cultural hermeneutics white paper

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Cultural Hermeneutics: An Introduction and Its Import
Dr. Luke B. Bobo © 2015

Introduction

What is my 'neighbor' thinking and why does it matter? And how does this course answer this question? First, ministry always has a beneficiary in view: our neighbor. Our neighbors' thinking has been greatly impacted by our culture; our neighbors are indoctrinated by our culture and live by the narratives propagated by our culture. Our neighbors think and behave differently than those who live by the Christian life and world view. So, we need to ask, "What is my 'neighbor' thinking?" This course will help us understand what our neighbor is thinking so that we can 'package' the gospel in a way that our neighbor can understand.

Second, this course is entitled "Cultural Hermeneutics and Ministry" – what does this all mean? Before answering this question directly, we need to be reminded that doing ministry is always contextual. That is, doing ministry in our American cultural context will look different than doing ministry in an African or Asian cultural context. Doing apologetics – a ministry that all Christians are called to engage in - is contextual. Again, doing apologetics will look differently in the suburbs of St. Louis versus doing apologetics in Ferguson, MO. Cultural hermeneutics enables or equips us to read the cultural landscape. In other words, culture can be interpreted. In fact, "Anything in the social environment is a 'text' that can be read and interpreted." So, we must be skilled in doing cultural hermeneutics as a precursor for doing ministry in general and apologetics in particular. See Figure 1.1 as this is something worth interpreting. This billboard illustrates one of the oft mentioned objections to the Christian faith; that is, Christianity is merely a myth or a fairy tale and that Jesus is a mythical and not a historical figure.




Figure 1.1 - This billboard, designed to advertise atheism and discredit Christianity, was located in St. Charles, MO


Third, related to this idea that anything can be interpreted is the notion that all cultures produce cultural artifacts. For example, the American culture has produced such cultural artifacts such as literature, art, rap music, film, a gun, TV and etc. The artifacts produced by pop culture, a subset of the American culture, especially demands our attention, engagement and understanding. Turnau provides this valuable insight about pop culture, "Christians who engage unbelieving popular culture desperately need the tools that apologetics provides. But the reverse is also true: to remain relevant, apologetics desperately needs contact with the messages and worldviews communicated by popular culture. Popular-cultural engagement and apologetics need each other." These cultural artifacts are not benign; rather, cultural artifacts not only have embedded narratives but they actually mediate or propagate these narratives. For instance, some films mediate or propagate greed as a virtue while some rap songs mediate unbridled materialism/consumerism and misogynist themes. Ironically, authors such as Robert K. Johnston and William Romanowski also tell us that oftentimes cultural artifacts such as film and music simply echo back to us what we value, believe and live by. Yet most importantly, these narratives – propagated and reinforced by cultural artifacts - provide viable alternatives to the Biblical narrative that our 'neighbors' think and live by.

Apologetics Defined

The Bible (ESV) translates 1 Peter 3:15 this way, "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."

And the NIV translates this same verse as follows, "but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

Doing apologetics is to 'make a defense' (ESV) and to 'give an answer' (NIV). That is, to be engaged in the apologetics ministry means simply to make a reasoned and persuasive defense of the gospel. Or better, as a friend and colleague, Mark Ryan puts it, "apologetics is giving a word back (or an answer back)." When an objection is raised about the Christian faith or when a question is asked about the Christian faith, all Christians should be able to "give a word back." Christianity is a reasonable faith and thus to ask someone to "just believe" without giving reasons to believe is like asking a person to commit 'intellectual suicide.' Additionally, to suggest to someone to "just believe" robs the Christian faith of its reasonableness. The end game of apologetics is not merely intellectual assent but for our neighbor to embrace a real and reasonable faith. Notice something else from 1 Peter 3:15, the Apostle Peter encourages diaspora Christians to always be ready to give an answer about what they believe and he tells them how to do it: with gentleness and with respect. The aim, therefore, of apologetics is not to win an argument; rather, the aim of Christian apologetics is to be winsome and this comes by being gentle and not strident; respectful and not disrespectful. All our neighbors are made in the image of God; therefore, all our neighbors deserve to be treated with gentleness and respect.

Cultural Hermeneutics

Cultural Theologies Compete with Biblical Theology (The Best Map)

What is the import of mastering such a skill as cultural hermeneutics? By understanding our culture - its ideologies, worldviews, religions and artifacts - we can understand what our 'neighbor' is thinking. Said another way, our culture – its ideologies, worldviews, religions and artifacts – offer alternative narratives to live by. And our neighbors live by or order their lives by these alternative narratives. In short, our culture has erected a pantheon; and each 'cultural god' of this pantheon has its own brand of theology. We should not quickly dismiss or overlook this reality as one's theology, "is like a map," writes C. S. Lewis. Christians believe that the Bible provides the best map of reality; or Christianity is best as describing reality or the way things are. However, many non-Christians are guided by other 'maps' or many non-Christians live by alternative narratives. These alternate maps of reality often end with the suffix –ism or many people live by whatever this suffix –ism is affixed to. Ellis Potter explains, "-ism means that whatever comes in front of the suffix –ism is the center of reality and the measure of everything. If science is the measure of everything, you have scientism. If the human being is the measure of everything, you have humanism."

Table 1.1 illumines other 'maps' (or –isms) that many non-Christians (and sadly, some Christians) live by.

