A report by Nathan Mladin seeking to help churches understand how they can more faithfully and fruitfully participate in cultural renewal. 20/07/2021
Breaking Ground: The Church and Cultural Renewal is the final report of a 14–month research project on the intersection of churches and culture, which asked: How does culture flourish? And how can Christians seeking positive change engage culture in healthy, hopeful, and humble ways?
These are vexing questions, not least since “culture” itself is a complex, contested, unruly notion with fuzzy boundaries. But they are also critical questions for churches as they discern their responsibility in the wider world – a responsibility which is often understood narrowly in terms of evangelism and social action, but which more fully encompasses the whole of life, from music, finance, and the entertainment industry, to science and technology.
The research consisted of desk–based research, in–depth scoping interviews, and four roundtable consultations with over 50 Christian leaders, academics, artists, and entrepreneurs working in different areas of Church, culture, and broader society.
Chapter 1 offers a synthesis of four influential theories of cultural and social change.
Chapter 2 offers four examples of specific cultural and social changes to test these theories: (a) the shift to free–market, neoliberal capitalism in the 1970s and 1980s; (b) the achievements of the gay rights movement; (c) Brexit, with a focus on the messaging of the Leave and Remain campaigns; and (d) the rise and (partial) successes of the environmental movement.
Chapter 3 moves from the descriptive to the prescriptive, and offers a brief theology of cultural engagement.
Chapter 4 puts forward a series of top–down and bottom–up recommendations for making the work of churches in culture more fruitful and effective.
Taken as a whole, the report puts forward a positive vision of Christian engagement in the world, drawing lessons that will be of wider relevance not only for churches but for anyone seeking positive renewal at every level of society.
You can download the executive summary here.
You can download the full report here.
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