Gospel and Culture Conference

Last month in Manhattan. Redeemer Presbyterian Church hosted a conference on the connection between the gospel and culture. This was not your typical Christian conference were the majority of the audience are pastors. In attendance were over 400 business professionals, artists and cultural entrepreneurs. The central theme of the conference was to discuss the cultural mandate as seen through Christian involvement in creating culture in business and the arts. One of my favorite addressees came from Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making Andy's message addressed the rarely discussed issue in Christian circles of power. Taking the three major ethical issues of money, sex and power, he demonstrated how the church has had plenty to say about money and sex but have often failed to talk biblically about power. Often, Christians create a dichotomy when it comes to power. Using an example from a Rob Bell Tweet that compared the use of power between Jesus and Ceasar, Crouch demonstrated that there could be a third option that was true to Scripture. Other speakers such as Tim Keller spoke on Why Work Matters addressing the issues of vocation and calling. Using Luther's theology of vocation, Keller discussed how all vocations are ministry callings and it is the call of God to make the best music, arts, and craftsmanship for his glory just as much as preaching a sermon. Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw's opening address spoke of God's delighting in the original creation but that God is still delighted in the things humans create that advance human flourishing. Over all this was conference that was much needed due to its neglect in the church. We often talk about the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer as referring to those whose voice is to be heard inside the church. But to truly understand this fullness of teh doctrine, it must extend to Christian vocation as a missional reality. I would encourage anyone to take time to watch the video messages at http://www.faithandwork.org/lecture_videos_page3658.php#16621383 and tell me what you think.