What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world and how does this affect evangelization?
Many people assume there are two ways to approach this notion.
- On one side is the thought of Christ against culture—that to be loyal to Jesus or the Church I need to run completely away from the world.
- On the other side is the Christ of culture—that Jesus is the peak and pinnacle of all culture’s greatest desires, aspirations, and hopes.
Which one is right? What balance should we strike?
Today, Mike and Dave take these two basic concepts and break them down into practical, real life situations. They explain what we should do in regards to the world around us and stress the importance of finding the distinctive Christ element that sets your life apart. We walk a delicate line being in the world and not of it, but Mike and Dave make this line a bit easier to see.
Snippet from the Show:
“We as Christians have to present some difference from the culture at large, the culture of the world. There has to be something different about our life.”
SHOWNOTES
5 Practical Tips:
- Spiritual Practice: Do an examination of conscience of a secularist mindset. What parts of your life have you brought in from the culture that you really should not have?
- Read: Jeremiah 29 (the whole chapter).
- Go Fishing: Do small pious acts in public.
- Community: Become a regular at one restaurant.
- Intercessory Prayer: Pray for the conversion of your favorite secular artist.
Resources Mentioned in the Show:
Christ and Culture a book by Richard Niebuhr
Meet Your Hosts
Michael “Gomer” Gormley
Michael has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past ten years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries.
He is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and the producer and cohost of a Catholic young adult podcast Catching Foxes, which discusses the collision of Faith and Culture.
He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon. Together they have about 1,000 children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.
David “Dave” VanVickle
Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen. Since then, he has dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.
He is a speaker and retreat leader. His programs focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.
Dave resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Amber and their five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.
