The Aaron Renn Show

Because elite cities have such a big role in creating and shaping culture, it's easy for Christians in them to fall into a theology of pride. They can end up believing not only that they are doing more important work than Christians but that they are better in many ways too.We'll examine this by looking at how James Davison Hunter's book To Change the World flatters the urban church world, how the urban church uses "third way" rhetoric to implicitly position themselves as better people than flyover country Christians, how the church church validates rather than challenges the way people in big cities are living their lives, and how seldom the church ever speaks prophetically about the sins of elite city industries like finance or entertainment.Works referenced:Kathy Keller on lessons learned from 30 years of ministry in New York: https://medium.com/redeemer-city-to-city/lessons-learned-from-30-years-in-ministry-e580d4afb846James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: https://www.amazon.com/Change-World-Tragedy-Possibility-Christianity-ebook/dp/B003TWNDVY/Preachers 'N Sneakers: https://www.instagram.com/preachersnsneakers/

American cities looked like they were headed for the scrap heap in the 1970s and 80s, but some of them, particularly the elite cities of the American coasts (and their peers in other countries) came roaring back. Thanks to globalization, deregulation, and other factors, places like New York and San Francisco now control the commanding heights of the economy. They also control the culture because they are the places where the elite institutions and networks that create culture are concentrated.The church must be present in these cities lest it abandon the economic and cultural centers of the nation. What's more, the cultural pressures facing the church come first and most intensely in these places, so it is there that the church's response to them can be developed. The importance of these elite cities means that the church their can fall prey to pride, something that will be explored in the next episode.Books Referenced:Saskia Sassen - The Global CityJames Davison Hunter - To Change the World

This episode begins a series called "Urban World, Urban Church" looking at the trends in global urbanization and the church's response to them. This first installment looks at the great shift underway from a planet that was almost entirely rural a century ago to one that will be overwhelming urban at the end of this century. As cities and megacities growth, this will require a complete shift in the way that the church approaches evangelization and missions.