Table 1.1 – Other Maps of Reality

Modernism (or Rationalism)
Postmodernism
Feminism
Nationalism
Racism, sexism, etc.
Nihilism
Individualism
Consumerism
Skepticism
Paganism
Narcissism
Deism
Celebrity Cultism
Secular humanism
Existentialism
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and other world religions
Moral relativism
Atheism
Pragmatism
'Frankenstein-ism'

Our 'Playground': Religiously Pluralistic and Tolerant
It should be clear to the reader that we live in religiously pluralistic society. Parrillo writes, "The United States has an immense diversity of faiths. Within the United States, more than 1,500 religious groups exist. That religious pluralism has expanded dramatically in the past 30 years that the United States, once a Christian country, now is the most religiously diverse country in the world." And the Spiritual Counterfeit Project (SCP) Home page states this, "[the] SCP maintains an extensive library and files on cults, the occult, and "new religious movements." SCP has over six thousand (6,000) groups on file, which the New York City Library assesses as the most complete collection of such materials in the United States." In short, the list of 'isms above is not an exhaustive list and Christianity is not the only 'game in town.'
Christianity has many competitors vying for converts and adherents. Of course, one consequence of our religiously pluralistic age is the high value placed on tolerance. Being tolerant has become a virtue. The 'gospel of tolerance' quips – 'be tolerant of my religion, and I will be tolerant of your religion.' There are benefits and disadvantages of living in a tolerant age. See below.
Benefits:
Christians do not have to fear persecution; unlike in other places in the world where one religion is the dominant and only religion one can practice.
The existence of other belief systems makes having a religious dialogue possible.
Tolerance seems to breed peace and civility among religions.

Disadvantages:
With so many religions, Christianity can lose its distinctiveness as many see Christianity as just one more religious choice to consider.
Tolerance views those who are sure (Christians) as bigots or intolerant.
Tolerance of religion often means to be tolerant of another's sinful lifestyle. Or tolerance breeds moral relativism – "what is right for you, is right for you; and what is right for me, is right for me.' See Figure 1.2.


Figure 1.2 - Professor 'Patriotic' has succumbed to moral relativism.

Living in religiously pluralistic age, where tolerance is regarded as "the highest truth," Christians must be sober or alert as tolerance is another prominent idea that influences our neighbor's thinking and thus, behavior.

Question: Can you think of other benefits and disadvantages of living in a religiously pluralistic-tolerant society?

Implications: Starting point?
Our culture is littered with a plethora of alternatives to the Christian faith. For instance, one person described our culture this way: "personal experience and personal authority matter most. Hence, Scripture and tradition are quaint, irrelevant artifacts." This means of course that doing apologetics cannot always begin with the Christian story or with propositions. Our 'starting point' will vary from non-believer to non-believer. For instance, one might "begin with paganism (or a topic other than Christianity, like aesthetics)…if one begins immediately with Christianity then they (unbelievers) say, 'that is nothing to us – and they are immediately on their guard." There was once a time where Christians could assume that many Americans had a basic understanding of Christianity; however, that is certainly not true today.
The context or the audience drives where we start. In other words, there is not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to doing apologetic ministry. Of course, there might be some similarities but in most cases we must pay attention to what is different so that we can tailor our words to the particular context. Professor Bobo has had the opportunity to preach and lecture in Cape Town, South Africa and Goiânia, Brazil. These 'contexts' dedicated how I crafted my lectures and sermons. My lecture in Goiânia, Brazil would not have worked in Cape Town, South Africa. I am not alone in this regard as Evangelist Billy Graham read "two books" before preaching in a city: he read the local newspaper and his Bible. From the newspaper he discerned what that particular city (context) needed and tailored his sermon accordingly. Of course, Jesus Christ is the best exemplar in this regard as one who knew the cultural contexts and spoke and acted accordingly. When it comes to apologetics, it is best to regard yourself as a missionary going into a foreign land; as such, we need to ask ourselves, 'what do I know about the context I am entering?' In many cases the answer to this question will be 'nothing' so we must to do some homework. Sometimes we can only know about a person's context only after we listened to the person's story.
Cultural Engagement

Need for Cultural Engagement

Christians must be willing to engage with culture in order to understand culture. Timothy Keller tweeted this, "It is impossible to understand a culture without discerning its idols." Cultural engagement aids us in discerning our neighbor's idols. And cultural engagement serves cultural hermeneutics. Cultural engagement is a must before we can tailor the gospel message in a way that our audience understands. Sadly, Christians instead of engaging with things of culture for the purposes of understanding culture, condemn things in culture and the people who enjoy the cultural artifacts that are unique to that culture. For example, the Puritans condemned the theater. Many Christians publically condemned the Harry Potter books. Personally, I find the condemnation of the Harry Potter books especially insane and embarrassing as the author, J.K. Rowling, writes about sacrificial love, the reality of evil, good triumphing over evil and the beauty of friendship among other themes. Condemnation is a knee jerk and unthoughtful response to things in culture and a cowardly escape from cultural engagement. Berry agrees, "Condemnation by category is the lowest form of hatred, for it is cold-hearted and abstract, lacking even the courage of a personal hatred. [Condemnation] makes cowards brave." While the context of this quote is gay marriage, the principle is nonetheless true for things in culture. Christians are quick on the draw to condemn things in culture and other ideas in culture rather than seeking to understand these things and other ideas in culture. There are many things in culture that we can actually affirm as good and beautiful.

