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What is 'Gospel & Culture'? Simply stated we are concerned with the gospel and with culture, though this limited definition has caused some confusion. Our focus is not Christianity and the arts (art, ballet, architecture), nor a Christian perspective on social anthropology (i.e., burial rites, traditional dress, social customs, etc.). While these remain important surface expressions of 'culture', our focus is the deep, the foundational assumptions that constitute a cultural worldview, particularly the assumptions of our Western culture.

On the 'gospel' side Gospel & Culture is a missionary movement to this modern Western culture. It employs the same tools and understanding of the missionary, and encourages a missological approach to the culture we live in - one which has lost all semblance of its Christian 'heritage', and is now considered secular, non-Christian, or even pagan.

How to best describe the institutional form of this Gospel & Culture development? The terms "network" and "program", and it is true that we communicate via a network sharing with each other (in varying degrees), and that we carry out programmes such as conferences, teaching courses, seminars, publications, and resource services. But we are a movement, exploring the Gospel and engaging in the cultures of our society. We are disciples on an apostolate. Our task is to discern and make known the form of God's work in our culture.

This is a missio, a sending in response to God's calling and leadership, into this particular world. We are not the church in all its dimensions. We are not an institution, though without some small initial institutional base we cannot function. But we are of, from, and toward the church, a witness to its reformation in the light of its mission. we are part of a movement, in other words, which we do not control, but in which we enlist a particular form of the mission of God.

This statement has been lifted, with some adaptations, from the answer given to this question by Charles West in the Gospel and Our Culture Network, 2(4), Dec. 1995.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes) Introductory Articles. A selection of foundational articles, many of which are 'classics', designed to provide an entrance to the wider Gospel & Culture debate. It also contains a select bibliography for further study, or you could visit our comprehensive Access resource service.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes)Historical Articles. Documents that helped shape the modern debate, including a short history of the development of Gospel & Culture in England during the 1980's.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes)Leading Lights. Biographical surveys of influential figures. So far Newbigin, Oldham, and Polanyi, but more to come including, Ellul, de Lubac, and Dawson.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes)Bibliographies. Records the work of some major figures influential both in the Gospel & Culture debate and 20th century church history.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes)Access. The DeepSight Trust's resource service. A list of articles, now numbering in the thousands, complete with individual annotation that are available from the Trust for a small fee. A comprehensive survey of the whole Gospel & Culture debate.

sphere.gif (1576 bytes)Contacts. Contact the Gospel & Culture bodies in your area. Many of these bodies have independent newsletters and journals, and hold conferences so it is important you get in touch with those in your area.

This section will be continually updated with new articles, biographies, and bibliographies uploaded so visit again or join our information service which will automatically inform readers when the page is updated. If there is anything of interest which is not here please email jflett@deepsight.org and I will see what I can do.

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