True, Good and Beautiful: Questions About the Christian Cultural Mandate

Cultural Mandate: The call for Christians to exercise their God-given gifts to extend and advance the Kingdom of God over all areas of life.

A few weeks ago the Fellows had the opportunity to hear from Mark Rodgers, managing director of Wedgwood Circle, about the role Christians play in creating and shaping culture, and ever since we've been considering how we as Fellows can fulfill our cultural mandate.

2010 Fellow Teryn Oglesby has a unique view of Christians and culture. Teryn is an intern at the Buxton Initiative, and organization dedicated to interfaith dialogue. Her interactions with the other interns, one Muslim and the other Jewish, give her daily opportunities to consider how religion and culture intersect. Below is the first of a two part interview with Teryn.

GMA: Describe your interpretation of the Christian cultural mandate:

TO: The Christian cultural mandate goes hand-in-hand with Christ's calling for us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (MT 28:19). Christ uses the phrase "all nations," drawing our hearts to focus not only on personal salvation, but redeeming culture as a whole.

The cultural mandate is a call to remember Christ's transforming power and love that was given for all. As His followers, Christians are called to share His message boldly in a way that the whole world may come to know Him.

GMA: How do you see yourself living out the cultural mandate in what you do at Buxton? In Church? In other areas of your life?

TO: The cultural mandate has changed the way I view my personal faith in the context of the world. The idea of using institutions to tweek cultural norms is a fairly new concept. Part of me is confused as to how this looks in all areas of my life - do I share Christ only when others ask? How do I witness in a way that doesn't push other away? Where is the line between the amount I share and where and with whom? How do I stand up to the monsters of secularization, individualism, and materialism that pervade culture?

At work I am blessed to be able to share my faith anytime I wish since the purpose of my job is to get to know my colleague's faiths and for them to know mine. The cultural mandate is being furthered every time I explain I explain the Biblical reasoning behind proselytizing, a concept that often makes them uncomfortable and causes them much angst.

At church, when I spend time with my small group of sixth grade s and live as an example of Christ's unconditional love and service, I believe the cultural mandate is spreading to their hearts as well.

Part two features Teryn's observations about how Islam and Judaism view the idea of a cultural mandate.