Expanding Cultural Awareness
The fine teacher of preaching, Thomas G. Long, said that years ago he ran across a collection of sermons that struck him as wonderfully rich. The language was crisp, the exegesis was consistently incisive, and the style was lively. But Long's high opinion of those sermons began to erode when he discovered to his shock that each and every one of those sermons had been delivered in Great Britain deep in the throes of World War II. Yet the sermons made no mention of that great cataclysm. The fact that England could well have fallen to the Nazis at various points made no dent in the pulpit deliverances of this pastor.
Long suddenly realized that these sermons were "timeless" in the worst sense of that word. They could have been delivered anywhere and at any time but for that reason could not be considered excellent for the actual time when they were first given.
Preachers must exegete the culture as well as the text so that the application of God's Word will fit the time and place in which the congregation finds itself. Most preachers are generally aware of their cultural setting but there are always more facts and figures to learn. So here the Center provides links to helpful news outlets, cultural commentaries and periodicals, and other sources of information and opinion that may be useful in helping you bring God's Word into contact with God's world as it exists today.
Cultural InsightsLinks to Cultural Web Sites