Round 3 (you can read my first two posts on Christ and culture here and here). As part of their fiftieth anniversary, Christianity Today takes a look at “What’s Next” for evangelicalism. Today’s installment is Culture. If you don’t usually read CT, check it out. You can find links to the previous ‘glimpses’ (theology is particularly revealing) on that page.
Key quote: “Believers will need the proper confidence that the gospel (alone among worldviews) emerges true, good, and beautiful.” (Kelly Monroe Kullberg, founder of the Veritas Forum)
What’s a little discouraging is the monochromatic tint of this very important look at the future. Most of the evangelical spokespeople for cultural engagement lean to one side of the evangelical spectrum–young and left. Sure, it quotes Donald Miller on pastoral rock stars (and I agree with him, by the way) but it ignores the irony since Miller and friends have become superstars in their own right. Though I’m in agreement with a lot of what they say, I’m sorry that CT wasn’t more circumspect. Rob Moll’s limited interview pool suggests that more conservative branches of the evangelical movement aren’t interested in cultural engagement at all, or if they are, their views don’t matter.
Also interesting is that the theology article has almost exactly the opposite slant. Again, I agree with much of what they say (which is that pluralism is a key challenge to evangelicals), but why stack the deck? The list is loaded with Reformed theologians, at least 8 of 10.
Do Arminians have anything to say about the future of evangelical theology?
Pentecostals and charismatics?
What about proponents of open theism? Sure, they’ve been shown the door at ETS, but is the debate over in the church at large?
It’s wagon-circling like this that leaves good friends in the path of arrows.
Ben Finger | 11-Oct-06 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
What of the other evangelicals?
Let us not forget the evangelical Lutherans or Anglicans; whom are all a part of the reformed tradition. Though we may not be Calvinists.
Then there are those who claim to be post-evangelical but undoubtedly are a part of the evangelical family. So many of the emergent individuals and communities are fundamentally evangelical, whether they like it or not.