Book Review
Christians must learn to
reframe the cultural rhetoric
By Carmen Fowler, The Layman, August 5, 2010
If you’re exhausted by so-called “renewal efforts” repeating the same arguments, employing the same efforts, with recurrent disappointing results, then “God is the Issue” is for you.
Brad Bright, the youngest son of Campus Crusade founders, Bill and Vonette Bright, takes a piercing stab at the “issues” based approach most Christians take in confronting the depravity of their neighbors. That, Bright argues, misses not only the heart, but the issue itself.
The issue is God. Always has been, always will be. The challenge is reframing the current cultural conversation which is fixated on lesser issues of immoral behavior instead of the primary issue which is God. What Bright proposes is training Christians to reframe the conversation in order to do what Jesus did: Turn every encounter into an opportunity to talk about the Father.
Bright opens by substantiating the need. Christians are “sidelined in the debate” because, he argues in a “relativistic ‘Just do it!’ culture, ‘Thou shalt not’ cannot compete.” He then exposes the three reasons why the church is losing the battle for hearts and minds as a lack of compassion, boldness and training.
Having been convicted of the need to engage the culture differently, the reader is then instructed on how to “reframe the issue.” This is more than training in persuasive speech and political spin, although there is some of that. By using examples of how Jesus and Paul “aggressively co-opted the rhetoric” of their opponents, Bright provides a solid Biblical foundation for his argument.
The book then moves into an exploration of the “seven rules of social change.” They are:
- Never, never, never give in! (What price are you willing to pay?)
- Keep your eyes on the North star. (Is your goal clear?)
- Know your Areopagus. (Who is your audience?)
- Reframe! Reframe! Reframe! (Never feel obligated to answer the question.)
- Turtles rule! (How do you eat an elephant?)
- No pain, no gain. (Controversy is my friend.)
- Be a leader, not a loner. (Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.)
Bright also shares what he calls the three R’s of social change. When confronted with a critical attack from someone seeking to advance the cause of an immoral behavior (like abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, etc), we have three options. We can roll over, react or reframe. Bright argues that although there are times when rolling over is strategic and reacting is necessary, Christians must learn to reframe the cultural rhetoric.
Next comes practical training in equipping Christians to help their neighbors make essential linkages between the issues and The Issue: God. The final chapter is well described in the book itself. “Starting from the premise that ‘continuing to do the same thing while expecting different results is the definition of insanity,’ strategies are presented for reframing issues and rhetoric at the national and personal levels.” I would add that it also provides the real possibility of redeeming the rhetoric and changing the outcomes in our denominational debates as well.
Throughout the book I found points of contact where I could immediately apply the material to interpersonal, congregational, denominational and national concerns. Each chapter ends with review questions that make it a great resource for use in small groups, Sunday school classes, and equipping in apologetics for teens and adults.
Additionally, the book is linked to a Web site: www.discoverGod.com. There you will find daily devotionals, additional resources for helping you reframe conversations, guidance for parents (called DG 4 kids), encouragement and interactive sections that make the book just a starting point. There’s even a quiz and a “pastor’s portal” to congregational resources.
What Bright is hoping for is not book sales per se, but a movement of American Christianity from the pew back into the public debates that frame our culture. If you’re interested in becoming an agent of real change, you need to visit www.discoverGod.com and read God is the Issue.