Cultural engagement aids in interpreting the messages mediated through cultural artifacts. T. S. Eliot's words are appropriate here. He said, "A person's culture is an incarnation of his religion." One's culture – music, dress, food, mores, rituals, literature - are concrete expressions of one's religion. See Figure 1.3 below.




Figure 1.3 – A Woman's Dress is an incarnation of the Islamic Religion.
This Muslim's lady dress is a concrete expression of her religion; her dress communicates modesty is an esteemed virtue in Islam. If we take the –isms mentioned above in Table 1.1 as 'religions,' then we can find their respective cultural expressions. In other words, cultural artifacts actually affirm, and often, perpetuate alternative narratives. Consider this, "Artifacts are cultural only to the extent that they are carriers of ideas and images that are mediated by reality-defining institutions [like the academy, art, media, advertising, and entertainment]. The things we make are more than merely things; they are packages of carefully selected ideas and images."

Consider the examples below of cultural artifacts that mediate or serve as conveyors of a message.

Music
Rapper Kid Cudi mediates the worldview of skepticism in his song, "Just What I Am."
Rappers such as N.W.A, Easy E, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Notorious Big have overtones of nihilism in some of their songs.
Literature
The book, "The Little Engine that Could" mediates humanism.
Dr. Seuss was often a conveyor of humanism. Consider this quote: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
Film
Many of Woody Allen films mediate the worldview or 'theology' of existentialism (life is absurd).
"Children of Man" and "Juno" mediates postmodernism.
"Frozen" mediates messages of forgiveness and sacrifice love.

Question: Consider these or other cultural artifacts – name the artifact and identify the message (or messages) mediated through it?

Cultural engagement serves cultural hermeneutics; and cultural hermeneutics serves contextualizing the gospel where contextualizing is putting the message of the gospel or answers in a language that the hearer can understand. We must know the language of our culture so that we can exploit these artifacts in such a way to couch the gospel in a language that our hearers can understand. I like the way Short puts it, "The church's missionaries to its 'cultural despisers' need to be as well acquainted with the current languages of culture as the church's missionaries to foreign lands are acquainted with the languages of the areas into which they are sent." We are the church missionaries to the cultural despisers. If we do not learn the language of our culture, we cannot contextualize the gospel and thus, our communicative effectiveness will be severely strained. Again, "The Scriptures are clear – we are to listen to God's words…We are to listen to and discern the heart of the world. You see, opening our ears to understand the world allows us to more effectively communicate the unchanging Word of God in ways that answer the world's great need in ways the world can hear and understand."

Examples of Cultural Engagers: Then and Now

Recall this from Turnau, "popular-cultural engagement and apologetics need each other." The Apostle Paul was a master at cultural engagement and his apologetic messages were replete with evidence that he labored in cultural engagement prior to speaking. He represents the "then" category. Two others represent the "now" category of cultural engagers.

Then
The Apostle Paul was a master at understanding a culture so that he could contextualize the gospel for that culture. In other words, he adapted or accommodated to his surroundings so that he could understand the language of the host culture. Acts 13, 14 and Acts 17 represent three interesting case studies of Paul's ability to tailor the message of the good news to meet the audience (or contextualization). Paul knows his audience to the degree that he knows what common ground he shares with them. See Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 - A Comparison of Paul's Apologetic Speeches

Part
Point of comparison
Acts 13:13-52
Acts 14:8-18
Acts 17:16-34
A
Where?
Antioch in Pisidia
Lystra; considered an "insignificant village", country/rural setting
Athens; city, intellectual-cultural-philosophical center of the ancient world; 'a city full of idols' ('forest of idols'; Paul was irritated); native city of Socrates and Plato;
B
Audience (Context)?
Mixed, Jews and God-fearing Gentiles
Primitive, uncultured pagans, they were worshippers
Sophisticated, cultured pagans; initially Jews and devout people then Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in the marketplace over moral questions; move to the Areopagus, city council – a place where judicial functions were performed; place of great prestige; over 200 people in attendance;
C
Evidence of Idolatry
Yes – idolatrous concept;
Yes
Yes
D
Respectful of audience?
Yes, seen in address, "Men of Israel and you who fear God;"
Yes, could not assume that his audience knew the biblical account of Jesus as the Son of God, the covenants, etc. [shows respect];
Yes; "Men of Athens, I perceive you are very religious…" (they were pious and superstitious; they were afraid of annoying the gods]; Yes, could not assume that his audience knew the biblical account of Jesus as the Son of God, the covenants, etc. {this shows respect};
E
Worldviews/
Religions/-isms
Judaism
Mythology
Epicureanism & Stoicism (2 powerhouse worldviews);
F
Initial point of contact?
Went to synagogue on the Sabbath
"signs and wonders"; crippled man healed

