Why the gathered church still matters

When we receive applications for fellows at The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, we ask them to answer the question, “What one thing should Christians do right now to introduce their neighbors to Jesus?” It’s not that we think there’s only one answer. It’s that we want them to identify the top priority. Last year we were surprised when every applicant gave the same answer. They talked about the public witness of gathered Christians, the church.

Maybe they were responding to negative press about the church, going back 25 years to the Catholic abuse scandal at the same time the internet became ubiquitous. Or maybe they were expressing renewed appreciation for the gathered church after the COVID-era shutdowns and public disorder. Either way, they were going back to biblical concept rooted in Israel’s testimony to the nations, and the early church in the book of Acts that found favor with all. 

Bob Thune is a fellow for the Keller Center and writes about this so-called ecclesial apologetics in a chapter for our new book, The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics, published by Zondervan Reflective. He’s also a featured teacher in an exciting new video small-group curriculum called Making Sense of Us, published by The Gospel Coalition and Keller Center. His session, recorded against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, covers the cultural narrative we tell each other in the modern West about liberty. We believe this curriculum can help you, especially young adults, to both evangelize and edify. When you watch and study with other church members, and even non-Christians, you can learn together about the Bible’s better story about liberty, which we live out together in the church. 

In This Episode:

00:00 – A deeper freedom: set free from self for love 

00:32 – Keller Center fellows: why the gathered church matters for witness 

01:41 – Introducing Bob Thune, ecclesial apologetics, and Making Sense of Us 

02:39 – Lesslie Newbigin and a missionary posture toward the modern West 

05:06 – Is Omaha post-Christian? Modern Western culture everywhere 

06:34 – Ecclesial apologetics despite church messiness 

09:17 – Gospel doctrine and gospel culture (truth, goodness, beauty) 

11:03 – Christian hospitality: making room for outsiders with conviction and listening 

17:03 – Why this differs from the seeker movement 

19:10 – Transition to Making Sense of Us: liberty and the Statue of Liberty backdrop 

20:16 – Modern misconception: freedom as “freedom from” (negative liberty) 

22:17 – Galatians 5: freedom subverted and fulfilled—freedom for love and service 

24:48 – Choice as happiness: dislodging the assumption pastorally 

26:55 – Cultural pressure points: teen mental health, friendship decline, obligation 

29:15 – Autonomy and assisted dying/euthanasia debates 

31:56 – More choice, more frustration: speech platforms and “Netflix paralysis” 

33:50 – Patience for contested proposals (post-liberalism, nationalism, etc.) 

35:01 – “Freedom for” the common good and a shared human project 

39:13 – Three church roles: solidarity-bringer, subversive fulfillment, alternative city 

43:27 – Augustine’s lesson: church power, loss, and enduring hope 

44:05 – Recommended reading and resources roundup 

Resources Mentioned:

• The Gospel After Christendom by Collin Hansen
• Making Sense of Us by John Starke, Rebecca McLaughlin, Sam Chan, Trevin Wax, Rachel Gilson, Bob Thune, Glen Scrivener, Michael Keller
• The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener 
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt 
• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis 
• Democracy and Solidarity by James Davison Hunter 
• City of God by Augustine of Hippo

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