Content to Take Seriously
…even if you disagree
One of the daily realities of publishing is that you hear the good, the bad, and the occasionally ugly from readers. A lot! Applying that truism to my 35 years at Christianity Today, I’m guessing I probably heard every editorial opinion that can be expressed a thousand times over.
There was praise, of course, for articles and news stories that struck a responsive chord or positively challenged—even surprised—readers’ thinking on some near-cliched yet oft-overlooked biblical truth. An article early in my administration by author Philip Yancey (a former Lakelight speaker) on profaning the god of money comes to mind. Offering a refreshing—though exceedingly challenging—perspective on our financial stewardship, it captivated readers. And challenged me personally on how to more aggressively dethrone this insidious “deity.”
Then there were the general caveats and disagreements expressed over an author’s take on a particularly provocative topic. Here I think of Professor John Inazu’s (Washington University, St. Louis) enlightened article on what he called a “confident” pluralism—a description not often used to describe the challenges of 21st century diversity. Readers responded to John’s piece by offering their own thoughts on how best to navigate this cultural moment without losing Christianity’s theological or biblical distinctives. The dialogue John’s piece generated among readers was, in the end, beneficial to all as it brought into sharper focus our call to love God and neighbor. (By the way, John, too, has spoken at a Lakelight event.)
CT provided a platform where thoughtful idea-shapers and culture-makers could humbly express their various viewpoints from a Christian perspective that brought and continues to bring more and more Christ-followers to CT’s life-shaping content.
Retired Duke Divinity School historian Grant Wacker may have said it best:
“I sometimes disagree [with what I read in CT]. But that is what makes CT so good. Agree or disagree, there is always content here to take seriously.”
_________________________________
So what does this walk down memory lane have to do with Lakelight? In a word: “Everything!” Starting with that last line in the above quote:
“Agree or disagree, there is always content here to take seriously.”
Buried beneath Wacker’s statement is a trust—a confidence in my former employer to provide excellence across its pages and website—that nevertheless acknowledges there will, at times, be opinions expressed that some readers may call into question.
I’ve been reflecting on all this since last month’s “Jesus in the Public Square” event with Rusty Reno. Rusty, as you may remember, is the editor of First Things, a publication that lives at the intersection of religious and pre-political social conservatism; and his interview with Lakelight’s board chair Mike Woodruff resulted in a variety of responses from those in attendance that took me back to my “former life.”
For some, Rusty’s brief critical assessment of the culture’s imposition on our freedom of expression, and his call for Christians to boldly speak truth no matter how unpopular or whatever the consequences (think the martyrs!), resonated with many. But others heard subtle—even not so subtle—political overtones throughout the evening’s presentation. Even prompting several strong supporters to later ask if Lakelight had unwittingly slipped too far into highly-charged political discourse.
That was not nor will it ever be the intended direction of any of our content. Our “bias”—our cause—is Christ. Has been and always will be. That, and how we can both expand biblical understanding and better model intelligent and thoughtful engagement with the culture so that in the end we can all more redemptively influence the spheres of life we’re privileged to be influencers in.
Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Lakelight will continue to help shape a vision for what it means to be a Christ-follower in the 21st century. We will carefully set a table of content that seeks to intellectually and theologically inform and challenge thoughtful Christians on the biblical, cultural and social issues of the day.
Moreover, Lakelight will seek to platform a generationally and culturally diverse group of theologians, scholars, media pundits, thought-leaders and practitioners to address these issues; and to educate those taking advantage of our content on how their responses to these issues can positively contribute to the various dialogues on the public square—all the while strengthening Christian identity and shaping its outworking with the love of Christ.
By wrapping heads and hearts around the currents of culture from a well-grounded biblical perspective, we can confidently show:
- How a faith whose convictions have been shaped by over 2,000 years of church history and tradition can contribute to a society lacking any semblance of consensus; and
- How a faith deemed parochial in its understanding of doctrine and truth has, in fact, something to say in our diverse and pluralistic world.
There is an urgent need to model this form of engagement. Why? Because the alternative is to allow our partisanship and echo chambers to rule us. Then, to paraphrase John Inazu from the article referenced above, “we will soon find it impossible to maintain any kind of shared discourse. And we will find ourselves headed toward chaos.”
_________________________________
“Agree or disagree, there is always content here to take seriously.”
To continue to ensure the quality of this model of engagement and, all the while, maintain your trust in the topics and speakers we select, let me close by reviewing several of Lakelight’s own content guidelines:
- We will showcase a broad representation of contributors spanning the breadth of Christian traditions.
- On occasion, we will also invite individuals from other faith traditions (or no faith tradition at all) who nevertheless have something to say to us about an issue directly or indirectly impacting/shaping culture and even the church.
- In our theological and biblical classes and presentations, we will follow the Augustinian example of “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Those “essentials” are found in Christ Church’s statement of faith. These are the non-negotiables upon which everything we present must rest.
- We will seek to avoid polarization and/or political alignment—perceived or otherwise—around the topics and speakers we choose. Our ultimate allegiance is to Christ and his Kingdom. And as his followers, we seek to serve that Kingdom faithfully and effectively, ever modeling a spirit of love, respect and unity.
__________________________________
Yes, it’s been an exhilarating first month as Lakelight’s interim president, an outworking of which is some of the above thinking. Over the next two months, we will plan out the remaining Lakelight offerings for 2O26, directed as always by both our vision and mission and the guidelines referenced here.
As always, we do want to hear from you. Your feedback following any and all events is critical—no, make that essential—for our continuing growth and effectiveness. My email address is: hsmith@christchurchil.org.
Thank you again for your ongoing support of this newsletter and the Lakelight Institute.
Lakelight Monthly
Curated resources, delivered on the last Saturday of the month.
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.
