POG (3)

Last week I listened to Os Guiness giving a talk called The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times at the Acton Institute. Here are some more notes I took while listening to his message.

What are the Keys to Kingdom Advance

Today there is a lot of analysis of how ideas change culture.

Secularism says that ideas spread through leaders
at the centre of culture, not the edges.

The Kingdom spreads differently.

1. Leadership of the Holy Spirit
2. Surprising reversals
3. Culture change is a by-product of seeking the kingdom.

Key lessons from Engagement with Culture

1. Times of success often breed worse failure, eg Christendom
   
   It was never perfect – we cant relax
   
   We always need critiques of our culture, even when successful

2. The greatest darkness is often just before the dawn.
   
   We she should not be discouraged at times of bleakness
   
   Look to God and see what he is doing.

3. The church moves forward best by going back first.
   
   The modern world is crazy about relevance and being up-to-date
   
   The reformation and renaissance were recovery moments.
   
   We must go back to the heart of the gospel, and live it.
   
   The future of humanity depends on us doing this.

Tools for discerning culture

1. History of ideas
   
   we need to understand the genealogy of ideas.
   
   This makes it easier to critique them.

2. Cultural Analysis
   
   Sociology of knowledge shows how life-context shapes thinking.
   
   eg clocks →fast past society
   
   Westerners have watches, Africans have time.
   
   cars, cellphones change society

3. Biblical World view
   
   shapes our wisdom.
   
   provides a framework of how thing fit
   
   supports critique of culture