Slideshow image

This series examines what it means to live in the wholesome tension of faithfulness to God and relevance to Culture.

Together we will explore questions including:

  • Why should I be both faithful to God and relevant to Culture?
  • What is Culture?
  • What are the biblical bridges that engage each culture with the Gospel of Christ?
  • How do I remain faithful to God while being relevant to the culture in which I'm living?
  • And more.

Below are the links to this series in reverse order. You can also click here to go to the first post: "Christ and Culture: An Introduction." You can click "NEXT" at the end of each post to go to the next one in order, or you can click on a podcast to listen.

As an alternative, here are the episodes in the order in which they were presented – simply click on the title to go to the post, or related podcast to listen:

1.    Christ and Culture: An Introduction or podcast 084

2.    Three Absolutes About All People or podcast 085

3.    Who is the God of All Cultures? or podcast 086

4.    What is Culture? or podcast 087

5.    Unlocking Culture or podcast 088

6.    Cultural Awareness for More Effective Evangelism or podcast 089

7.    I was on my way to the Temple when ... or podcast 090

8.    Testing Traditions or podcast 091

9.    4 Dynamics of God Toward Culture or podcast 092

10.  Culture Toward God or podcast 093

11.  Bridges of Faith or podcast 094

12.  Constantine's Legacy or podcast 095

13.  Winding-Up on Culture

Photo credit: From the cover of The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures by Jason Georges. This book is a helpful resource on the topic of this series.

Downloads

Posts from this Series

Starbucks and God image

Starbucks and God

Part 6 of Experiencing God
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 28, 2023
Winding-up on culture image

Winding-up on culture

My title is ambiguous.  Winding-up can mean bringing something to an end. It can also be energizing something, such...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
September 21, 2018
4 Dynamics of God Toward Culture image

4 Dynamics of God Toward Culture

What is God’s relationship toward Culture? Some say that God is totally indifferent to Culture. Others propose that...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
September 7, 2018
I was on my way to the temple when … image

I was on my way to the temple when …

The tale is told that in or about the year 1210 Francis of Assisi had an audience with Pope Innocent III. During...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
August 31, 2018
Cultural awareness for more effective evangelism image

Cultural awareness for more effective evangelism

More and more, we are rubbing shoulders with people from other cultures. We need to grow more culturally aware to...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
August 24, 2018
A key that will unlock some of the mysteries of culture image

A key that will unlock some of the mysteries of culture

Do you want a key that will unlock some of the mystery of cultures? “Yes,” he replied. Three primary colors To...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
August 17, 2018
A short exploration that will help you understand culture image

A short exploration that will help you understand culture

Culture is one of the most difficult words to define, and it does not occur in the Bible. So, what is culture? How...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
August 10, 2018
Who is the God of all cultures? image

Who is the God of all cultures?

God, n. 1. A three-lettered word representing a proclivity for controversy, conflict, vagueness, and doubt. This is...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
August 3, 2018
3 things to keep in mind about people image

3 things to keep in mind about people

What do you think if you sit at a sidewalk café with a cup of coffee and watch people go by? When I do this, I’m...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 27, 2018
Christ and Culture: an introduction image

Christ and Culture: an introduction

Once upon a time, I was privileged to be with a keen group of people for a few days. We were a mixed group...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 13, 2018
From Ringing Bells to Wringing Hands image

From Ringing Bells to Wringing Hands

There was a radical shift in Canadian society on Friday, June 15, 2018. Perhaps we could say that the dominant...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
June 29, 2018
Who's your greatest change-maker? image

Who's your greatest change-maker?