Speaking in the marketplace; Paul a "seed picker"; regarded 'Jesus' and 'resurrection' as 'strange divinities' (vs. 18);
G
What evidence points to Paul's awareness of the culture?
References to OT History – Egypt, Samuel, Saul, David, tribe of Benjamin; what was written; Gentiles would be affirmed by Paul's words in vs. 47
Does not use overtly Christian language; does not recall Israelite history, does not mention Christ (compare to Acts 13)
>Structure of his argument would appeal to a Greek audience [Paul is cast as a latter-day Socrates; had a good understanding of rhetoric – e.g., his speech marked by repeated alliteration esp. with letter "p" (or ), elevated style, use of wordplay;
>Argument makes extensive use of popular Stoicism and Paul's quotes are of writers who hold the Stoic world and life view; does not use overtly Christian language; does not recall Israelite history, does not mention Christ (compare to Acts 13);
H
Reasoned presentation?
(What element of the truth did Paul use?)
Jewish History – events, places, people (e.g., Saul, King David, Abraham)
Prophecy fulfilled (promise-fulfillment; vv. 23, 29, 32, 33)
Jesus Christ, of the lineage of David, as God promised; brought to Israel, a Savior, as He promised (vs. 23)
Those who live in Jerusalem & their rulers fulfilled the utterances of the prophets
The OT Scriptures – "all that was written of Him" (what is "read every Sabbath" says Paul, vs. 27) – see also, vv. 33, 34, 35, 41, 47 – which are direct quotes or references to OT scripture
Resurrection of Jesus which was "written" – see vs. 34

Natural theology (general revelation) vv. 14-18 (moves from error to truth):
God as creator (vs. 15)
God has existed in the past; full revelation has come, now no excuse (vs. 16)
God's common grace – expressed in sending rains for "fruitful seasons" to 'satisfy your hearts with food and gladness'; this common grace is a God's witness of Himself (vs. 17)
God's providence seen in natural order or cycles of the seasons and rains point to the existence, power, goodness of the Creator (vs. 17)
Challenge the 'vain things' (idols) (vs. 15) – Zeus and Hermes; error to truth
Natural theology (general revelation) plus Stoicism vv. 22-31 (moves from impersonal God to creator and judge):
God as creator (vs. 24) and sustainer (vs. 25, 28); He does not need sustaining [captures Epicurean doctrine that God needs nothing from human beings; Stoic doctrine that He is the source of life];
Mankind originated from one source (vs. 26); knock against the Greeks who considered themselves superior to non-Greeks;
God providentially setting up 'habitable zones' as proof of God's existence and God's plan that men may grope after God (vs. 26) [Stoic thought: providence];
Offspring of the divine according to Aratus' poem, Phainomena 5 (vs. 28) [Stoic thought: divine kinship]; genos – posterity, family – this follows Stoic belief in ascribing relationship with God to all men on the basis of their existence
God's transcendence (vs. 29); if God's offspring & since we are not made of stone, gold…then?;
God formerly excused ignorance, fullness of revelation has been given (v 30) [Stoic thought: ignorance as vice];
God will judge fairly and righteously; portrays God as personal, not like pantheistic Zeus of Stoics (vs. 31)
I
Salvations?
Yes
Yes; see Acts 14:21-23
Yes; Acts 17:32-34

Imagine Paul taking his apologetic speech in Acts 13 and delivering it in Acts 17 before the Areopagus (Mars Hill) or imagine Paul taking his apologetic speech in Acts 14 and delivering it in Acts 13 to a primarily Jewish crowd. Paul would have not only failed on both occasions; but he would have been extremely insensitive and disrespectful of his respective audiences.

Now
Two modern day exemplars of studying and engaging with cultural artifacts and using these same cultural artifacts to communicate truth are "John" and Lecrae. Rap artist, Lecrae, views himself as an apologist. My colleague, Dr. Anthony Bradley, agrees. He posted this on his Facebook page, "If you've seen Lecrae's film projects and look closely at his history he is explicitly doing the work of apologetics--which explains why he frequently talks about Francis Schaeffer." The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer was probably the most influential apologist in the 20th century (and certainly one of my apologetics heroes). Dr. Schaeffer and his wife, Edith, founded the L'Abri Ministry in Huémoz, Switzerland in the 1950s. This non-profit ministry, which never solicited funds but supernaturally was provided for, served as a community where believers and non-believers could live in community and ask honest questions.

How does this topic of cultural engagement apply to Lecrae? He has obviously studied our culture and he has taken the oft scorned cultural artifact of rap music and has masterfully and excellently used it to couch the gospel in a way that many understand. On January 10, 2015, I posted this on Facebook "sharing Truth subversively = using a cultural artifact (such as rap) as the medium and using it with excellence. Lecrae is an exemplar." The reason, I believe Lecrae's music transcends spiritual/secular spheres, race, culture and socio-economic classism, is because he raps with excellence and because his lyrics are accessible to the masses or mainstream. Maybe this is the reason why Lecrae has appeared not once but twice on the Late Night Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon?

I met 'John', an older Christian man at Starbucks in Shawnee, KS in November 2014. As we talked, he informed me that he wrote poetry and I shared that I was preparing for this class. One of the topics we talked about was 'contextualization.' Intuitively, he knew we must understand the culture before communicating to our culture. So, he wants to use the literary and cultural artifact of poetry to communicate to our culture. With his permission, I have included one of the poems he penned entitled 'Shedding.'

An absurd ceremony,
Jesus marries the cross,
Adopting black holes,
Raw and wronged.

Beneath control, chaos,
Man's terror of the unpredictable,
A helpless self, All-Knowing
Waiting for rejection.

Blood red, spreading blood.
The All-Beautiful
Descending into angst,
The fear of nothingness.

