Sitting at the SXSW Table

Some of my friends from Fuller Theological Seminary were at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, and one of them – Nate Risdon of the Brehm Center – wrote at QIdeas about what they were doing there. The article includes some great considerations for those who are interested in engaging with culture in a meaningful way:

In one of my early courses at Fuller, my professor asked us to read through the Gospel of Luke through a particular lens: how often and with did whom Jesus share a meal around the table?

It was rather striking. He ate with all types—tax collectors, Pharisees, prostitutes, his own disciples. Amongst the swirl of humanity in all of its glory and messiness, Jesus sat, listened, laughed, ate, and told his own stories, taking part in one of the most intimate acts in that society, apart from sharing a bed.

This narrative from Luke is why we accepted the challenge to be present and to bring students to an event like the South by Southwest Festival. If we consider what Jesus did when he visited someone’s house for a meal, we can see a framework to follow.

Read the whole thing here.