Artists are able to see beauty before it exists, and bring it into being, taking raw materials such as paint, canvas, clay, metal, fabric, notes, words or movement, and producing something of value. I believe this is what Christians are called to do in culture—take what God has created and produce something of value, which leads to human flourishing and the common good. As Ted Turnau puts it, “God commands us to develop his creation. It makes sense, then, that the Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city.” (Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective, p. 54)
Leave a CommentAuthor: Stan Wallace
Wanting to avoid the extremes of the Demolition Engineer, many Christians go to the other extreme—a Cheerleader of culture. But this is equally unbiblical and problematic.
Leave a CommentMy friend was a Demolition Engineer in the Army. He complains that now he can’t enjoy beautiful architecture—his mind immediately goes to where to put the charges in order to destroy the building. This is how many Christians relate to culture.
3 CommentsAbortion, reproductive technologies, end-of-life issues, LGBT rights, environmental concerns, racial tensions, artistic expression. These are just a few of the important conversations currently underway in our culture. They are ultimately questions about how we define the nature and ends of humans, what the good life is, what constitutes human flourishing and how to promote the common good.
2 CommentsA few months ago I was invited to speak to a group of university faculty on “Building and Leading Teams.” This caused me to reflect a great deal on lessons I’ve learned about leadership over the past three decades. Then last week I had the chance to visit one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked under, who reminded me again what great leadership looks like. He was a balance between two extremes, both of which are unbiblical and unhealthy approaches to leadership. In this post I summarize these three types of leaders as we seek to think Christianly about leadership.
3 CommentsWhat is the essence of Christianity? How does being a follower of Christ relate to thinking, to work and to life? Why is this the title of your blog and the topics you address? These are questions I am often asked. So I decided to add a “Definitions” page to my website and offer my answers to these questions.
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