The day, the hours of darkness
Come, random waste approaches.
Dirges swallow their notes,
When god's heart stopped.

Whips, nails and spear point.
Distressing insecurity spikes
Riding anxiety's demons,
Flatlining.

The glory is gone.
The catastrophe of nothingness
Holds the putative Messiah
Over the vacuum of desolation.

The Abandoned-Soul
Obliterated into nothingness,
In an eternal moment,
Falling helplessly backwards,

Opens His hand
Petting falling cats.

Exercise: Based on the descriptions provided in Appendix A, can you tell what audience or context "John" is addressing in his poem, "Shedding"?

Limits of Cultural Engagement

Paul gives us the biblical warrant in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 to engage with culture. Here Paul says for example that he became like a Gentile to win Gentiles ('those outside the law' – see vs. 21). Paul means this: he engaged with the things of the Gentile culture in order to understand Gentiles in order to win Gentiles. In other words, Paul studied the things of the Gentile culture and likely participated in activities associated with the Gentile culture to understand better the Gentile culture. Again recall from Acts 17, it was obvious that Paul read the Greeks poets (see Table 1.2, Part H and Paul's reference to Aratus' poem). Paul, we might say, exercised his Christian freedom responsibly. However, Paul would be the first to tell us that: 1) cultural engagement is riddled with "landmines" of immorality; and 2) if we are asked to participate in something that violates our conscience then we must kindly refuse. To "become all things to all people" does not mean we throw restraint out the window and violate our ethical standards or morals. To "become all things to all people" does not mean we have license to become antinomian.

Syncretism

Cultural engagement is not without its risks. Engaging with other ideologies, worldviews and the messages mediated through cultural artifacts could lead to syncretism. Syncretism is simply the idea of blending several worldviews into one. Consider this sobering statistic, "20% of Americans [say] that it's 'possible to be good Christian and a good Buddhist at the same time. Twenty four percent of the adult population think that Muslims and Christians 'pretty much believe in the same things.'" One could argue that this source is a bit outdated. However, the instances of 'syncretistic tailorings' have gain traction. Frykholm provides this valuable insight, "Americans have become accustomed to picking and choosing among various religious traditions and practices, selecting whatever is most useful, meaningful or intriguing at the moment. While such cafeteria-style religion is frequently criticized as superficial, it is common in a pluralistic culture with a wide-open religious marketplace." While Frykholm specifically indicts "Americans" as being syncretistic, Christians are not immune from this practice of blending Christianity with other religions. For example, many Christians have blended Christianity with humanism and postmodernism for example. Knitter claims that he is a "Buddhist-Christian," while Mrantz has blended Judaism and Christianity; and Redding has mixed Islam and Christianity to create her religion. Some Christians have blended Christianity with deism. In fact, Sociologist Christian Smith et al., has argued that many young people are 'moralistic therapeutic deists.' This special brand of deists believe:
A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth;
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions;
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself;
God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem; and
Good people go to heaven when they die.

So we need to know these alternate narratives on one hand. Notice why James W. Sire believes this is a must, "for any of us to be fully conscious intellectually we should not only be able to detect the worldviews of others but be aware of our own – why it is ours and why in light of so many options we think it is true." In other words, the presence of other worldviews or alternative narratives helps us to evaluate our own Biblical world and life view. Yet, on the other hand, we need to guard against syncretism. (See Appendix A for some quotes that illustrate some of the convictions of some of these –isms.)
Apologetics: Commending the Gospel of Jesus Christ

As said earlier, we must know our cultural context to do ministry. This is quite true for a ministry that all Christians are mandated to be engaged in: namely, apologetics. Doing apologetics is normative for the Christian church; in other words, "a missionary encounter [in the form of doing apologetics] is the normal position the church assumes in its culture if it is faithful." Yet keep in mind that Jews do apologetics; Muslims do apologetics; Atheists do apologetics (see Figure 1.1 again); and Buddhists do apologetics. In doing Christian apologetics, we must commend the gospel of Jesus Christ and our apologetics is based on the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means of course, that as Christian apologists, we must know the Bible because our "answer back" must be informed by Scripture.

Why do we commend the gospel of Jesus Christ? Because it meets these human needs:

It is rational. All human beings need a rational explanation for such questions as: who are we? Where are we going after death? Where are we from? Why do people die? Christianity provides rational answers to these existential questions. Christianity is a reasonable faith and Christianity is pregnant with mystery too.

It provides direction/order. All human beings need a volitional rudder. All human beings need some objective directions for managing our wills. All human beings need moral order and a purpose to live for. The gospel provides this order.

It satisfies our need for worship. All human beings have a need to worship. This is why one of our fundamental problems is idolatry as we are designed to worship. Our job as apologists is to recognize the idols in an unbelievers' life and to show the unbeliever the folly of bowing the knee to such idols. Schaeffer referred to this as 'tearing the roof off.'

It satisfies our need for affection. All human beings have a need for affection (that which appeals to the heart). Every person has a longing to find joy, every person has a longing to be loved and to love. God demonstrates His love toward sinners and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

It satisfies our imagination. All human beings have a need for the imaginative or mysterious. Every human person loves beauty (aesthetics) and longs for creativity. The gospel is morally beautiful! True and fair justice is beautiful. Jesus used parables because these short stories appealed to the imaginations of His audience. The Bible is written as a rich story precisely because God knows human beings are drawn to stories.

