WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?

'Stories matter. They invite participation and move us to action. But not all stories are equally compelling. We judge a story according to its fidelity to reality and to our longings.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics, p.210. 

A GOOD QUESTION

'Is there a story that understands you?'
Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetic, p.206. 

WHERE OUR DESIRE FOR WHOLENESS COMES FROM

'We all long for unity and wholeness in life. 

We long for unity because we've been created for wholeness by the perfectly united triune God.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics, p.150. 

CULTURAL SINS

'In the flattened world of our disenchanted age, self-expression and the unfettered satisfaction of desires are the highest goods. The chief sins are a failure to be true to oneself (i.e., hypocrisy) and a failure to be tolerant (i.e., judgmentalism). Christians exhibit both sins in spades.'

Paul M Gould , Cultural Apologetics, p.146. 

THE SOURCE OF HUMAN CREATIVITY

'...the best explanation for why we make architecture and jokes, sculptures and gardens, stories and mythical creatures is because we bear the image of God who is the master creator, comedian, and storyteller.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics, p.109. 

BEAUTY'S ROLE IN EVANGELISM

'Beauty is a divine megaphone to rouse a disenchanted world.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics, p.104. 

THE FUNCTION OF ART IN WORSHIP

'Art is not meant to be an object of worship; it is an aid to worship.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics, p.102. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATION IN EVANGELISM

'The path of return to God lies through creation itself...Cultural apologetics involves cultivating spiritual perception, recognizing that creation itself offers glimpses of the divine. Even more, creation ushers us into God's presence as we learn to see God in and through all that he lovingly has made.' 

Paul M Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World, p.83.