Category Archives: Culture and Society

How do we interact with our culture and society as followers of Jesus?

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 3: The “right side” of what?

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This is the third of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th.

If we hold to the gospel, we are going to be on the bad side of public opinion, but we will not be on the wrong side of history.

There are a few important pieces to this. First, we need to consider what we believe about human history and where we’re headed. Our culture heralds progressivism, the belief that human life, and really humans themselves, are progressively getting better and better. This focus on our march toward progress is naturally hostile toward anything that seems to impede that progress. As I discussed in a previous post, dissent becomes not just an annoyance or a political obstacle; it is a moral offense. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 3: The “right side” of what? →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 2: Perspectives and Perceptions

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This is the second of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th. In my last post, I spoke to people who have trouble understanding why some think that the recent US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage is a big deal. In this post, I’m addressing those who do consider it a big deal and struggle to understand the perspectives of others, including other Christians.

We must understand the perspectives of others assessing this situation from different vantage points.

It’s clear to everyone who’s been paying attention that there are a lot of different opinions on the subject of the US Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage. I can’t address the nuances of each, but I’d like to give attention to three general perspectives that are important for us to understand and engage in a Godly way. That means that, instead of talking past or over them, we need to wrestle honestly with what they’re saying and why, and we must interact with them lovingly and critically, being diligent to invite Biblical truth to shed light on the subject. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 2: Perspectives and Perceptions →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended: Is this a big deal?

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Anyone who has joined us for a Sunday morning when I preached will probably not be surprised to know that there is much more that I would like to have said on the subjects covered in my recent pastoral letter than time or space allowed. Given how complicated each piece is, I’d like to give a little more attention to each of the eight major points I discussed by expounding  them in a series of blog posts. This is the first in that series.

If you haven’t seen or would like to revisit the original sermon or summary blog post, you can find them here:
Sermon video and blog post

We fear what this decision may signal about coming days.

Both inside and outside the Church, some people wonder why others think that the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage is a big deal. While many people will have different answers to that question, I suggest that it signals three concerning things. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended: Is this a big deal? →

Culture and Society

A Pastoral Letter

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To High Point Church in light of current events:

The majority of the New Testament books are pastoral letters written from a pastoral leader to a particular local church or churches with the intent of guiding them in how to think, feel and behave in reference to particular events of their day. While we normally teach from those letters, there is within the Church an important tradition of pastors from every generation following in that model of pastoral letters and speaking directly to their congregations in significant moments relevant to modern Christian life. As a pastor, I consider it my duty to help us reflect Christianly on the moment in which we live.

My letter this week is mainly in reference to the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, though it is also relevant more generally to other recent events. This letter revisits much of my sermon from Sunday, June 28th. To hear that message, follow this link.

Continue reading A Pastoral Letter →

Culture and Society, Special Topics

Breaking Down the Durable Division

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by Lloyd Biddle, Executive Pastor of Development

Tuesday evening, when I left the church for the day, despite my desperate attempts to jump the battery, my car would not start. I called our facilities manager, Tom Brogan, on Wednesday morning when I knew he would be on his way to work. He has a powerful jump starter battery pack that he uses to help people like me when their car batteries die on church grounds. If you didn’t know already, Tom is a very helpful guy.

I arrived at the church and saw Craig Fonzen and his men’s small group meeting as they do faithfully every Wednesday morning. They were in the middle of a discussion on Nic’s May 24th sermon based on Acts 6:1-7 in which he preached that “gospel ordinary isn’t typical humanity” when it comes to dealing with issues of ethnicity, race and culture.

Continue reading Breaking Down the Durable Division →

Culture and Society

The Church + Society (series resources)

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This post is full of resources to help you look further into the topic of the Church and Society and for you to know what sources I’m using besides the Bible, thinking, conversation, prayer, and the personal disciplines. You can see my reading list below the list of resources. Feel free to comment on the series, the topic and offer your recommendations below.

Continue reading The Church + Society (series resources) →