We commend others to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ because it satisfies our deepest longings. We commend others to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is True Truth. Yet note this caveat: the gospel is true not because it works – that would make Christianity all about pragmatism; but rather, the gospel works because it is True Truth!

Conclusion

Christian apologetics is a noble enterprise. Christian apologetics is every Christian's ministry. Giving an answer back is a 'win'; not giving any answer back is an 'epic' fail. Christian apologetics, like any ministry, is always contextual. Thus, all Christians must be students of our culture and this requires cultural engagement. Growing in the skill of cultural hermeneutics demands cultural engagement. Christian freedom gives us permission to engage with our culture in general and cultural artifacts in particular. Yet cultural engagement is not without its own unique risks. Indeed, falling prey to syncretism is a real risk. However, one antidote to falling victim to syncretism is active engagement in a Christian community. The Christian community not only can provide us with needed accountability but the Christian community must be in the business of helping Christians discern the 'blind spots' of our of world and life view. In other words, a Christian community must place emphasis on training its members in the discipline of Christian apologetics.

Appendix A: Other 'Narratives' Unbelievers Live By

Postmodernism

"Who really cares?" (former CMS student, this generation suffers from apathy; thus, does not care about defending the faith)

"…the post-modern insight that the receiver of information is as much in control of the meaning of an event as the creator of the event itself…" (Comment about online learning). Catherine Barnsley, Michael Corso, "The Spirit in Cyberspace: Formation in Online Learning", A Report of the Proceedings of the 27th Biennial Consultation of the Association for Theological Field Education, p. 70.

"I will choose what is right for me, you choose what is right for you" or "whatever" are, in effect, the campaign slogans for postmodernism." Mary B. Adam, "From Steinem to Schlafly: Creating A Basis For Constructive Conversation on Human Sexuality", Ethics & Medicine, Vol 21:3, Fall 2005, p. 133-34

"…normalcy is out of style." Film, Juno

Value The Ancient, distrust The Traditional; value spontaneity, distrust programming; value humility, distrust self-righteousness; value The Raw, distrust The Polished; value Spiritual Advisors, distrust Pastors; value narrative/story, distrust data/propositions; value community, distrust individualism; value authenticity, distrust The "Façade'; value religion, distrust tracts; value relationships, distrust events. (taken from Greg Johnson, Know Thy Mission Field, Memorial Presbyterian Church, 2004)

Credo: "authenticity rules, hypocrisy rots."

"We've got to get our act together (modernity). It's not an act (postmodernity)." (taken from Greg Johnson, Know Thy Mission Field, Memorial Presbyterian Church, 2004)

Individualism

New Trinity: "It's about me, myself and I."

"My ends justifies my means." So, if my behavior (whatever it is) results in my personal success, then it is the right moral choice.

"I am at the center of the universe." Wilkens and Sanford, Hidden Worldviews, p. 2.

"There are no higher goals than my happiness and my pleasure; there is no higher purpose than meeting my own needs, wants, rights and desires." Paul David Tripp, Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Figure 1, p. 148

"The sin of individualism hinders us from understanding that fullness of love and unity which is characteristic of the holy Trinity and is at the same time compatible with the preservation of personal identity."--Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, Romanian Orthodox Church, in his book "The Experience of God"

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Secular Humanism

Humanism purports that man has the ultimate ability; man knows how to fix our societal ills. Humanism teaches that man is not as bad as Christianity claims. Humanism also teaches that man is the measure of all things; man is deified. Man can fix man; man is the ultimate source of knowledge. Man is the 'savior' of man's problems. So it is not "glory to God in the Highest" but "Gory to Man in the Highest." Man is deified. Today, humanism has denigrated to secular humanism. Secular at one time meant the present world, age. Now, secular means exclusively, worldly or ungodly. For the secular humanist, God is dead. The secular humanist believes in progress (primarily scientific progress) and the rejection of moral absolutes.

"If God is dead, if man is the highest, then good and evil is defined by majority vote." William Golding

"…in the debate over embryonic stem cell research, actor Christopher Reeves told a student group at Yale University, 'When matters of public policy are debated, no religions should have a seat at the table.'" Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 22.

This Tweet illustrates how much humanism has permeated our culture. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." @Dr_SeussFreak (10/2014)

"Man's own reason and effort are man's best and indeed only hope." Corliss Lamont (President of American Humanist Association)

"Man's reason will conquer the universe." Julian Huxley

"Just like the gods of ancient polytheism, "'God' is…a symbolic word. It has no external referent which is open to public confirmation…The word 'God's has function, but no content or meaning except that which we supply…The content with which we invest it is the set of values and aspirations which we (subjectively) find laying a claim upon us. What those are depends on the world we have constructed, both individually and collectively." Lloyd Geering, Tomorrow's God: How We Create Our Worlds, 1994, pp. 144-145.

"Reason appears on the throne, prescribing laws and imposing maxims with an absolute sway and authority." David Hume

The humanist "wants a story that won't surprise them. That will confirm what they already know. That won't make them see higher or further or differently. They want a flat story. An immobile story. They want dry, yeast-less factuality." (Adapted from the Life of Pi, p. 302; when Patel was relating his experience on the sea)

In this 'narrative,' there is no room for the mysterious or supernatural. Miracles are illogical.



