Podcast

The Calling

How to Be Faithfully Creative in a Post-Christian World

According to Mike Cosper, we can still strike a balance between fearless art and steadfast witness.

To some Christians, America’s increasingly postmodern, pluralistic culture presents a threat to our national religious identity. Mike Cosper thinks differently. As the founder and director of the Harbor Institute for Faith and Culture and creator of the podcasts Cultivated and The Devil & the Deep Blue Sea, Cosper says he’s called to help equip Christians to live faithfully in a post-Christian world—which in part means embracing opportunities to share God’s truth not only through proposition-driven sermons, but also through storytelling, art, and service to the common good.

On this week’s episode of The Calling, Cosper sits down with CT Managing Editor Richard Clark to talk about his love for storytelling, the need for creativity in church, and how art and narrative can speak to the culture in ways sermons can’t.

On making theology about personal experience: “I think of Charles Taylor’s phrase ‘the ethics of authenticity’—that we live in this age where the only ethic that governs and that’s sort of universally accepted is ‘you have to be true to yourself, you have to be authentic to yourself.’ There are problems with that way of looking at theology. To me, theology in particular, and Christianity as a whole, is sort of this prismatic thing: There are all these different angles on any doctrine, on any idea. Not any one of them should trump all the others. The historicity of Christianity really, really matters. The power of tradition really, really matters. But at the same time, a value like ‘always reforming’—that stuff really matters. So does personal narrative.”

On showing our neighbors that the church is for them: “If you are genuinely contributing to the flourishing of a city and a community, it’s really hard for people to push you out. So do good work, and work really hard, and value your city. But also, be aware of what time it is, and be concerned. Lift your voice up.”

On why the church needs creatives in the pews: “Artists in the church are often treated as second-class citizens—‘oh, that creative stuff you do, that’s cool, but music is really the appetizer, and the sermon is the main meal.’ Evangelicalism is a very modern movement in the sense that it emphasizes the rational and the propositional in a really strong way. I don’t want to dismiss those things, but I think we can do a better job of doing spiritual formation for the whole person. That’s why you need creative people in your community—creative people who share your rational, propositional beliefs, but who express them in ways that touch on the imagination and the heart.”

Subscribe to The Calling on iTunes.

The Calling is produced by Richard Clark and Cray Allred.

Theme music by Lee Rosevere, used under Creative Commons 4.0.

Our Latest

Expert: Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Orthodox Church Is Compatible with Religious Freedom

Despite GOP concerns over government interference, local evangelicals agree that the historic church must fully separate from its Moscow parent.

News

Ohio Haitians Feel Panic, Local Christians Try to Repair Divides

As Donald Trump’s unfounded claims circulate, Springfield pastors and immigrant leaders deal with the real-world consequences.

Review

A Pastor’s Wife Was Murdered. God Had Prepared Him for It.

In the aftermath of a senseless killing, Davey Blackburn encountered “signs and wonders” hinting at its place in a divine plan.

The Church Can Help End the Phone-Based Childhood

Christians fought for laws to protect children during the Industrial Revolution. We can do it again in the smartphone age.

Taste and See If the Show is Good

Christians like to talk up pop culture’s resonance with our faith. But what matters more is our own conformity to Christ.

The Bulletin

Don’t Blame Me

The Bulletin considers the end of Chinese international adoptions, recaps the week’s presidential debate, and talks about friendship across political divides with Taylor Swift as a case study.

Public Theology Project

The Uneasy Conscience of Christian Nationalism

Instead of worldly control of society, Christ calls for renewed hearts.

News

What It Takes to Plant Churches in Europe

Where some see ambition as key to evangelism, others experiment with subtler ways of connecting to people who don’t think they need God.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube