A fantastic new resource for those of you who are interested in the culture around you and how Christianity can transform that culture is the new Gospel and Culture Project. With recent articles on the Twilight books, the presidential elction, Rwanda, and other areas, you will find a wealth of well-written material here that speaks to the culture around us with a distinctly Christian voice. Here is more information about this ministry from their website:
Who we are
The Gospel & Culture Project (GCP) equips Christians to understand and apply the Gospel as truth capable of transforming human culture. We accomplish this through a group of interwoven initiatives:
Gospelandculture.org is an online community where specialists in specific areas of cultural interpretation and theological application dialogue with fellow believers about contemporary questions. The site also communicates about the ongoing work of the GCP and promotes its initiatives and events.
Forays are monthly gatherings held in the University City area of Philadelphia that explore aspects of contemporary life through the lens of the Christian faith.
Word Meets World will be a weekend, in-church seminar in which GCP staff equip people in churches to apply the Gospel to their daily lives and to important issues they face.
The School for Cultural Engagement will be a graduate school geared toward equipping lay people and those who are in, or plan to enter, professional ministry, to hone and develop their faith as a tool for responding to contemporary life. Students will receive a thorough grounding in theology and biblical studies, however, courses will be taught with an eye toward creating leaders who can enable others to thoughtfully apply their faith to the world around them.
The Gospel & Culture Center will house our offices, classrooms, a gallery space and media production space.
Origins
Dr. William Edgar, apologetics professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, developed the idea for the project more than a decade ago. In the intervening period, he pulled together a group of volunteers, then eventually a six-member board in 2007. During this period, the GCP offered a number of conferences and other types of gatherings focused on the application of the Christian faith to aspects of contemporary culture ranging from media, justice and politics to aesthetics and globalization.
The GCP was incorporated in 2007 as an independent nonprofit 501(c)3. In 2008, the GCP hired its first employee, Dr. Chris Simmons, as Executive Director. The GCP currently operates gospelandculture.org and Foray, and looks forward to launching World Meets World, The School for Cultural Engagement and The Gospel & Culture Center, as resources become available.
Distinctives
The GCP has two primary distinctives: 1) its theological rooting and 2) its core belief that the church’s calling includes fulfilling Scripture’s command to glorify God in this world by influencing it to more truly reflect his character.
These two distinctives go hand in hand. The GCP’s approach, known as cultural-redemptive theology, interprets the Bible as presenting an unfolding historical process that culminates in the coming of Christ’s kingdom.
This theology argues that all things cohere in Christ, who is the Lord of life and therefore of culture. History, as God ordains it, is moving toward a new creation — a new heaven and earth. At the center of this process is God redeeming us so that we might know and enjoy him and his world in this life and the next. A prime aspect of this knowing involves his speaking to us through his word. God guides us in how we may work in a world that is fallen, yet one in which he is at work. As a result, to understand culture in a cultural-redemptive framework is to understand that God can and will work with us and through us so that this world might more truly reflect his character.
As a result, we believe that the church can and must fulfill its calling to interact dynamically and thoughtfully with the key questions and issues our world faces.
Working out Salvation with Fear and Trembling 