Without doubt, our nation’s dilemma is principally spiritual in nature. Our culture is decaying because too many of us are living without God in our lives. The church must take this seriously and do all it can to call men, women and children to faith in God through Jesus Christ. The surest way to cultural change is for people to be transformed spiritually by God. The work of evangelism and disciple-making is, and will always be, the church’s most important work.Duke expounds on his argument, delving into the power of storytelling, and the arts as being an ideal medium to share these stories:
The arts offer evangelicals the ideal format for this. Consider what evangelicals could do, for example, in the realm of literature. Literature has been, and continues to be, a powerful medium for transforming human thinking. In fiction, a writer is able to immerse the reader in a world that feels familiar to him. In that world, the effective writer can show his reader how different people with different values handle the kinds of moral and personal challenges he himself is grappling with. A storyteller can challenge the seams of people’s worldviews, where nagging inconsistency and uncertainty clamor for resolution.
Storytelling is a very effective medium for influencing people. Consider the formation of the church itself. The book of Genesis, for example, introduces the reader to many of the Bible’s great truths, and yet does so through a compelling story. The Gospels, as well, introduce Jesus by telling the story of His life, not by laying out a set of facts to be memorized. The narrative is the medium that carries the propositions into the mind and heart. In his work Popologetics, Ted Turnau argues, “Narrative is key for both worldview and popular culture. We humans live through stories. That is how we make sense of the world.”
Duke cautions Christians that the methods he proposes are not easy, but they are rewarding. And no Christian is alone: we are all united in the Church of Christ, and we have the Word of God to guide us. As with all things, if we seek to do God’s will in our daily lives, then – irrespective of the challenges – we will find success and joy in knowing that we are following God’s call to change culture.
While there are numerous challenges involved in this effort, there are also considerable resources. For one, those who perform this service can know that God is available to help them. Jesus called His disciples the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16). By that He meant that we are to expose falsehood and point to truth. The word translated “world” is the Greek word kosmos. I. Howard Marshall (Gospel and Culture, 39) has said the Greek word “kosmos” is “the nearest thing that the New Testament has for a word for ‘culture’…which expresses the organized life of mankind in the created world.” Jesus intends for His followers to impact human culture. We are to bring God’s truths into human affairs. In doing this, we are working with God to accomplish His goal of transforming human culture.
See Canon and Culture for more.