Existentialism

Teaches that "life is absurd." But the book of Ecclesiastes teaches the same – that life is vanity. Yet, there is one major difference: the preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes affirms the notion that we live in a moral universe because of a moral God; however, the existentialist "…concludes that in a godless universe all of our dreams and words are empty. Since there is no underlying meaning or creator, we create our own [meaning]" (Brian Godawa, Hollywood Worldviews, p. 81-82). Woody Allen believes in a particular vein of existentialism, namely, nihilism. Nihilism is noted for its emphasis on the meaningless of our "…existence because of the inability to rationally justify moral standards external to humanity" (Godawa, p. 70).

"Existentialism is a doctrine that renders human life possible." Jean Paul Sarte

"Existence precedes essence. We make ourselves; we create our essence." See Nel Noddings, "Continental Philosophy," Chapter 4, in Philosophy of Education (Second Edition), p. 62

"Nothing is more real than nothing." Becket

"The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd." Camus

New Age

This 'narrative' is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that postulates that "…the human self is in fact the Divine Self, the creator of the Universe" (Vishal Mangalwadi, When the New Age Gets Old, p. 7). True Spirituality is not the mystical union with the true God of the universe as the Christian believes; but rather, true spirituality for the New Ager is to realize one's own potential. The New Ager views the rational as a hindrance to reaching enlightenment and adopts an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma. The New Age Movement draws upon world religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism and it also draws upon older spiritual and religious traditions ranging from atheism and monotheism to astrology and pantheism (classical and naturalistic forms). The New Ager has an interest in all things spiritual – tarot cards, supernatural, palm reading, astrology, crystals, etc.

"It me that makes things happen to me." Shirley MacLaine

"The most worthwhile journey to take is the journey inside oneself." Shirley MacLaine

"You must be committed to living your truth." Kunda channeled by Marcella Daniels

"One typical New Age magazine, offers "tools and teachings to create your own reality." The New Age Movement is not about discovering reality but about making it; it is about power rather than truth." John Wauck

"You are everything, everything you want to know is inside of you. You are the Universe." Joseph Campbell

"If you begin with a large portion of American individualism, throw in a generous dose of Eastern mysticism and add a pinch of rebellion against consumerism, tradition and Enlightenment rationalism" you get a serving of New Age. See Steve Wilkens and Mark L. Sanford, Hidden Worldviews, p. 120

"Find out who you are and live that truth." See Glamour Magazine, March 2010 [many homosexuals have come out the closet because they have found out who they were]





Here 'neighbors' is a euphemism for anyone who lives by an alternative worldview.
Christians too are greatly impacted by our culture; thus, Paul's injunction in Romans 12:1-2 'not to be conformed to this world but allow your mind to be renewed.'
Gall, M.D., Gall, Joyce P., & Borg, Walter R. Educational Research: An Introduction (Eight Edition). Princeton, NJ: Pearson, 2006, p. 519.
See http://tinyurl.com/nct25la. I saw this on Jeremy Smith's Facebook page on December 9, 2014. Smith is the Executive Director of Faith Ascent. This ministry trains high school kids how to do apologetics. If you are youth minister and not equipped to teach your young people about apologetics, send them to Faith Ascent Base Camp.
Ted Turnau. Pop-ologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective, Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2012, pp. xvi-xvii.
See his book "Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue."
See his book "Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture."
Based on the word 'reason' in 1 Peter 3:15.
I first heard this phrase while speaking and preaching in Cape Town, South Africa (Summer 2005).
I hijacked this idea of culture theologies from Mark Ryan, Director of the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary.
C. S. Lewis. Mere Christianity, pp. 154-55.
Ellis Potter. 3 Theories about Everything. 2012, p. 3.
See scp-inc.org.
Many gangsta rap artists tout this motif in their songs.
Synonymous to "materialism."
Thanks to Facebook, narcissism has a life-line in to perpetuity?
Many of our nation's founders were deists (e.g., Thomas Jefferson).
See Neal Gabler. "Celebrity: The Greatest Show on Earth." Newsweek Magazine, December 2009 issue, where he writes, "celebrity is narrative" (p. 64).
I loved watching Frankenstein movies as a kid. The plot was simple: a mad and eccentric scientist would take body parts and surgically add them to another human body to create a fully functional person that he could control. However, these movies would also end badly with people getting hurt by this grotesque figure known as 'Frankenstein'. Likewise, 'Frankenstein-ism' is when some unbelievers take the palatable parts of this religion and the palatable parts of that religion to create their own religion. And like the ending of Frankenstein movies, those who try to fashion their own religion suffer in the end.
I don't believe the United States was ever a Christian country per se; rather, the framers of the constitution were guided by Christian principles.
Vincent N. Parrillo. Strangers to These Shores. 11th Ed., 2013, p. 314.

