“Within the church in the West it is almost universally acknowledged that we live in a post-Christian culture,” writes Mark Sayers in his book, Disappearing Church. For that reason, the exhortation from Peter (1 Peter 3:15) to be prepared to make a defense for the hope of the Gospel is all the more relevant and crucial. In 2024, Aaron Renn and Senator John Crane discussed honoring God in a hostile culture in preparation for November’s national and local elections.
Speakers
SEN. JOHN CRANE
John Crane is a respected educator and cultural thought leader who spends much of his time equipping leaders to understand our times. He graduated from Taylor University and went on to receive his M.A. in Communications and Culture from Trinity International University. In 2008, John completed an apologetics training program through the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, in partnership with Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. John has served as a pastor and is a Colson Fellow with the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. In 2016 John was elected to the Indiana Senate.
JEFF ZWEERINK
Aaron Renn is a writer and consultant in Indianapolis, and author of the book Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture. He is a senior fellow at American Reformer, and a former Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and Managing Director at Accenture. He hosts a podcast called “The Aaron Renn Show” where he converses with some of the world’s leading thinkers on the issues of today.
Presentations
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This session will explore lessons from Christian cultural engagement over the past 70 years and suggest strategies for churches, institutions, and individuals to live faithfully in the "negative" world—a culture opposed to Christian values and teachings.
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This session will analyze from a Christian perspective the opportunities and limitations within the political environment, including the essential criteria for finding a proper balanced approach to our political rhetoric and engagement.
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This session will focus on evaluating the church's current position in a negative world, while offering a thoughtful analysis (and practical examples) of how to proactively shine the light in our darkening world.