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Episode 2
Cultural Stories
As Christians, the story of Scripture and the person of Jesus shape the whole of who we are. Still, we often experience tensions within our culture that provide alternate answers to this question. We are told we must choose who we want to be rather than receive our identity as a gift given by God. This session discusses some of the ways our culture shapes us and why this so often leads to a crisis of identity.
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Episode Outline
- Dislocation—Tradition is treated with skepticism, which creates a break with the past. We’re cut off both from our history and from the future.
- Invention—Individuals have the right to choose who they want to be. We exercise this choice through consumption—buying and selling our identity.
- Fluidity—Our identities are constantly changing in line with cultural trends and fashions. We constantly ask the question, “Who am I now?”
- Constraint—Infinite choice at the personal level is held together by conformity at the public level. Our private and public lives are divided, creating a conflict between them.
Sample discussion questions
- What are the cultural messages that try to shape who we are?
- What does culture tell us makes a happy and full life?
- Where do you feel cultural pressures in your life?
- What activities help you, or could help you, remember that your identity is rooted in Christ?
Featuring
Krish Kandiah
Director
Home For Good
Christine Lee Buchholz
Board Member
Restavek Freedom Foundation
Paul Stevens
Professor Emeritus, Marketplace Theology and Leadership
Regent College
Sarah Williams
Research Professor of History of Christianity
Regent College
Rod Wilson
President Emeritus
Regent College
