Sunday, March 16, 2008

Decompressing Culture - CpR Spring 2008 Retreat Notes

+ 1 == Create
Describe a time when you created something from nothing.
What was the idea, how did you do it, and what was the outcome.

Western Christianity has largely given up on creating culture - instead we are
hiding from it.
The Christian ghetto - books, music, film, bookstores = its unbiblical
God the Creator created you to be creative
You have the ability to mold and shape culture.

Some examples:
: Genesis Adam naming the animals an expression of culture Gen 2:19
: S in Cameroon corruption at every level decided she would not bribe went without a paycheck for 2 years she is changing the culture
: William Carey - created culture in India. Translated the Bible into 34 languages, compiled language dictionaries, started 100 schools for girls, started Horticultural society, professor at college, printed first Indian newspaper, started savings accounts for farmers, helped lead ban against burning of widows. He shaped culture and he did it because he wanted to make the future different.

+ 2 == Engage
Engage the culture
Not about hiding from it
Tools for Engagement
: redemptive analogy
Acts 17
: seek out understanding other cultures
find someone that doesn't look like you and ask them about their background
: language - common language creates culture
StrengthsFinder - common words that describe what you are good at - now everyone understands
JOY in worship - no rule that says when a worship song comes on with the word JOY in it, you scream it
changing the definitions of words
: get involved in people's lives that are outside the Church
don't think that because you now pop culture, that you are engaging culture
you have to invest in people outside of the church for that
if you are not involved in those outside the church, you are not engaging culture.

+3 == Possibility
Agent of change
Catalyst
Risk taker
Shepherd -> King - David
Slave -> Queen - Esther
prosecution to church planter - Paul
The Scriptures are the epitome of POSSIBILITY
What do you create from the possibilities

: Surf church in Portugal
: Aix-en-Provence - south of France, ran a kids camp with 70 kids in an area where half a percent are evangelical
: 14 year old in Malawi that built a windmill for his family - from spare parts and plans he found in an old library book

+4 == back to Create
Creating something from nothing - but it marks human history
Will you do whatever it takes?
In the end, a culture that's trying to kill you really has nothing on you.
Mt 9 - not the healthy but the sick

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