Culture Vulture?

How do you think about culture? Are you a “look in” kind of Christian? Do you try to ignore what’s going on out in the world, stick your fingers in your ears and sing loudly about Jesus coming back, trying to keep safe from being infected by the world’s values? Or are you a “lash out” kind of Christian, getting all angry and red-faced about the culture around? You find yourself tutting and rolling your eyes at the sex and bad language in films and songs and box sets and generally assume it’s all going to hell. Or, and I suspect this is most of us, are you a “look like” Christian? Does your life and cultural diet look just like your neighbour’s next door? Do you watch the same things, listen to the same things, laugh at the same things? Would anyone think we are at all different to the world if they followed us for 24 hours? How can we engage truthfully and joyfully with culture? How can we consume it without being bewitched by it? How can we watch, read and play in a way that strengthens our faith, deepens our love for Jesus and brings glory to God? I’ve just started reading Dan Strange’s book Plugged In and that is precisely what Dan wants to help us do.