HOW TO REACH THE WEST AGAIN — SEASON ONE
Christianity is declining in the West. Churches in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe are closing their doors at an accelerating rate.
How will the church respond? And is there any reason for hope?
The How to Reach the West Again Podcast aims to answer those questions and more. In each episode, New York Times bestselling author and pastor Tim Keller discusses a different element of a missionary encounter with culture. He is joined by pastors and scholars from across North America and Europe who unpack and illustrate what a missionary encounter looks like in their unique cultural contexts. Together, they cast a rich and robust vision for how the gospel changes everything—even today in our secular age.
Join us as we learn from Tim Keller's decades of ministry experience in New York City, as well as from the wisdom of a diverse group of global practitioners who can help you imagine what a missionary encounter would look like where you live.
EPISODE 1: The Challenges of Reaching the West
Tim Keller defines a “missionary encounter” and describes the unique challenges of evangelism in the Western world today. Guests Giotis Kantartzis and Stefan Paas explore generalizations about Western secular society and living as priests in exile.
Episode 2: A Christian high theory
Tim Keller describes how a Christian high theory can assess and respond to the narratives that dominate our culture. Guests Pete Nicholas and Tim Coomar share how they navigate modern viewpoints of self-identity, as well as how Christians can respond to criticism toward the church in a graceful and thoughtful manner.
Episode 3: A POST-CHRISTENDOM EVANGELISM DYNAMIC
Tim Keller outlines the elements of a post-Christian evangelism dynamic that moves beyond traditional evangelistic methods. Guest René Breuel shares how his church attracts non-Christians through fellowship and friendship that demonstrates the power of the gospel. Apologist Lisa Fields explains how she equips churches to address the unique apologetic questions raised by Christians of African descent.
Episode 4: A CATEGORY-DEFYING SOCIAL VISION
Tim Keller casts a vision for a Christian community marked by the early church’s ethical commitments, which don’t easily fit into modern categories of “liberal” or “conservative”. Guest Sam Allberry explores how even though Christianity’s sexual ethic seems like a challenge to both the church and broader culture, it holds fundamental good for our benefit and affirms our self-worth. Then, Efrem Smith discusses the obstacles to creating multi-ethnic ministry, the importance of different cultures of Christians interacting with each other, and how the church can attain a biblical view of justice rather than views given to us by cultural rhetoric.
EPISODE 5: COUNTER-CATECHESIS
Tim Keller discusses how to deconstruct cultural narratives and reconstruct them with biblical teaching, and the broader community necessary for Christian formation. Amsterdam pastor Tim Vreugdenhil describes a creative form of evangelism that has led him to reimagine Christian formation in a secular context. Guest Dennae Pierre shows how citywide, trans-denominational church planting networks can serve as moral ecologies.
EPISODE 6: FAITHFUL PRESENCE IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE
Tim Keller explains why Christians living out their faith in vocations and other public spaces is crucial for a missionary encounter. Missy Wallace casts a vision for viewing our jobs as one of the primary venues for putting our faith into practice. Artist Makoto Fujimura invites us to see artists as bridgebuilders between the church and the world.
bonus episode: grace and encouragement
In the final episode, Tim Keller shares the important role of grace in today's Christian witness, encouragement about the hope our mission carries, and a brief personal update on the gospel's role in his life.