Plugged In: Connecting your faith with what you watch, read, and play

by Daniel Strange

Overview

Whether it's TV boxsets, Instagram stories or historical novels, we all consume culture. So it’s important that we are neither bewitched by it—buying into everything it tells us—or bewildered by it—lashing out in judgment or retreating into a Christian bubble.

Dan Strange encourages Christians to engage with everything they watch, read and play in a positive and discerning way. He also teaches Christians how to think and speak about culture in a way that plugs in to a bigger and better reality—the story of King Jesus, and his cosmic plan for the world.

It’s possible to watch TV and read novels and play video games in a way that actually feeds our faith, rather than withers it. It’s even possible for you—yes, you—to be that person who starts off talking to a mate about last night’s football and ends up talking about Jesus.

So be equipped to engage with culture in a way that helps your relationship with Christ and points others to him.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909919419
Publisher:	The Good Book Company
Publication date:	05/01/2019
Series:	Live Different
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.04(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Dan is the director of Crosslands Forum, a center for cultural engagement. Formerly he was college director at Oak Hill College, London. He is contributing editor for Themelios, and a Fellow of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. Dan is married, has seven children, and is an elder of Hope Community Church in Gateshead in the North East of England.

Table of Contents

Foreword Timothy Keller 7

Introduction 11

1 What culture is (and why you should care) 19

2 The story of culture 39

3 Culture as story 59

4 Can I watch…?" 77

5 Confront and connect: the theory 95

6 Confront and connect: in practice 105

7 Your turn: cultural engagement for disciples 117

Here are some I prepared earlier… 141

Endnotes 183

Acknowledgements 191

Editorial Reviews

There are now plenty of books calling us to find new ways of connecting our gospel presentation to the needs and questions of people in a secular, pluralistic society. Dan's book actually tells and shows us how to do it. There really is nothing else like it.

Timothy Keller (The late Founding Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and Chairm

As Western culture abandons more and more of its Judeao-Christian roots, it is becoming ever more important to think carefully about how to respond. Especially is it important not to withdraw from the surrounding culture as far as we can, nor to identify with the surrounding culture, but to learn how, as Christians, we can engage the culture, not least by making clear the Bible's storyline as the true alternative to everything else on offer. Daniel Strange offers both theological reasons for learning such skills, and practical guidance for getting there. (Co-founder

This is a great read that will help you engage well with culture, enable you to communicate the gospel in a more engaging way and help you think through the world that we live in.

Alistair Chalmers (Assistant Pastor of Bruntsfield Evangelical Church

A clear and practical challenge to engage in sharing the gospel in our culture. Inspiring and biblical, buy Plugged In today and apply the truth in these pages to your everyday context.

Gavin Calver (CEO

Dan Strange has brilliantly written a compelling, biblically rich and decidedly practical guide to engaging Christianly with culture. I’m confident that this book will be significant in shaping the culture making and engagement of Christians in the 21st century church. I’m particularly excited about putting it into the hands or onto the tablets of the rising generations.

Mel Lacy (Youth and Children's Ministry Programme Director

At a time when many Christians feel disempowered in an increasingly individualistic and secular society, this book is both thought provoking and practical. It provides a timely reminder that Christ is Lord of Culture and that his followers are called to engage in a truthful and gracious way. By using Scripture and “sanctified common sense” Daniel Strange skilfully guides the reader on a journey to both confront and connect with what they see around them in the media, film and television. A much needed book!

Nola Leach (Chief Executive

We all spend hours each week watching, reading and listening. Not only does this add up to a significant proportion of our lives, but it’s also a big influence on how we think and behave. So it’s vital we think about how being a Christian shapes the way we interact with the culture around us and I know of no better guide than Plugged In. Dan Strange provides both a biblical framework and practical nuts-and-bolts tools. But Plugged In goes further, for it shows how culture can be a great starting point for speaking of Christ with our friends and colleagues. I warmly commend it.

Tim Chester (Crosslands Training; Author of Enjoying God)

I have known Dan Strange for over 20 years. As a fellow theologian I have always admired his wisdom, his passion for the gospel and his biblical knowledge and insights. All of these traits are on display in this compelling new book. As a friend I have always valued his grace over issues we see very differently, and I always find his perspective challenging and engaging. Whatever your take on the relationship between Christianity and culture, I encourage you to hear Dan’s brilliant contribution to this important discussion.

Krish Kandiah (Founding Director

In this gem of a book seasoned author Daniel Strange manages what few people could do. He pre-digests the unwieldy and complex realm of culture studies and makes it unaffectedly clear. He also helps Christians know how to navigate in a world where culture appears out of control. He connects the decisions we must make to biblical texts, and to robust doctrines all along. Most of all he tells us why we should care about engaging culture and he makes crucial suggestions for how to do that. All of it is in a writing style that is full of imagination, enviably lucid, down-home without being folksy. This will be the go-to text for years, even decades to come.

William Edgar (Professor of Apologetics

In an era where the term "cultural engagement" makes some cringe and others whoop for joy, Dan Strange brings balance and clarity. He takes his role as "public theologian" seriously: bringing Christian truth into the public square, and equipping ordinary Christians to do the same. Without sacrificing depth or nuance, he makes the issues accessible to the layman. It's a fun read, traversing cultural landscapes as diverse as bird watching, adult relaxation coloring books, zombies, football, and Japanese toilets. And what's more, he shows how each of these carries its own theological challenge, and how we can respond as Christians in ways that are winsome and gracious, rather than crusty and insular. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in digging deeper into the cultural world that surrounds us and our non-Christian neighbors.

