Description
This assignment is an exercise in reading contemporary culture theologically through its texts or trends. The purpose of this assignment is to heighten awareness of the nature of the culture in which the student is located with an eye to engaging in effective mission to the people of the culture. For this assignment, review what you developed in Topics 1-4.
In at least 2,500 words, interpret a popular cultural text or trend that is contrary to Christianity. To accomplish this, a cultural text or trend will be respectfully describe, examine, and evaluate. You may select a text or trend already developed in an earlier assignment, but the treatment should be correspondingly deeper. Synthesize the following information:
- Describe a cultural text or trend that explains the larger cultural context in which the text or trend is located.
- Identify the claims, meaning, and/or purpose of the cultural text or trend.
- Explain how the cultural story of modernism and/or postmodernism fit within this text or trend.
- Analyze how the text or trend influences receptivity to the gospel by the people in contemporary culture.
- Explain how the local North American church can remain true to the biblical narrative of kingdom of God and the unchanging message of the gospel as it relates to this cultural text or trend.
- Explain how to express God’s grace and truth to the community in a winsome rather than adversarial manner.
Use Everyday Theology’s “Methodological Coda: Guidelines for Everyday Theological Interpretation of Culture” to evaluate the content of your essay. The assigned readings in Everyday Theology provide background and examples for this assignment.
Use at least three scholarly resources in addition to the Bible.
