Oustanding, helpful, Biblical tour-de-force by Carson. He clearly shows the inadequacies of many 'Christian' approaches to cutlure (with particular focus on Niehbur) while he also attempts to lay out a broader understanding of the issue from a wholistic Biblical framework. He does not de-emphasize the tensions and struggles of faithful living in a fallen world and in particular contexts. It bogs down a little in his discussions...
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This is a rich, revealing, and satisfying survey of how believers relate to the culture in which they live. In the first chapter, Carson adopts Clifford Geertz's definition of culture, which is "an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols ...by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life (p. 2)." He also revisits Richard Niebuhr's five constructs...
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In 1951 H. Richard Niebuhr penned his now classic volume, Christ and Culture. In it he sought to explore the "enduring problem" of the "many-sided debate about Christianity and civilization". In an attempt to come to terms with this complex and important issue, he presented various models of this relationship. The result was his famous fivefold reply: Christ against Culture; Christ of Culture; Christ above Culture; Christ...
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How shall Christ and Culture interact? The question is universal. From Christians hiding in China, to the power and majesty of Catholicism, to the Moral Majority in America, to the reclusive Amish communities in Pennsylvania, the Church has struggled with the correct understanding of how faith applies to local context. For years, various groups have fit themselves into one of H. Richard Niebuhr's five categories; Christ...
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