Big or Small, Churches Catalyze Cultural Engagement

We live in an age of confusion, buffeted by pervasive cultural lies claiming:

• There are more than two sexes.
• Pre-born babies aren’t human.
• Parental rights are inherently oppressive.
• Objective truth does not exist

Sometimes, the falsehoods and evil surrounding Christians feel so overwhelming we want to disengage from the world altogether — but that is not an option. The Bible clearly and frequently commands Christians to love, engage and minister to people lost in culture and sin.

To do that, we have to get involved.

Productive cultural engagement first requires knowledge of the myriad issues facing Christianity. That means churches seeking to be the hands and feet of Christ should focus on educating their congregations about today’s cultural landscape.

World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is one of the many churches taking this mission to heart. On April 26 and 27, the mega-church will host the Culture and Christianity Conference, an event seeking to “help equip, prepare, and embolden Americans to be voices for God’s Truth, wherever He leads.”

The conference will explore the important role Christians play in impacting culture and discuss practical ways we can spread the truth. The event will be guided by speakers including actor Kirk Cameron, former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Pastor Allen Jackson and other people “impacting today’s culture with their perspectives.”

While effective, conferences aren’t the only way churches can facilitate cultural engagement.

Sherwood Church in Georgia just finished hosting the 11th Christian Worldview Film Festival (CWFF), which screens 50 Christian films and offers filmmakers “biblical training to equip and encourage [their] walk with the Lord.”

One festivalgoer raved, “I love how Christ-centered and God-honoring this film festival is. It was uplifting, inspiring, humbling and encouraging.”

CWFF is a great example of churches equipping people already embedded in entertainment culture, like filmmakers. But local churches don’t have to address specific vocations to be impactful; hosting local speakers for smaller groups can be just as encouraging and educational.

Last month, the Daily Citizen attended a local screening of Art Club — a movie about one family’s experience with gender ideology in public school — at Colorado Springs’ Church for All Nations. After the showing, viewers got the chance to ask the film’s producers — Erin Lee and former Colorado State Senator Kevin Lundberg — how to protect kids from such harmful ideas.

These wildly different events illustrate the breadth of ways churches can equip their congregation to live out Ephesians 5:11, which commands, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (ESV).

The Body of Christ, in communities all over the world, regularly provide such opportunities for believers to grow in their knowledge and redemptive engagement with the cultural lies we interact with everyday.

The Daily Citizen encourages you and your family to take advantage of the offerings, seizing the ability to grow in your faith. Start by checking your church’s website or Sunday bulletin for local events to attend!

For practical ways to shape policy initiatives in your state, contact your local Family Policy Council.