Culture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World [Paperback]

David W. Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

As postmodern thinking continues to pervade our culture, it is increasingly urgent that Christians communicate the gospel in ways that are understandable to the postmodern mind-set. In Culture Shift, readers will gain a lucid view of how the culture breeds consumers, spectators, and self-absorbed individuals; how people think in a relativistic world with no room for God; and how to break out of the Christian subculture to communicate with the postmodern world. (74)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. David W. Henderson is a senior pastor in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a regular contributor to Discipleship Journal. He has served widely as a conference and chapel speaker in the United States and overseas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801090598
• ISBN-13: 978-0801090592
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Evangelism > Preaching

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the World, June 14, 2001

By 

Bradford J Zinnecker (NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World (Paperback)

This book is not just about "Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World," but also about better understanding the world we live in today. The author delves into various facets of the modern (American) life to show "Who We Are," (chapter 3-8), and "How We Think," (chapters 9-14). While doing so, he shows not only how deeply our culture has gone into a sort of postmodern chaos, but also gives examples of how he has been able to reach out to non-Christians and see their lives' changed for Christ. Henderson has definitely been affected in his writing by his mentor, the author of the foreword, Haddon Robinson, named one of the top ten preachers in America. This is mostly positive, including Dr. Henderson's "Concepts Worth Remembering" and "Recommended Reading" lists that are at the end of every major section. This book is very readable and helpful for any Christian who may want to know the current culture better as well as how to present the gospel of Christ in the 21st Century. I enjoyed the book for these reasons, but did not feel it was exceptional enough to warrant 5 big stars. However it is very good and any pastor or lay person who is actively involved in the life of their church would enjoy it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Analysis and Advice, November 4, 2002

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Culture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World (Paperback)

In high school speech classes, we were taught to "know your audience." As an apathetic high schooler, I didn't really care what she meant, but it eventually made sense (once I actually decided to think about it). You wouldn't use sock puppets to explain math to accountants; you wouldn't use in-depth power-point presentations to explain math to first graders. With this in mind, why do many Americans still try to talk about Jesus using the methods used thirty years ago? Why do we use Christian "jargon" to explain Christianity to those outside the faith?

Henderson, as you might guess, contends that modern American Christians must change their approach to sharing the faith in order to fit modern America. The pattern of Henderson's book is straightforward: he examines a particular aspect/mindset/value of modern Americans; he then gives ideas about how a Christian might share Words of Eternal Life with such an American. Henderson's prose is both straightforward and enjoyable. He gets right to the heart of the American mindset, then illustrates it with descriptions from scenes from popular movies, personal anecdotes, jokes, etc.

In all, Henderson does the modern Christian a great service in writing "Culture Shift." Jesus tells Christains to tell others about him ("Go, therefore, and baptize all nations...") and Henderson can help us along the way through this book. Highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth The Money!!, August 30, 2000

By 

Jason Cruise (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World (Paperback)

Jason Cruise Founder TodaysPreacher.Com

There are a lot of bad books out there today!! There is nothing worse than spending money on something that you can't use; but, this is not one of those books!!! Henderson's book was super, in my opinion. He is certainly up to speed on today's listener. He uses a constant theme throughout the book which he deems, "God's Word to a _______." For instance, Chapter 6 deals with "God's Word To A Distracted World"; Chapter 8 deals with "God's Word To A Disconnected World." This helps you see how God's Word can reach such a target.

In this work he covers the average person sitting in your audience; what has made them the type of listener they are; their different thinking patterns, etc. David Henderson sat under Haddon Robinson, the "teacher of preachers." You can see Robinson's solid, Biblical influence on Henderson; and, I think this only adds to the credibility of the author.

David Henderson knows how to help you "gain a hearing" with a crowd. The book really helped me better understand today's audience, and techniques to help reach them. I'd really recommend that you read this book ... I think you'll be a better preacher because of it!!!

Preach On Friends ... Jason Cruise