A Gospel Lens to Engaging Culture

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fold better equipped to be a voice of persuasion, family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters.

Tracy Devitt brings thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters Agrippa 15 Christian women have gotten together to write a refreshing new book, they discussed films, books, media and biblical principles we can use to approach a variety of topics from body image to racism.

We know we are called to be in the world but not of the world, but finding that balance where we can influence the culture positively rather than letting it negatively change unless it can be quite a challenge in today's world will Trillium new battle with the ethics and religious Liberty commission of the Southern Baptist convention has put together the book entitled, beautifully distinct designed to help Christians navigate conversations with friends on the important topics of faith life and culture. She joins us today Trillium new belt welcome to family policy matters. Thank you for having me so Trillium. Why is it so important for us as Christians to stay engaged in the world, even in tough, complicated and sticky parts of that question are called to be ministering to the world ministry of reconciliation. We are to disciple and we can't make disciples of all nations that were not part of our community in the world and in the world and fill it important for the mission of Christ and for the gospel to go forward that we are part of our community, and engaging in the world and all all of its leaders think it's a matter of gospel proclamation both with our words analyze and it can be tempting at times can add to just say I'm just done with that, I'm just gonna concentrate on my relationship with God. It can be hard to to stay in the world. Sometimes we got some tough things going on right now that is probably my everyday temptation is to completely want to withdraw and just throw my hands up sort of hopelessness is not what God called us to eat. We mourn with hope right so we are unique in the way that we think about engagement because we hope that we had the news that he needs to hear that absolutely say there are times when it's appropriate to withdraw. Jesus withdrew to pray and so what I'm thinking about when I'm talking about being in the world is not being consumed by the World War II engaged Italy. I think there are times when we moved to an end, withdraw to be refreshing for ourselves to the Lord. So there's a limit to to it and I think one that would is healthy.

So what do you think is distinctive about the ways that we live and speak if we are doing so as Christians in our culture mentally.

It's about love right so we have a very hard call to love God with all our hearts mine and to love our neighbor as ourselves, and that includes loving that includes loving those who don't love it and so difficult to live off what motivate our engagement in the world. So we are to speech, for example, in love, so we wanted to challenge where we see things that are on biblical and we were aware that when you challenge them with our words but we do believe because out of a love for others unique.

I think probably all have seen the times we have tried to speak the truth in as much love as we can, but it still comes across as being very critical and possibly even cynical how we walk that line you think being critical and we need to ask yourself, are we actually speaking the truth in a way that is cynical in critical owners right were all for now.

Even in our attempt to love no one can allow perfectly and so we we can ask ourselves, are we sitting in our communication, but there are to be times when you say things whatever we think is the most humble and loving and kind and gentle way, then we are going to end up not by all manner, but by the words because it's the truth and sometimes the truth can people are actually against their wards and that can be true that we evaluate the Lord to give us wisdom for how we speak. What were saying. So this is interesting because it talks about a lot of cultural things such as films, books, media that kind of thing.

So basically what you're saying is we don't necessarily have to just be focused on spiritual and red religious issues when we are engaging with friends and coworkers and so talk a little bit about why you think that's important. I think on just engagement with people, how we engage the world in general.

So how we consume things that were thinking through things and so it matters because we are a part of the world working to go to movies within a go engaging culture and music, and I think we can we can delight in the way that God created people and created art brought in that manner, because were thinking about just talking to people and people that engage with the world around us and how we can be beautifully distinct as we do that the book even talks about a beautifully distinct approach to to what we eat fine. I had a great time thinking through who can contribute to the book and propelling them wrote a chapter on food and focuses it on just to get the food and we are inundated with cultural rules and what we can and cannot do, how we should do things in a lot of ways it's rooted in worldliness. There are some things that are helpful for as we try to do with the body that God is giving us but we have to really belong these things because it could be that we are engaging in a world way, whether it's how we deny ourselves with food or how much we partake food so it's not something we think about a lot and left were thinking about it in terms of like what bad diet that we can jump on and so glad that she was willing to tackle that more beautiful way. Talk a little bit more about when you mean by being beautifully distinct in the way we engage with say books or media are ourselves when we are thinking about media are films we don't want to be and so often we are. I can think of how many times I've clicked on something passively just allow it to feed my soul and that's what we we don't live that whatever the messages were taking it in and it can alter the way that we think about the Lord.

Or we think about other people or I remember watching a romantic comedy and was shocked by how discontented I became a doctor and so this is a legalistic call to end all things, and that's not about engaging in wisely right. So instead of passively just consuming. We do have to be on guard. Okay what messages are we believing that will affect our hearts affect our view of God and our neighbor, and that's the way we can engage by actually thinking about what we are consuming and that also might mean denying ourselves. The things that she okay in the world, but it's not beneficial for souls in the long run. Talk a little bit about how your book addresses some of these difficult issues such as immigration and racism were talking about loving your neighbor as ourselves. So how do we engage on these topics with his view of loving our neighbor as ourselves and when we see people.

These people made in the image of God. They are made to reflect him. Given every person walking on this earth, whether they are Christian or not you because their people and so we are called to love and engage in with the absolutely best for our neighbor and that's what we're thinking about things. That means we have to challenge our hearts challenge we were buyers challenge where we are sinning against our neighbor challenge where we sold to those who are like us and will resend impartiality so we have to really evaluate and think and pray through how some of the ways that we view our neighbor hindering our love for our neighbor and once we come to some conclusions on that and we feel like we need to speak out talk a little bit about that balance between listening the humility that you mentioned earlier and how we speak out on these topics we bring people clear. I think what I've noticed Ashley on social weight.

People don't understand term so you can be talking about one thing and people are thinking. You're talking about another sold being really clear about what you're talking about is helpful. I think that will help guide and help in that area of humility and healthy here, here, and then I think when we are engaging. I think we gotta be careful not to make broad sweeping assumptions about people so there's a lot of ways that we can communicate in a way that is marked by humility and grace and love even when it can be hard to hear. And so the things that I've been thinking about a lot lately is just how the tongue is like blaming with our words matter they can do great harm. So we think out. Pray before you speak. Be slow to speak, or don't say anything so I think those things actually for those who represent Jesus a really important any particular things specifically to communicating via social media. One of the questions you want to ask yourself is where if you save this in this way, if that person was standing right in front of you. I really think that will help the way we communicate, but another thing is to remember that when you're engaging with on social media is an actual person elected about their robot.

If we assume people then that means that we are called to love them is our Christian calling and it is a hard one but it is one that we must do this if we don't love others, we don't know him. That's what he said so. We are called to this difficult task of loving people. And so when we engage we need to see someone behind that keyboard and so I think we we need to get people to benefit of the doubt and extend grace very hard thing to do in social media because you have access to a lot of people you don't know you actually know them and so we can do great harm to each other and I see it constantly on just things that I don't think we do walk around my neighborhood. I'm not being well that we do that on Thursday it's a very bizarre and and thought I just think we need to think.

I do this when I say these things in this manner. If that person was standing right in front of me. Thank you. That's a very good point for just about out of time for this week before we go truly aware, listeners go to get a copy of the book.

Beautifully distinct place to go to the company for Amazon will truly a new bell with the ethics and religious Liberty commission of the Southern Baptist convention. Thank you so much for being with us today on family policy matters. You been listening to family policy matters. We hope you enjoyed the program employment to them again next week to listen to the show all lawn and to learn more about NC families want to inform, encourage and inspire families across a lot of our website NC family.1 that's NC family.org.

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