Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Christianity and Popular Culture

I've often thought that an easy way to illustrate evangelicalism's lack of depth would be to pose these questions:  "If we knew for certain that Christ's return was 500 or 1,000 years away how differently would you choose to live?  How differently would you choose to raise your children?  How differently you would go about selecting a church?"  It's my belief that today's evangelical hasn't thought much about this issue and so most live with a short-term perspective that lends itself to an 'outreach at all costs' mentality.  That, plus its love affair with popular culture is incredibly corrosive. 

With that in mind I'd like to offer a few quotes from cultural analyst and critic, Ken Myers.  He hosts Mars Hill Audio ( http://www.marshillaudio.org/) and was recently a guest on the White Horse Inn and the broadcast was entitled Christianity and Popular Culture.

* Popular culture is not rooted in a specific people or culture...it is mass culture...produced to...make money and make money by entertaining or titillating. 

* One of the dominant assumptions of popular culture is that if it is popular it is good...I don't care how many people like it...that is irrelevant as to whether it is good.

* One of the most corrosive effects of popular culture is the way that it segregates generations... historically all cultures have been ways of passing convictions from one generation to the next...(this has been interrupted).

* It takes a certain type of heroism to admit that the culture has fallen apart so seriously that it we will not be able to fix it in our lifetime...it may take four or five generations.

* It is incredibly chauvinistic for us to assume that God intends to always bless America.  God will bless the Church...and He may curse America.  But whatever He does He will do for the benefit of the Church.

To listen go to the White Horse Inn and go to Listen Now!  Find the broadcast, Christianity and Popular Culture. 

You can also find the broadcast here: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/the_white_horse_inn/  Go to Show Archives and you will find Christianity and Popular Culture on the date 9/20/09

Please consider supporting The White Horse Inn broadcast on a monthly basis.  Supporters receive monthly CDs and a complimentary subscription to Modern Reformation magazine.  Click on the link above for that information.  I support the ministry and receive CDs with bonus tracks and extra material.  This particular CD had an additional interview from Ken Myers originally broadcast in 1994 entitled, Christianity and American Culture.  It was a fascinating discussion that went hand in hand with this recent broadcast. 

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