Fresh off his holiday to Japan, Stuart Crawshaw sits down with me and Joel McMaster to share some stories and discuss what he learned. One significant takeaway was the importance of having cultural hosts when visiting unknown places and peoples.
Missiologists have used the term “persons of peace” to describe those native to a culture who are welcoming and receptive to the missionary. These people are open to friendship, as well as the Gospel, and willing to assist the missionary in connecting with others of the host culture.
This terminology of ‘cultural hosts’ and ‘persons of peace’ gives further language to describe the dynamic embedded in Stu’s metaphor of the ‘shock absorber’ and how young people in particular can aid the institutional church in adapting to cultural change.
This becomes particularly relevant with the rapidity of change in youth culture. Until recently, youth culture shifted and changed at a noticeable, but adaptable pace. New waves of music, clothing, hairstyles, or language all took time to develop and spread across the West through TV, magazines, touring bands, word of mouth, and other “traditional” media and communications.
However, in the digital age and the emergence of social media, cultural memes can arise, peak and then disappear, with incredible speed. It was only 18 months ago that Joel and I were discussing Italian Brainrot, and yet it has been months since I’ve heard any reference to this particular version of AI slop. And thank goodness that “6-7” is starting to lose its appeal. It is sooo 2025!
How does the institutional church, and the individual members of every generation, adapt to this rapidly changing culture?
How do we discern which memes are worth paying attention to and which are largely ephemeral?
Part of the answer is valuing the role of young people as cultural hosts. When we listen to the voices of young people, allowing them to welcome us into their culture, we can “share with [them] not only the gospel of God but our lives as well” (1 Thess. 2:8). And as those generative intergenerational relationships grow, we, as the older members of the church, can reciprocate and be cultural hosts to our youngest brothers and sisters, helping them explore and understand the rich history of church tradition and historic theology that their own faith is founded on.
Catch the full conversation in the links below or on your favourite podcast app.