Ted Turnau (Author of Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective)

Plugged In equips us to find a door into people’s worlds. Into our own worlds. It’s a much-needed resource to connect our cultural stories with the True Story - and to show others where they can find the real happy-ever-after they were always looking for.

Jonny Ivey

There are now plenty of books calling us to find new ways of connecting our gospel presentation to the needs and questions of people in a secular, pluralistic society. Dan's book actually tells and shows us how to do it. There really is nothing else like it.

Timothy Keller (The late Founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and Chairm

We all spend hours each week watching, reading and listening. Not only does this add up to a significant proportion of our lives, but it’s also a big influence on how we think and behave. So it’s vital we think about how being a Christian shapes the way we interact with the culture around us and I know of no better guide than Plugged In. Dan Strange provides both a biblical framework and practical nuts-and-bolts tools. But Plugged In goes further, for it shows how culture can be a great starting point for speaking of Christ with our friends and colleagues. I warmly commend it.

Tim Chester (Author)

There are now plenty of books calling us to find new ways of connecting our gospel presentation to the needs and questions of people in a secular, pluralistic society. Dan's book actually tells and shows us how to do it. There really is nothing else like it.

Timothy Keller (Founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and Chairman of Red

As Western culture abandons more and more of its Judeao-Christian roots, it is becoming ever more important to think carefully about how to respond. Especially is it important not to withdraw from the surrounding culture as far as we can, nor to identify with the surrounding culture, but to learn how, as Christians, we can engage the culture, not least by making clear the Bible's storyline as the true alternative to everything else on offer. Daniel Strange offers both theological reasons for learning such skills, and practical guidance for getting there.

Don Carson (Research Professor of New Testament

A fresh, generous and humorous look at how we can engage with culture intentionally, enjoyably and effectively. Years of reflecting and teaching on this topic have enabled Dan Strange to distil his best insights down to this small, but deceptively sharp and persuasive book. The modern church needs tools like this—if Christians are to avoid either withdrawing from secular culture or being compromised by it. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Richard Cunningham (Director

If you read this brief book, and rethink some of your preaching and evangelistic conversations in the light of it, you will do yourself, the gospel cause, and the people you’re speaking to a huge service. I don’t know of any other book which covers this ground, let alone shows us what to do with it.

Chris Green (Vicar

"No one stops to think" lamented the prophet Isaiah. If they did, they’d surely realise the folly of idolatry. In this book, Dan Strange helps us to "stop and think": to consider all that we see and hear and do through the lens of Scripture. Jesus is Lord of all of life, and that includes our response to culture. We are helped to appreciate God’s everyday grace in the world around us, but also the horror of rebellion against God and the sin of failing to give him thanks. This book is designed to equip this generation of Christ’s people to engage faithfully with the culture around us for God’s glory.

Sharon James (The Christian Institute)

There are now plenty of books calling us to find new ways of connecting our gospel presentation to the needs and questions of people in a secular, pluralistic society. Dan's book actually tells and shows us how to do it. There really is nothing else like it.

Timothy Keller (Founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church

"No one stops to think" lamented the prophet Isaiah. If they did, they’d surely realise the folly of idolatry. In this book, Dan Strange helps us to "stop and think": to consider all that we see and hear and do through the lens of Scripture. Jesus is Lord of all of life, and that includes our response to culture. We are helped to appreciate God’s everyday grace in the world around us, but also the horror of rebellion against God and the sin of failing to give him thanks. This book is designed to equip this generation of Christ’s people to engage faithfully with the culture around us for God’s glory.

Dr Sharon James (The Christian Institute)

This is a great read that will help you engage well with culture, enable you to communicate the gospel in a more engaging way and help you think through the world that we live in.

Alistair Chalmers

A clear and practical challenge to engage in sharing the gospel in our culture. Inspiring and biblical, buy Plugged In today and apply the truth in these pages to your everyday context.

Gavin Calver (Director of Mission

Dan Strange has brilliantly written a compelling, biblically rich and decidedly practical guide to engaging Christianly with culture. I’m confident that this book will be significant in shaping the culture making and engagement of Christians in the 21st century church. I’m particularly excited about putting it into the hands or onto the tablets of the rising generations.

Mel Lacy (Director

We all spend hours each week watching, reading and listening. Not only does this add up to a significant proportion of our lives, but it’s also a big influence on how we think and behave. So it’s vital we think about how being a Christian shapes the way we interact with the culture around us and I know of no better guide than Plugged In. Dan Strange provides both a biblical framework and practical nuts-and-bolts tools. But Plugged In goes further, for it shows how culture can be a great starting point for speaking of Christ with our friends and colleagues. I warmly commend it.

Dr Tim Chester (Faculty member of Crosslands Training and author of Enjoying God)

As Western culture abandons more and more of its Judeao-Christian roots, it is becoming ever more important to think carefully about how to respond. Especially is it important not to withdraw from the surrounding culture as far as we can, nor to identify with the surrounding culture, but to learn how, as Christians, we can engage the culture, not least by making clear the Bible's storyline as the true alternative to everything else on offer. Daniel Strange offers both theological reasons for learning such skills, and practical guidance for getting there.

D. A. Carson (President of The Gospel Coalition and research professor of New Testament at Trinity E

If you read this brief book, and rethink some of your preaching and evangelistic conversations in the light of it, you will do yourself, the gospel cause, and the people you’re speaking to a huge service. I don’t know of any other book which covers this ground, let alone shows us what to do with it.

Chris Green