Faith & Culture Lake Ridge Bible Church

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." Thy Kingdom Come? What does that mean? What exactly are we praying for? And what exactly are we supposed to do about God's Kingdom on earth... here... now? How should I, as a Christian, relate to the culture around me? Retreat? Attack? Convert? Create? Avoid? Control? Redeem it? Condemn it? Welcome to "Kingdom Come".

In the fourth episode of this series, the guys work to discover all the options on the other end of the spectrum in Christian responses to culture that can fall under the heading of being "of" culture. Each of these approaches will swirl around a basic understanding of Christianity being postively "for" or even rising "from" the culture around it. How does the image of God in all people influence culture? How are Christians combining the truth of Christianity with the trends of culture? How can Christians make a difference without becoming the same? Dive into these tricky issues with us. Welcome to the conversation!

We dive back into the pages of a book that matters in April, so this month pick up a copy of The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great by Benjamin Merkle. This exciting historical book reads like an adventure novel and breathes life into medieval England in the midst of the viking invasions. We follow the young prince Alfred as he becomes king and confronts the great pagan pillaging hordes ravaging his homeland. This book presents poignant lessons on Christian leadership, resistance, and character. What does Christian leadership look like in a crisis? How did our Christian ancestors deal with a world of godless violence while maintaining Christian convictions? Read along with us and then join us for The Book Nook!

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." Thy Kingdom Come? What does that mean? What exactly are we praying for? And what exactly are we supposed to do about God's Kingdom on earth... here... now? How should I, as a Christian, relate to the culture around me? Retreat? Attack? Convert? Create? Avoid? Control? Redeem it? Condemn it? Welcome to "Kingdom Come".

In the third episode of this series, the guys work to discover all the options on one end of the spectrum in Christian responses to culture that can fall under the heading of being "against" culture. Each of these approaches will swirl around a basic understanding of Christianity being in conflict with a sinful culture. How should Christians deal with sin in a culture? What kind of cultures need to be opposed by Christians? How can Christianity make its objections most heard? How can Christianity have an influence without being compromised? Dive into these tricky issues with us. Welcome to the conversation!

Every other month, when we are not in our Book Nook series, we watch (and encourage our listeners to watch) a film that captures an important conversation in our culture. We also hope to model how to get more out of your movies and see more clearly the messages Hollywood is sending us all the time!

We return to our Reel Talk series with Chariots of Fire (1981), a sports film about two british runners whose beliefs and ambitions collide at the 1924 Olympic games. Harold Abrahams is a ladder climbing Jewish runner with something to prove. Eric Liddell is a christian runner drawing attention to the mission of God. The story of these two runners asks deep questions about the importance of faith in every endeavor and what it might take to catch the attention of a culture and change it for good. How does our faith make a difference in our ambitions, dreams, and achievements? What does the culture need to see from Christians when our convictions are challenged? Give it a watch and then join us for Reel Talk!

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." Thy Kingdom Come? What does that mean? What exactly are we praying for? And what exactly are we supposed to do about God's Kingdom on earth... here... now? How should I, as a Christian, relate to the culture around me? Retreat? Attack? Convert? Create? Avoid? Control? Redeem it? Condemn it? Welcome to "Kingdom Come".

In the second episode of this series, the guys try to get a grip on what we mean by culture. What are all the areas of our lives and society that should be impacted by the Gospel and can be considered part of "culture"? How has the influence of sin and lies already corrupted many of these areas of our lives? How has Christianity influenced these parts of the human experience in the past and has the retreat of Christian influence in society been a blessing or a curse? Welcome to the conversation!

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxes

We return to our Book Nook series every other month this year to talk about books that matter. These are books that are important for Christians today to read to understand how to better understand and address our cultural conversations with Christian truth. 

In this episode we discuss the inspiring and convicting story of William Wilberforce and the major part he played in the outlawing of the slave trade in England. How did Wilberforce face down such a gigantic cultural institution like slavery with powerful interests arrayed against him? What were the beliefs and virtues that drove a man like Wilberforce to make this impact on history? What can we learn from Wilberforce to topple the systems of evil we encounter in our own societies today? Welcome to the book nook!