‘Plugged In’: Key Points on Faith and Culture

I admit I didn’t find Plugged In the easiest of reads, but it is packed with helpful information. I took many notes when reading this book, and I will share with you what I feel are the key pieces of information.

Plugged In is Daniel Strange’s attempt at connecting faith with culture in a way that helps us feed our faith and share it with others.

Introduction

The world operates in stories and can be anything from our feelings and experiences to our ideas and imagination communicated with others. We spend most of our time telling and consuming levels. We face so much information that knowing what is right and true can be challenging, especially as Christians.

As Christians, we seek to glorify God in all we do, but sometimes we can become consumed in stories that turn us away from Him.

Dan introduces us to three ways we, as Christians, respond to the stories and culture we see.

We hide from the world in a bubble of safe Christianity.
We lash out with judgement condemning the actions and thoughts of others.
We melt into society, conforming to the world’s behaviour to be relevant.

These three ways are different from the approach we should be taking. We should not hide from the world when we are created to stand out and be different, yet it is not our place to judge.

Dan tells us there is a better way. We can engage with culture but not become angered or filled with self-righteousness.

Chapter 1 – Why we should care about culture.

Dan begins this chapter by explaining what culture is. Culture has several definitions which are used in different ways.

The Arts definition is associated with refined taste and the idea that some things belong and others do not. Social sciences define it as everything humans do and make, which brings meaning, identity, and order. However, some distinctions are made between less and more advanced cultures. The cultural studies definition states that culture is ever-changing and interconnected. It says we are focused on gaining an identity, yet the more identities we have, the less sure we are of ourselves.

Yet the definition Dan focuses on is the stories definition. This states that culture is the stories we tell that bring meaning to the world, even if the conclusion is that there is no meaning.

There are four reasons why we should care about culture.

We have no choice.
We care about following Jesus.
We care about telling others about Jesus.
We care about Jesus.

We live in this world, so we have no choice but to engage in culture. Our earthly lives influence everything we do; being a Christian does not change that. As Christians, we are called to share our faith and give hope to those in despair; culture helps us do that. For many out there, Jesus isn’t an option, and we need to be out in the world to prove why He should be and why He is for so many of us.

Chapter 2 – The Story of Culture

Humans were made in God’s image, and God is a maker and speaker; therefore, so are we. We were created to worship God but ended up worshipping idols. We are either for God or against Him. Culture is the fruit of our heart’s relationship with God; it is the outward appearance of our beliefs. We become what we worship.

Repentance and faith may be the core of our earthly mission, but culture is our calling—a call to make and speak for the glory of God.

Chapter 3 – Culture as Story.

God made everything on this Earth, including us; therefore, the stories we tell are only copies of God’s original words. Everything we experience now is only a shadow of the original and pure thing which will not be experienced again until we reach heaven.

Everything we see and feel points to the truth. We get glimpses of both heaven and hell. Death itself indicates the temporary existence of this world. Consequences are a warning to repent before God’s true wrath is unleashed on judgement day.

There are two ways in which people react to the truth: suppression or substitution. Suppression is our attempt to ignore reality, hoping it goes away, which it never will. Substitution is idolatry, where we place other things in place of the truth.

Our job as Christians is to show the truth, unblemished and clear, so that it cannot be ignored or substituted.

Chapter 4 – Can I watch?

Cultural assumptions impact how we share our faith, but our cultural choices can help us. We must be cautious of our emotions first because when we become too emotional, we are likelier to go for quick and simple fixes, which do not always solve the problem.

There are five biblical ways to determine how we make a choice.

Scripture
- We must view the world through a biblical lens.
Grace
- Our motive should be to love and honour God for what He has done in our lives.
Faith
- We are united in Christ, and our living faith should encourage our actions.
Christ
- Only in Jesus can we find fulfilment.
God’s Glory
- He is our greatest joy and satisfaction; we owe to Him everything we are.

Ultimately, we shouldn’t do something or say it if something feels wrong. But we must be aware that our lack of action in the cultural sphere is not good.

Chapter 5 – Confront and Connect: The Theory

God’s wrath and mercy are among the key elements of the Christian message. Because of sin, we were unable to reconcile with God until Jesus. Jesus faced God’s wrath and took it all so that we could receive God’s mercy. This is why believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus is the only way we can be saved. But unfortunately, many still laugh at the idea of an impending day of judgement and the truth of saving grace. Jesus confronts every culture to show us we cannot find fulfilment without Him.

Chapter 6 – Confront and Connect: In Practise

We should be passionate about living our lives to glorify God and to help others find their way to Him. We should feel distressed about the things that anger God, such as idolatry and the desire to help people know the truth.

Our knowledge of culture can help us to explain the truth and confront ignorance. We need to focus on sharing the basics instead of confusing people.

Chapter 7 – Cultural Engagement for Disciples

Dan introduces an approach that can help us to share our faith. It is called ‘subversive fulfilment’.

The first step is to listen to the story and understand what it is. Gather all necessary information and be empathetic. Ask questions if necessary.

Secondly, we need to view the world with that biblical lens mentioned earlier to look deeper and find what is good and true, helpful and beautiful. Find what is being twisted or suppressed. Most importantly, ask yourself if it positively amplifies God’s message.

Exposing is the third step. This is where we go on the offensive with questions that help them think about the stories they are being fed and how it makes them feel. We can show them a different and better way.

The final step is evangelism. To point out the aspects that relate to the gospel and introduce the big picture of the bible, in particular, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

We must be flexible in our approach and aware of the reactions of the people we are speaking to. Everyone is different, with unique strengths and how we engage with the world, but this can be used to your advantage. Use your uniqueness because God gave that to you and wants you to use it for good.

‘We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.’
Ronald Reagan

The key message of Plugged In is to interact with culture in a way that helps us share our faith with the world. But the way I see it, its other key messages are not to let ourselves be consumed by culture to the point that we lose ourselves in it and to use our individual cultural strengths to our advantage when sharing our faith.