Everyone, it seems, is trying to both understand and connect with today’s culture. Corporations do it in hopes of selling products, politicians do it in hopes of getting votes, and Christians do it in hopes of winning souls. But even though it’s something of high interest to many people and groups, the track record for success from most seem to be markedly inconsistent.
I had the opportunity to sit down with academic, Editor in Chief of the online magazine The Collision, and author of the new book Straight to the Heart, Daniel Blackaby to discuss why connection to culture is so important and how to actually do it.
1. It seems that everyone from influencers, to politicians, to pastors, to major brands are attempting to reach wide culture. Why is this? And why is it so important for people of faith in particular to figure out?
As the saying goes, “Everybody is selling something.” Everywhere we turn, people, institutions, or products promise to answer our pressing questions about life or satisfy our deepest longings. Every time Christians share the Gospel message, that encounter is taking place against the noisy backdrop of countless other people, forces, and messages vying for attention. If Christians truly believe the liberating good news of the Gospel, then we should be compelled to share that message with as many people as possible. To do so effectively, however, requires us to understand the workings of the human heart and the various competing messages that influence and shaping people’s ideologies and passions. As Peter wrote, “Always be preprepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have” (1 Peter 3:15). The power is in the message, but as messengers, we have a responsibility to be intentional and discerning in how we deliver it.
2. The church has had a very hit or miss record when it comes to connecting with culture. What are ways you see the church going about it in the wrong way and what are ways we can more effectively do it in the future?
Culture is constantly in flux. As a result, it can be a bewildering and confusing experience to try and keep up. Sometimes the church has gotten it right; other times it has missed the mark, resulting in a disconnect between it and the wider culture. As a rule of thumb, when confronted with the unknown, we all tend to fall back on what is familiar and comfortable. The church can sometimes be great at giving answers to questions that nobody is really asking, stubbornly clinging to the same message and methods of delivery that were successful in the past, failing to recognize the culture shift around us. This is particularly tempting when there is a substantial cultural paradigm shift, as there has been in recent decades as a rational and logic driven “Head Culture” has morphed into a more emotionally driven “Heart Culture.” One way the church can be more effective is by committing to a posture of listening. Before being too quick to start talking and delivering our message, we should attune our hearts to the pulse of the culture, so that we can better aim our message toward the questions and desires that people are currently wrestling with and yearning for. The Gospel is unchanging, but the church must be flexible in how it shares the Good News amid a rapidly changing world.
3. In your recent book Straight to the Heart you make the argument that perhaps art and beauty are more effective tools than logical arguments for reaching hearts, why do you believe this to be true?
There is great value and edifying power in logical and evidential arguments for the faith. It’s certainly not a binary “either/or” for a “head” or “heart” approach. At the same time, the head is downstream of the heart. Ancient wisdom, biblical teaching, and modern phycologists all agree that humans are fundamentally emotional creatures. None of us—even the most “head-centric” among us—are as rational as we think we are. We may make sense of our emotions with rational thinking, but we feel before we think, and our thinking is fundamentally influenced by what we felt. Therefore, when we engage in rational debate or casual coffeeshop conversations, we are standing downstream, confronting intellectual frameworks that have be saturated in the river of complicated emotions and lived experiences. That’s why debates rarely see either party change their position, because commitment to one’s beliefs is deeply rooted in the heart. Appeals through beauty and art, however, can bypass the intellectual walls people have built and go straight to the heart, which is the source of the river. If you can reach a person’s heart, their head is likely to follow.
4. What are words of advice to artists of faith as they go about creating with the
intention to influence and affect this culture?
Don’t shy away from beauty—both in the quality of the art and as a central theme of the work. Hone your craft and develop your artistic skills so that you can make great art. People rarely have their hearts changed by shabby art, no matter how good the intentions. But also embrace the power of beauty as a theme of the work. Modern art has done much to topple beauty off its pedestal. But in an increasingly industrialized world, people are yearning for beauty. This does not mean that Christians should only make sentimental or “warm and fuzzy” art. There is divine beauty in the crucifixion, for example, as the light of the suffering savior shines through raw brutality of that pivotal moment. Darkness and despair are universal human experiences and thus fertile soil for artistic exploration. But we were created for beauty. God is the source of beauty. Beauty—in both the natural world and imperfectly reflected in manmade art—is like a homing beacon that points our spiritual eyes toward God, and guides our restless souls back toward our heavenly home.
5. What is a piece of faith-based art (film, novel, song, etc…) that you identify as particularly evocative and effective and communicating faith in a beautiful and connective way?
I’m not sure any story has captured the beautiful spirit of Christianity as well as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. For many years now, I have reread of the story, starting on New Year’s Day, and allowed the Christian virtue embedded in the tale to wash over and inspire me. The Lord of the Rings may not articulate faith in a clear, propositional way for the head, but it allows me feel it in heart. Another personal favorite is the work of American artist Thomas Cole (1901-1848). His work is intentionally more didactic than Tolkien but is no less profound. Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a personal favorite, and the four paintings in his The Voyage of Life series currently hang on my library wall. The artistry is sublime and stirs a sense of wonder and awe, proving a perfect vehicle for the edifying spiritual themes contained within.
Straight to The Heart is now available wherever books are sold
To connect with Daniel and engage with more of his work visit The Collision
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In