This is a book every pastor and layperson struggling with the question of standards must read. Dudley takes a look at Christ and culture as it relates to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, using examples from contemporary situations.
Though individuals overlap in their approach to culture, he sees three main thrusts: (1) the culture-rejecting Christian, who deals mostly with private rather than public morality and sees the church as a fortress in a hostile world; (2) the culture-affirming Christian, who finds some aspects of culture to be positive in his or her religious experience and sees God working through them (this type of Christian takes an interest in public morality and such issues as promoting world peace); (3) the culturetransforming Christian, who promotes a triumphant religion that attempts to change society.
Dudley examines the weaknesses and strengths of each mind-set but does not tell us which approach is best. He does give some guidelines for the community of believers. "The church should not at tempt to prescribe in detail the path to be followed by the individual Christian. .. . It should identify the timeless principles involved in messages originally presented in another social context and give guidance in how to apply them in con temporary culture." Above all, we must make a personal response that will bring glory to Christ.
