American Culture

On Cultural Understanding, Part 2: The United States - Olinger

“In Barna’s ranking of the most post-Christian cities in America, New England and the West Coast predictably dominate the top of the list. But keep scrolling, and you’ll begin to spot some Southern states. Texas, Florida, and North Carolina all have cities in the top 50.” - Lifeway Research

“[T]oday a belief even in the possibility that there are things we can identify as good falls prey to cynicism. Culture reflects this. Across the dizzying variety of digital entertainment media, one constant holds: we live in the era of the ‘complex’ protagonist, characters whose stories lean toward a kind of benevolent moral ambiguity at best.

“Augustine’s statement, though, is a very powerful instrument for understanding a nation or a culture: What do the people love? I would say that the object of love for Americans, historically, has been freedom….There is nothing wrong with loving these things, but, St. Augustine would say, unless the people also love God, their lesser loves can lead them astray.” - Veith

“Americans are more likely to trust medical professionals, while few believe pastors are completely honest. Gallup’s annual ratings of the honesty and ethical standards of professions finds nurses continue to be the most trusted, followed by medical doctors, grade-school teachers and pharmacists.” - F&T

“Seven things Christians can look forward to this year after a very challenging 2020: space, virtual learning, challenges for Christians, ministry, and more.” - AiG

“American Christian culture is rife with congregants looking for lawyers, not prophets and not pastors. The church-shopping phenomenon puts us in churches that make us feel quite comfortable…. From all too many members of the congregation comes the cry, ‘Tell us what we want to hear!’” - French

“ ‘We were told that on Christmas Eve we would have the largest audience that had ever listened to a human voice,’ recalled Commander Frank Borman during the 40th anniversary celebrations in 2008. ‘And the only instructions that we got from NASA was to do something appropriate.’” - IFWE

“At its best, the book forces an increasingly frayed and polarized Christian church to answer for its moral and political apathy. Yet Dreher’s work is missing something: a self-awareness, a careful sobriety, a consciousness that even those on the good side can unwittingly become the thing they seek to destroy.” - C.Today

“Christians should be engaged [in other social issues] just like we’ve been in the pro-life movement, but we need to know more. We need a posture of learning and humility, perhaps in a way we never had in our lifetimes.” - Stetzer