Vision For Life

This week, Hunter and Autumn discuss the characteristics of cancel culture and its effect on the church. Cancel culture is characterized by ad hoc standards of righteousness, assumption of motive, and a mob mentality. Within the body of Christ, however, we are to experience a joyful, relational community. Being overly shaped by a culture that is practicing judgment prevents us from experiencing the fruit of the gospel and enjoying each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Autumn and Hunter open the mailbag and discuss three questions from listeners. The first question concerns the difference between listening to well-known preachers via podcast vs. relating to your local church and local pastors. The next two questions concern evangelism, with an emphasis on the role of God's Word in sharing faith and helping people come to faith in Christ.

Glennon Doyle is an archetypal American celebrity, embodying trends in the broader culture in a concentrated way. Her writing, podcast and Instagram function as popular wisdom literature marketed to women. On this week's episode, Autumn and Hunter discuss a review of Doyle's career published in The New Yorker.

In "Glennon Doyle's Honesty Gospel," Ariel Levy reviews Doyle from within a secular framework. And yet even from that perspective, Levy hints at inconsistencies and cracks in her narrative of self-expression. For a Christian reading this review, Levy helps us discern some of the common themes and cracks in the "secular gospel." We discuss these themes while observing how the secular, therapeutic gospel tends to echo Christian language without its substance.

Article mentioned in this episode:
"Glennon Doyle's Honesty Gospel" by Ariel Levy (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/15/glennon-doyles-honesty-gospel)

In recent years, 36 states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana for either medical or recreational use or both. Colorado led the way. Living in a place in which weed is ubiquitous and legal raises interesting questions for followers of Jesus. Does the Bible provide wisdom for navigating this cultural issue? Is marijuana use allowable for Christians? Should Christians participate in the marijuana industry?

Dave and Autumn discuss these questions, looking to Ephesians 5:18 and Proverbs 31:6-7 to bring clarity and nuance to this topic. They observe that a desire for escape, relief, and transcendence motivate much of the widespread use of marijuana and other psychotropic drugs. In conclusion, they discuss that the gospel offers the possibility of transcendence and the promise of being made new in a wholly different and better way than mind and mood altering substances.

A listener-submitted question wrestles with Jesus' vision to be "in the world not not of the world" as it relates to educating children - especially in the public education system which indoctrinates students with a modernist vision of sexuality and gender at an increasingly early age. How are wise parents navigating this reality?

Autumn is joined by Dave and Hunter to discuss the challenges of raising children in this environment and some of the different ways Christian parents are approaching education. They identify three typical, but different, approaches to education and the benefits and drawbacks of each.

New City Catechism question 32 asks, "What do justification and sanctification mean?" In the sermon from September 26, 2021 we learned that these two words summarize the gospel's gift of "righteousness." Justification is our declared righteousness before God; sanctification is our gradual growing righteousness. And the order is essential - justification BEFORE sanctification.

In this week's episode, Autumn and Hunter follow-up on the sermon and ask, "How can we practice the rhythm of "first justification, then sanctification" in everyday life? What does it look like to actually live by this rhythm, and how does it give us a unique joy?

Resources mentioned in this episode:
"Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal" by Richard Lovelace (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830852883)
New City Catechism, Question 32 (http://newcitycatechism.com/new-city-catechism/#32)

Autumn, Hunter and Michael discuss a book review of Breaking the Social Media Prism by Chris Bail.

In his review, Timothy Keller observes that social media is driving polarized thinking and polarized relationships - but not for the reasons we're commonly told. Rather than being driven by algorithms, social media is driven by our own, modern need to construct and express an identity. "Social media is more about identity than ideas," says Keller summarizing Bail. But if we can resist using it to express identity, we can still use it constructively.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
"Social Media, Identity, and the Church" by Tim Keller (https://quarterly.gospelinlife.com/social-media-identity-and-the-church/)
"Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing" by Chris Bail (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691203423/)

Introducing "VFL Culture" episodes, where we discuss a topic of public debate through the lens of biblical wisdom. Hunter and Autumn (reluctantly) dive in to everyone's favorite family argument: Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine? Is there a possible "religious exception" reason to refuse the vaccine if mandated? And what if I land in a different place on this than my friends, fellow church members or pastors?

Resources mentioned in this episode:
"COVID-19 raises concerns about abortive fetal cells in medicine" [ERLC] (https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/explainer-covid-19-raises-concern-about-abortive-fetal-cells-in-medicine/)

"Common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine" - Interview with Russell Moore and Dr. Francis Collins [ERLC] (https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/common-questions-about-the-covid-19-vaccine/)

"How should Christians think about religious exemptions for vaccination?" by Ashli Arbo and Matthew Arbo [ERLC] (https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/how-should-christians-think-about-religious-exemptions-for-vaccination/)

"What you should know about COVID-19 vaccines" by Joe Carter [TGC] (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-faqs-what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-vaccines/)

Autumn and Hunter discuss two listener-submitted questions. First: In light of last week’s conversation on the fracturing of evangelicalism over “secondary” issues, how do we actually distinguish between “gospel issues” and “cultural issues?” Can you give us some guidance on how to know the difference? Second: In light of recent events in Afghanistan, how can we pray for and support Christians who are persecuted, especially when our experience as Americans is so different than theirs?

Introducing a new podcast feature, "VFL Reads," where we read and discuss an article or book that helps us think about following Jesus in our world.

This week, Autumn, Hunter and Dave discuss "The Six Way Fracturing of Evangelicalism" by Michael Graham, published at mereorthodoxy.com (link below)

"Evangelicalism" is a movement that emerged in the 1940's, differentiated from both "modernism" and "fundamentalism," and grew to become the most influential Christian stream in America (this history is discussed in the conversation). For better or worse, our experience of Christianity in America is influenced by the ups and downs of evangelicalism, even if we wouldn't identify as "evangelical." Today, this movement is fracturing due to cultural pressures and differences of opinion in how to respond. That fracturing means that many Americans experience Christianity as filled with arguments, controversies, disappointments, and disagreements - even among those who believe the same gospel and follow the same Jesus.

In this episode, we discuss this fracturing using Graham's categories and how we can faithfully and joyfully follow Jesus in an age of fragmentation.

https://mereorthodoxy.com/six-way-fracturing-evangelicalism/