Let's start with a few questions: Why is Jesus Christ important? How does a person enter into a dynamic...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
January 13, 2017
Connecting with Others (5) image

Connecting with Others (5)

Sometimes we read of a young girl raped in a culture of shame and honor. We are shocked when the vulnerable and...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 25, 2014
Connecting with Others (4) image

Connecting with Others (4)

  An exploited girl She was young – probably under 13; she was likely under the influence of a drug – or more –...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 18, 2014
Connecting with Others (3) image

Connecting with Others (3)

The most cosmopolitan city in the world is Canada's largest city, Toronto.[1] Metro-Vancouver can't be far behind....
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 11, 2014
Connecting with Others (2) image

Connecting with Others (2)

What's the culture that causes you the greatest personal difficulty? When you see someone from this culture, or...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
July 4, 2014
Connecting with Others (1) image

Connecting with Others (1)

Connecting with a culture requires connecting with people – that's a given. But each person is different from you...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
June 28, 2014
Five ways to treat your enemy image

Five ways to treat your enemy

I find it helpful to view Romans 12 as four concentric circles – like ripples in water flowing outward from a...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
June 20, 2014
20 marks of a healthy church image

20 marks of a healthy church

Ask yourself: “What is the relational temperature of my local church – my Jesus community?” Is it hot, warm, cool,...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
June 13, 2014
Being INcarnational in an EXcarnational Culture (2) image

Being INcarnational in an EXcarnational Culture (2)

Last week, we ended with a proposal: as a follower of Jesus, your gifting by God is the primary way in which you...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
June 6, 2014
Being INcarnational in an EXcarnational Culture (1) image

Being INcarnational in an EXcarnational Culture (1)

You’ve just pumped some gas into your car. You didn’t speak to anyone; you weren’t helped by anyone; you paid by...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
May 31, 2014
Three empowering stances for living faithfully image

Three empowering stances for living faithfully

  He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
May 24, 2014
Living in God's 'story' image

Living in God's 'story'

We all experience a pull to conform to the dominant culture in which we live. What is the reason for this pull? As...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
May 16, 2014
Constantine's legacy image

Constantine's legacy

Years after graduating from high-school, she came across her old year book. Sitting down, she began to look at the...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
May 9, 2014
Culture toward Christians (2) image

Culture toward Christians (2)

This powerful painting by artist Jani Freimann is titled “Persecution.”[1] Take a moment to view and think about...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
April 30, 2014
Culture toward Christians (1) image

Culture toward Christians (1)

Have you noticed that people who are different often experience forms of exclusion or hostility? Why? Here’s a...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
April 25, 2014
You are Naos image

You are Naos

“I’m what? What’s naos?” you ask. “And how does it help me to live in that place of wholesome tension between...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
April 11, 2014
Silly Putty Spirituality image

Silly Putty Spirituality

Silly Putty[1] was all the rage when I was a kid. It is a soft plastic-type material (actually silicone polymers)...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
April 4, 2014
Ambassadors to the ‘Here and Now’ image

Ambassadors to the ‘Here and Now’

What is an ambassador? You may picture a distinguished white-haired person in formal clothing. Perhaps a colorful...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
March 28, 2014
I was on my way to the temple when … image

I was on my way to the temple when …

The tale is told that in or about the year 1210 Francis of Assisi had an audience with Pope Innocent III. During...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
March 21, 2014
Culture toward God image

Culture toward God

Have you travelled much?  In most places it is difficult to miss the religious sites. The largest religious...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
March 7, 2014
God toward Culture image

God toward Culture

Having surveyed the participants in the dynamic relationships among God, Christians, and Culture, we now explore...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
February 28, 2014
Testing Traditions image

Testing Traditions

What do you think of these traditions? Vehicles in North America drive on the right side of the road; in the United...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
February 22, 2014
Culture and the biblical world image

Culture and the biblical world

In previous blogs we noted that the word ‘culture’ is one of the most complicated words in the English language,...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
February 15, 2014
Bridges of Flesh image

Bridges of Flesh

“What is a Christian?” How would you answer this question? For me, I thought it would be easier to answer. Pat...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
January 25, 2014
Three Absolutes image

Three Absolutes

What factors are common to every human whenever they live, wherever they live, and however they live? In other...
Dr. John B. MacDonald
January 10, 2014