"China allows worship only in officially approved churches, such as the one Bush visited…so millions of people pray privately in house churches to avoid detection." Ben Feller, President Criticizes China on Churches, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 8, 2008.
See D. Michael Lindsay, Religious Pluralism, Rev., MarchApril2004. Lindsey reports this as evidence that 'Christianity is just like the others': "Twenty four (24) percent of the adult population think that Muslims and Christians 'pretty much believe in the same things.'" This source appeared in 2004; this means of course that the percentage is likely higher today.
Appeared in the Lindenwood Legacy Newspaper, date unknown.
Richard Neuhaus, "To Say Jesus is Lord", First Things, Nov. 2000, Number 107, 69-70. This is not espoused by Neuhaus but simply quoted by him.
Cathy Lynn Grossman. God, religion, atheism: 'So What?' That's what many say, USA Today, January 3, 2012, p. 9A.
From The Journals of Soren Kierkegaard, ed., trans. Alexander Dru (London: Oxford University Press, 1938), p. 232.
See Graham's book, "Just as I Am."
Tweet, December 30, 2014.
See Steve Turner's fine book, "Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts", Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001.
See Wendell Berry on Gay Marriage, Jan 14, 2013 at www.abpnews.com/culture/social-issues/item/8130-wendell-berry-expounds-on-gay-marriage.
See Briefing, Time, February 1, 2010.
John Seel. Reading the World, Critique Magazine, Issue Three, 2008, p. 20.
Robert L. Short. The Gospel According to Peanuts, p. 13.
Walt Mueller. A Word from Walt Mueller. CPYU Partner Update, Fall 2010.
Ted Turnau. Pop-ologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective, Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2012, pp. xvi-xvii.
Of course, Jesus Christ, was the ultimate example of doing cultural engagement.
Cultural engagement earned Paul the right to share the 'gospel.'
Jews knew their history. Paul wanted to show that Israel was chosen by God leading to a climax of Jesus as Savior; this is call to the prophetic witness of the OT; do not do as your rulers have done and rejected this message.
Legend records that an elderly couple Baucus and Philemon (no relation to Philemon in the NT) gave hospitality to Zeus and Hermes, visiting incognito. This leads people at Lystra to misidentify Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus, respectively. See Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament, p. 356.
Major tenets of Epicureanism philosophy: motto, "eat, drink" shorthand for Epicurean hedonism (no life after death), free from pain, disturbing passions, gods have nothing do with the life of human beings; withdraw from society, secure happiness via tranquility, not sensual indulgence, no providential oversight of the gods, death is equal to liberation; they were the modern day existentialists of their day.
Stoic philosophy was the most influential sect in the Greco-Roman world. Key: Paul found 'common ground' here! Or he found several tenets of Stoicism that he could "exploit."
A babbler - someone who picked up scraps in the market, a worthless character; Paul was one who picked up scraps of learning where ever he could – and thus, lacked credibility.
Technical name is paronomasia (e.g., "Interest in the Fire Paramedic Science degree is on fire.").
Popular Stoicism includes the veneration of images as an expression of human piety, belief in providence, and kinship with the creator God; practiced tolerance, taught fate [personal God, not a player; deal with the hand dealt you, can't fight against it], thoroughly pantheistic, great emphasis on rational faculty over emotions and self-sufficiency; materialistic worldview (no spiritual reality; so a bodily resurrection would be a step backwards) and advancing beyond ignorance.
Remember that sometimes we must reason with unbelievers from the whole counsel of God (The Faith or entire corpus of the Bible) before we can share the faith (the good news).
See Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT), Volume 1, pp. 684-85.
Only Christian sentence in Paul's speech; here we have a cloaked reference to Christ's resurrection as providing proof that Jesus has been appointed judge.
Dr. Anthony Bradley, Facebook Post, January 10, 2015.
The French word, "L'Abri" means "the shelter" in English.
Chuck Colson is another good example of a cultural engager. He met an unbeliever and tried to speak in Christian terms but found himself going nowhere. However, during the course of his conversation with this unbeliever he discovered that he and the unbeliever shared an interest in Woody Allen movies. Colson used these films as an 'on ramp' to share the gospel. That is, he was able to use the narrative of these films to package the gospel in a way that this unbeliever could understand.
See http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/september/lecrae-brings-reformed-rap-jimmy-fallon-tonight-show.html.
Poet, Jan a. Way, Draft copy, 9-22-2014 A.D.
Because of these "landmines" some Christian parents will not allow their kids to have unbelieving friends, listen to hip hop music or read Harry Potter books. And these "landmines" are the reason why many Christians retreat to their "Christian ghettoes."
D. Michael Lindsay, Religious Pluralism, Rev., MarchApril2004.
Amy Frykholm. Double Belonging. Christian Century. January 25, 2011, pp. 20-23.
See Frykholm article.
See book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (2005).
Comment Magazine, June 2006, p. 22.
This reminds me of a bumper sticker with these initials, "WWBD" or 'What would Buddha Do'?
Dr. Schaeffer was fond of saying this.
I heard this from a colleague in Cape Town, South Africa during my 'lecture/speaking tour' in June 2005.
Two types of individualism: utilitarian individualism (UI) and expressive individualism (EI). UI or rugged individualism fuels the pursuit of the American Dream. UI sees social systems as a means of achieving personal goals; EI sees social systems as an obstacle to individual freedom." EI worships the freedom to express one's uniqueness. See Wilkens and Sanford, Hidden Worldviews.
Lesile Newbign asserts in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society that in our contemporary culture…two different stories are told. One [humanism] is the story of evolution, of the development of species through the survival of the strong [Darwinism], and the story of the rise of civilization, our type of civilization, and its success in giving humankind mastery of nature. The other story is the one embodied in the Bible. The story of creation and fall, of God's election of a people to be the bearers of His purpose for humankind, and of the coming of the One in whom that purpose is to be fulfilled. These are two different and incompatible stories."