Yes and no would be my reply. Yes, we should take seriously our responsibilities as stewards of the planet which God has entrusted to us. Part of our calling as Christ’s disciples is to look after the earth and treat it wisely and carefully, yet without worshipping it.

But no, we need not leap onto every environmental cause without first carefully assessing all the available evidence. Despite the claims of some, there is a real lack of unanimity amongst scientists as to many as aspects of the global warming issue. That does not mean we do nothing, but we proceed with caution.

As but one example, just a few short decades ago many scientists were convinced that we were embarking on a new ice age. Should we have thrown all our support into their cause, in the name of concern for planet earth?

Christian stewardship of this world is important, but it should be a careful, informed stewardship, not just a case of jumping on the latest environmental bandwagon, some of which prove to be quite off base.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

One critic wrote:

Sanders and his partners in the New Perspective have missed completely the distinction between Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism. Therefore they understand neither Luther nor Paul, nor are they aware of the vital difference in anthropology that distinguishes rabbinic Judaism from Pauline Christianity.

(cited in the detailed article The Attractions of the New Perspective(s) on Paul by J. Ligon Duncan, President, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Inc.

Wright has produced many good books, but this in a sense makes his current ideas even more dangerous because they give a false evangelical imprimatur to it.

Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane

If we fail to recognize the duty of the church to impact the wider culture, then we become an insular (if not elitist) community, which doesn’t take seriously Christ’s command to make disciples. You cannot reach people to whom you cannot build a bridge. Paul knew this when he reasoned with the Athenians. He interacted with them according to their current worldview. He even quoted a poem which referred to Zeus! (Acts 17:28)

Would Robert consider this a case of “If you can’t beat’em join’em”?

Paul never compromised his or the Gospel’s integrity in this circumstance. Instead we see a great illustration of being “in the world but not of it.” Remember that Paul’s greatest audience in Athens was not behind the doors of the synagogue, but in the marketplace and the centre-stage of Athenian ‘pop’ culture, the Areopagus.

Luke Beattie

That is timely advice and a message that many Christians in Oz etc need to hear.

Have you read N T Wright’s “Paul”? That seems to convey the message that Paul’s message of salvation was integrally tied up with his message of creation. Seems to lend biblical support for what you are saying.

Damien Spillane

I believe there is an unstated assumption within your argument, often summarised as “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!”

That is, anyone who has not partaken of some experience or aspect of life, thereby cannot offer a solution to its problems. I believe the falsity of that assumption is clear as soon as we express it.

It isn’t necessary to be directly involved in any cultural endeavour, in the way you illustrate, to redeem it.
Redeeming bad art doesn’t require us to share in the muck (see any of Andrew Bolt’s articles about the various Melbourne arts “festivals” for example. He doesn’t have to see them all to critique them).

So redeeming the film industry could involve out-flanking the porn rubbish by, f’rinstance, offering quality alternatives like “Amazing Grace”, which did well at the box office, I understand.

Part of redeeming the culture includes actually thinking better than the opposition, wouldn’t you agree?

John Angelico

I think this article and the book reviewed are very timely – it is easy to see the results of Christians leaving science, media, and the arts to the unsaved. The police and armed forces are also areas being ignored. Do we seriously want these important roles to be devoid of believers?

Not so long ago, science was a field pioneered by believers, including some of the greatest scientists in history. Today, however, many Bible-believing scientists are afraid to reveal their faith for fear of losing their jobs and research opportunities. I can only speculate, but perhaps if more Christians were involved in medical research, ethical standards would never have dropped low enough to allow embryonic stem cell research to take place (perhaps the same can be said for medicine and abortion). Thankfully there are many people (e.g. CMI and AiG ministries) working on redeeming science.

The media is also a bastion of ungodliness and ‘christophobia’. I am often amazed that it gets away with attacking such a large proportion of the population on a regular basis. Again, it is encouraging that we have people like you working to redeem it.

Samuel Sparks, QLD

I Just attended a two day preaching Conference in Geelong at the Reformed Theological College on “Preaching the Kingdom”. It was an excellent conference, dealing with the same sorts of themes as Albert Wolter in this book. Obviously the conference is now past, but the talks are avaliable in MP3 format from the College. Can I recommend this here?

Thanks, Simon van der Wel

As you have made this case several times now, you will forgive me if I cut to the quick.

You continue to unhelpfully conflate two separate issues: whether a Christian in good faith can appear on Idol, and what is the biblical position on Christian cultural involvement. As to the former, you continue to imply that a Christian is sinning if he or she goes on the show. That kind of judgmentalism is not only unfortunate, but you will not be able to provide us with chapter and verse on that one.

And with all due respect, you seem obsessed with the word Idol. If the show were called Australian Singer, would you still be going on and on about Christian participation in the show?

As I said, it certainly is not my intention to defend Idol. But it is also not my intention to say that any believer who appears on the show is outside of God’s will and in deep rebellion.

As to your example, it was not extreme, it was just plain foolish – a complete red herring. No intelligent Christian has ever suggested that we knowingly sin in order to further the gospel. When Paul said he became all things to all men, in order to reach some, he of course did not mean that he became a prostitute to reach prostitutes, or a rapist to reach rapists. The whole suggestion is just unhelpful and disingenuous.

And you go on about “the world system,” whatever that means. When Scripture, especially the New Testament, uses such terms as kosmos, oikoumene, and related words, it is a much more complex and nuanced understanding than what you seem to be suggesting. Perhaps I will have to pen my next article on that issue.

As to whether Christians can redeem something like Idol, I offer only one response. If God in fact calls a believer to do just that (which I think is totally possible), how dare we stand in their way and condemn them? Again, you assume that going on Idol is intrinsically evil and wrong, never in the will of God. I reject your assumption here. It may be wrong for some believers to go on such a show, but then it may be right for some believers to go on the show. I do not know if the believers on the show have that clear sense of calling and purpose to be there, but neither do you. I will not judge them in this regard. God only knows their hearts.

It is one thing to take a general stand for holiness and a pure church. In that you are to be applauded. We all should do the same. But it is quite another thing to suggest that you know exactly that it is the clear and perfect will of God that no believer should ever appear on Idol.

And simply throwing 1 John 2:15-17 around really solves nothing. You again are assuming that a believer who may be feel called of God to be on Idol is somehow loving the world and deeply in sin. I must confess that I do not possess the various attributes of deity to be able to make such specific judgements and offer such condemnation.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch