The Table Briefing
Truth and Tone in Cultural Engagement
By Darrell L. Bock and Mikel Del Rosario
Format: PDF
Source: Bibliotheca sacra, 173 no 689 Jan – Mar 2016, p 97-106
This peer-reviewed article is part of The Table Briefing series. ©2016 by Dallas Theological Seminary. Used by permission.
Introduction
Over the past few decades, some evangelicals have seen cultural engagement as fighting a culture war for Christ. But the landscape has changed in a way that most people who graduated from seminary forty years ago might never have imagined. Today, we as Christians find ourselves in the position of a cultural minority in the United States. How should we engage with a society that is increasingly hostile to the Christian faith?
This Table briefing explores what the New Testament teaches about honoring God though our message—and our tone—as we minister in a world that often pushes back against the gospel. This ethos of balancing invitation and challenge has been a key emphasis since the beginning of the Table Podcasts.
First we consider how the example of the early church should inform our cultural engagement as a church today. Then we examine how the Apostle Paul’s example should inform our interpersonal interactions with unbelieving friends and neighbors. [Download the full-length article]
When it comes to #apologetics and cultural engagement, truth matters. But tone matters, too.Click To Tweet