Hunter, James Davison. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World<\/i>. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.<\/p>\n
Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n One way to state Hunter\u2019s thesis is in the form of a report card for the American church. The professor has given the American church an A+ on impacting lives and a C – on impacting culture. In other words, for Hunter, the American church has not done a proper job of influencing culture, but instead of giving an “F” he gives it a “C -” for trying. The problem for Hunter is that the whole thought process for the assignment is wrong. According to Hunter, it is a Christian\u2019s individual and \u201ccollective destiny\u201d to impact the world. [1] However, this mandate is not being fulfilled, and not for lack of trying but because the process is wrong.<\/p>\n Hunter states, \u201cI contend that the dominant ways of thinking [by Americans who call themselves Christians] about culture and cultural change are flawed, for they are based on both specious social science and problematic theology. In brief, the model on which various strategies are based not only does not work, but it cannot work. One the basis of this working theory, Christians cannot ‘change the world\u2019 in a way that they, even in their diversity, desire.\u201d [2]<\/p>\n In the three essays that Hunter presents he outlines the problem, highlights the process and suggests a solution. In brief, the problem is that culture is a system of influential networks, resources, systems and symbols. Culture is created and changed within that system, and that system is the domain of the upper echelons of the culture. According to Hunter\u2019s analysis, the American church does not typically find it\u2019s\u00a0 networks, resources, systems or symbols within the upper echelons of society. In fact, the strength, vitality, and influence of the church are located \u201cexactly in the lower and peripheral area of cultural production.\u201d [3] The church functions on the margins of society, whereas the policy-makers and cultural-changers function on the upper-center echelons of society.<\/p>\n Hunter posits that the process of assimilation into the political area by the American church is problematic. Christians have allowed themselves to be \u201cassimilated\u201d into the political arena by dividing themselves along political lines\u2014conservative and liberal\u2014and then using resentment as a motivating factor for cultural change. This motivation binds together the particular factions but also polarizes them from their counterpart. [4] Hunter\u2019s answer to the problem is \u201cfaithful presence\u201d where the faithful cooperate with each other not to change the world for the better but to engage with it. \u201cIf there are any benevolent consequences of our engagement with the world\u2026it is precisely because it is not rooted in a desire to change the world for the better but rather because it is an expression of a desire to honor the creator of all goodness, beauty, and truth, a manifestation of our loving obedience to God, and a fulfillment of God\u2019s comment to love our neighbor.\u201d [5]<\/p>\n Application:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I am convinced that this is more of an American church challenge than a world church challenge; consequently, I am grateful to Hunter for declaring early on that he is writing specifically about the American church. Our (American) political system is such that involvement in the political process is open to everyone from every level of society (I acknowledge cases to the contrary, but I am not prepared to say they are the norm). \u00a0And though I recognize Hunter\u2019s assessment that Christian influence tends to be at that middle and margins of society and not in the upper echelons\u2014American Christians, nonetheless, have direct access to the halls of political power. This can be a blessing and a curse.<\/p>\n Power is at once both wonderful and dangerous. Power can both heal and destroy; it can feed the hungry and feast on the fed; it can give breath and strangle, give water and cause thirst, give live and death and all at the same moment. The power of government, the power of politics and the praise of people, is so seductive that many good women and men have found themselves shipwrecked by its Siren-like song, or have been consumed by its voracious appetite.<\/p>\n For me the question then becomes, do you want to play with that kind of power? As Christians who\u2019s power are we seeking? There is no doubt that the God places people in positions of leadership within governments and nations. We find examples of this in the Bible. But these are rare moments. In most cases, these individuals were not seeking position or even wanting position but found themselves ordained by God to lead. In this context I find myself agreeing with Hunter. I agree not so much on his conclusions about the impact of the Christian church in American but with the need to seek for and serve a higher power, one that empowers us to engage the world in unique ways. For Hunter, it is \u201cfaithful presence;\u201d to which I would add \u201cfaithful proclamation!\u201d In both cases, the unique engagement begins not by seeking earthly power but by loving your neighbor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hunter, James Davison. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Summary: One way to state Hunter\u2019s thesis is in the form of a report card for the American church. 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