Cultura: To Cultivate

This blog should have happened long ago. Many of you have been encouraging me to do something like this for years and I'm grateful for your relentlessness.

I am passionate about helping the American Church discover and embrace the diversity of cultures outside its boundaries and often self-imposed limitations. I hold a core belief that God is far larger than any single culture could ever fully express. That through the tapestry of diverse expression we are able to experience and know God more deeply. That the ever expanding cultural diversity and pluralism of America is a gift to the American church, to our theology, and to our ability to see God's Kingdom increasingly realized on earth (as it is in Heaven).

My hope is that this blog does a worthy of job of exploring such a huge topic; and make NO mistake about it....culture is a HUGE topic. That single word embraces ethic identity, values, beliefs, stories, mores, political ideas, artistic preferences, tribal realities, etc... My hope is that you'll join me on occasion - that you will chime in with your thoughts, opinions, stories, and that you will enrich this discussion.

Culture comes from the Latin "cultura" - stemming from "colere," meaning "to cultivate." That is posture I want those of us who follow Jesus to take towards cultures different than our own. We need to cultivate the good, fan the flame of God who is busy at work within culture, and allow our own perspectives and thoughts on God to be stretched as we see him in new and often challenging ways. God is not limited or threatened by cultural diversity - Jesus was not limited by the cultural realities of His day - Paul was a brilliant student of those cultures he ministered within - and the Christian Gospel has the incarnational power to enrich, empower, and redeem every single culture that has existed (and has yet to exist)!

can I get an AMEN ?