Affirmations of a Culturally Savvy Christian

I used to listen to Dick Staub regularly when he was the host of an evening drive-time "chat" show on WYLL in Chicago.

He would often get into some pretty interesting and practical discussions about matters of faith and culture with all sorts of diverse guests. I sensed sometimes that he was uncomfortable about having to stay "within the lines" of the "American" evangelical viewpoints of his employer. I could hear in his voice that he wanted to stir his audience to thought and action.

I just bought his latest book "The Culturally Savvy Christian," and although I haven't finished it yet - so far, I'm impressed by what he has to say. I think the passage below alone justifies the purchase of the book.

Dick Staub calls these the Affirmations of a culturally savvy Christian.


"I will make God of central importance, digging a deeper well through nurturing God's loving, transforming presence in my life, denying self, no longer conforming to culture, and renewing the mind through the daily practice of the spiritual disciplines, fully committed to discovering and doing God's will in daily life.


I will pursue a deep mystical union with God, whose loving, transforming presence is to me what the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly; I am changed and being changed into a full human, again aglow with God's spiritual intellectual, creative, relational, and moral presence, reflecting God's image for God's glory.


I will go into the world as a loving, transforming presence, holistically fulfilling my calling to counter culture like an alien, to communicate in culture like an ambassador, and to create culture like an artist, honing my skills of discernment, discovery, and dual listening.


I will be vigilant in my consumption of popular media culture, recognizing that it is often characterized by superficiality, soullessness, and spiritual delusion; yet because I recognize its importance and potential, I will actively take my place as a cultural participant healthily, not as a cultural glutton or a cultural anorexic.


I will be vigilant in my association with the church, recognizing that it often falls into the unhealthy patters of cocooning from, combating, or conforming to culture and that today's Christianity-Lite too often mirrors popular culture; yet because I recognize the church's importance and potential, I will take my place as an active participant in it.


I will affirm that the story I am in starts with an original good creation-humans made in the image of God with spiritual, intellectual, creative, relational, and moral capacities - and that our story is tainted by a a foul human revolt against the creator; yet it continues as a love story in which God initiates a reunion with humans through Jesus Christ, whose death halts the unraveling of the fallen human race and resurrection signals that all things can become new; and I will embrace God's grand finale, the restoration of God's image in humans, starting now and perfected in eternity.


I will pursue these aims in the company of friends, enjoying the moveable feast together with followers of Christ committed to the pursuit of God and the nurturing of meaningful relationships. Together, our restless souls will find their rest in God and our creative souls will find their outlet in our co-creation of a renewed faith community and culture for the glory of God.


Finally, for the rest of my days, I will aspire to be a culturally savvy Christian who is serious about faith, savvy about faith and culture, and skilled in relating the two, and I will urge others to do the same."


Sign me up......