What is the church’s relationship to culture, to the modern state, to the kingdom’s of men? What is the church’s responsibility as the culture around her devolves into all that is anti-god? Is cultural engagement/cultural transformation the mission of the church? Is a form of Christendom the church's goal?
Arriving at a Biblical understanding of Christ/Church and Culture is dependent on a proper view of the fundamentals of the faith. How you answer the question is rooted in your understanding of covenant theology, the law of God, Christ’s work, the church’s mission, and the Christian’s hope. In other words, this is not an isolated issue but a core issue. The Christian is a two-age sojourner, and a member of two kingdoms, and he/she must understand how to travel in the tension and how to live wisely in God’s world as he waits for the King’s return.
In this episode John lays the covenant framework for how to answer this question.
Resources:
Abraham Booth, "The Kingdom of Christ"
Meredith Kline, Kingdom Prologue
David VanDrunen, Living In God's Two Kingdoms
Lee Irons, "The Reformed Theocrats: A Biblical Theological Response" http://www.upper-register.com/papers/reformed_theocrats.pdf
Lee Irons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDbfuGcqD8
