a variety of authors, such as: Philip Yancey Mark Galli Michael Horton

Before we can reach today's youth with the turth of the gospel, we need to see what they see and hear what they hear. We need to catch the messages encrypted in their culture and understand what's really being communicated. In Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture Walt Mueller, founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, helps us to navigate the troubling and confusing terrain of teen worldviews so that we can effectively and compassionately pass along good news: our God is their God, our Savior can be their Savior.

In The Four Cultures of the Academy, William H. Bergquist identified four different, yet interrelated, cultures found in North American higher education: collegial, managerial, developmental, and advocacy. In this new and expanded edition of that classic work, Bergquist and coauthor Kenneth Pawlak propose that there are additional external influences in our global culture that are pressing upon the academic institution, forcing it to alter the way it goes about its business. Two new cultures are now emerging in the academic institution as a result of these global, external forces: the virtual culture, prompted by the technological and social forces that have emerged over the past twenty years, and the tangible culture, which values its roots, community, and physical location and has only recently been evident as a separate culture partly in response to emergence of the virtual culture. These two cultures interact with the previous four, creating new dynamics.

Whether we interpret Scripture or culture, it matters what we do, not just what we think or feel. How do we live with our interpretation, and how do we live it out? This book helps us understand how culture forms us as political actors, moves us aesthetically, shapes the rhythms of our lives, and connects (or disconnects) us from God and neighbors we are called to love. The goal is to be equipped to engage culture with greater fluency and fidelity in response to the triune God. This short, accessible introduction to the conversation between theology and culture offers a patient, thoughtful, and theologically attuned approach to cultural discernment. It helps us grow our interpretive skill by training our intuition and giving us a slower, more deliberate approach that accounts for as much of the complexity of culture as possible. The book explores 5 dimensions of culture--meaning, power, morality, religion, and aesthetic--and shows how each needs the others and all need theology. Each chapter includes distinctive practices for spiritual formation and practical application. Foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer.

A candid, often humorous look at how to find truth in music, movies, television, and other aspects of pop culture. Includes photos, artwork, and sidebars.