Beyond the Book with Dr. Quinn: “The Way of Christ in Culture”

Quinn serves at Southeastern Seminary as associate professor of theology and history of ideas as well as the director of Southeastern’s L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. In the following Q&A, he takes the time to answer a few questions about “The Way of Christ in Culture.”

1. What is the purpose of this book, and who is its target audience?

“The Way of Christ in Culture” is a primer on a Christian approach to culture. This is the first in a series I’m editing for B&H Academic; my good friend Dennis Greeson is the co-author of this volume. Dennis and I wanted to cast a vision for how everyone can live faithfully in God’s world, including anyone from the stay-at-home mom to the President of the United States. And we’re doing so by leaning especially into the biblical imagery of walking in a particular way: the way of Christ, which is the title of the book. The Bible’s favorite metaphor to describe our life before God is to walk in a certain way. From the Pentateuch to the wisdom literature and the psalms to Paul’s language of walking worthy of the calling to which you have been called in Christ, we are called to walk in the way of Jesus.

2. What motivated you and Dr. Greeson to write “The Way of Christ in Culture”?

Dennis and I were initially envisioning a series of short primers focusing on various kinds of faith and culture discussions. And then we said, “You know, we need to have an introduction. Someone has to set the table for the conversation.” So, he and I decided to do that together.

There are a lot of faith and culture introductions that offer models and approaches to life. But we didn’t know of one that was attentive to everyone across Christian congregations, from stay-at-home moms, lawyers, physicians, plumbers, and electricians. So that’s something we wanted to contribute as well.

3. What are some of the challenges Christians face in navigating the relationship between faith and culture?

The challenge that comes to mind first is Christians’ struggle to make sense of how Sunday morning matters for Monday through Saturday. The moment you stand up from your devotional desk or leave your prayer closet, now what? How does your faith matter for when you’re talking to people at the gas station, or how does it matter for the way in which you go about your work? How does it matter for the education spaces or the sports venues that you’re in? How does it matter for the virtual spaces when you’re on social media?

4. How can the biblical landscape of scripture help Christians today approach the complexities of modern culture?

As one of my mentors is fond of saying, “The story of Scripture is the true story of the whole world.” Every culture is living out and advocating for a certain story and a particular understanding of how things began, where things are going, and all of the “is” and “ought” in between. Scripture must shape our view of the world — that it actually did begin with God. It will culminate in the plan of God, with God’s people living forever with him in a new heaven and new earth. This plan is climaxed in (and only made possible because of) the person of Jesus. We live between those advents of Jesus, and if, in fact, we claim to be his children, the scriptural witness is that we live in such a way that we can pray with integrity, “Your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

5. Why is it important for Christians to see all of life, including the most mundane things, as “acts of worshipful culture making”?

No part of life is somehow outside the purview or the purpose of God. We can take any activity in life and misdirect it away from God’s intended ends, away from what God calls true, good, and beautiful. Any activity in life can misdirect that, but at the same time, any activity in life can also actually be carried out in accord with the way of Jesus, which is always the way of love for God and love for neighbor. It’s always the way of true, good, and beautiful. Nothing is outside of God’s purview or purpose.

6. What mindset should readers have when approaching this book?

Two things come to mind. First, be reflective and thoughtful about the questions, “How do I engage the world? How do I connect the dots between Sunday and the rest of the week right now, or how am I not doing those things?” Second, approach this topic with the willingness to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, at our home as it is in heaven; at Southeastern, as it is in heaven; on my phone as it in heaven, and so forth.” Just begin by taking that prayer and bringing it to your place: Wake Forest, Bunn, or Bangladesh. Wherever that is, bring it there, and then start living that out.

7. How does this book equip readers to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission?

Many Christians would readily admit that they believe in Jesus, are faithful at church, and want to serve, but they have a hard time understanding how their actions matter beyond the Sunday service, going to church, sharing the gospel with someone, and giving money. In this book we want to connect those dots for people, showing them that they actually move the needle for the kingdom — whether they can see it or not — just by walking with Jesus in every time and place.

8. How has researching and writing “The Way of Christ in Culture” shaped you spiritually?

Writing is a most refining and challenging task. It forces a precision of thought like nothing else, and as such it exposes gaps between word and deed, between what I say I believe and how I live — even more than preaching! Writing this book forced me to consider afresh the congruence between what I teach and how I live. It also increased my burden for the everyday and beautifully ordinary Christians who live faithful, Christ-honoring lives in their churches, communities, workplaces, and homes. I’m keen to give my life to such people, challenging them to see the connection between Jesus and all of life.