Many people assume there are two ways to approach this notion.

On one side is the thought of Christ against culture—that to be loyal to Jesus or the Church I need to run completely away from the world.
On the other side is the Christ of culture—that Jesus is the peak and pinnacle of all culture’s greatest desires, aspirations, and hopes.

Which one is right? What balance should we strike?

Today, Mike and Dave take these two basic concepts and break them down into practical, real life situations. They explain what we should do in regards to the world around us and stress the importance of finding the distinctive Christ element that sets your life apart. We walk a delicate line being in the world and not of it, but Mike and Dave make this line a bit easier to see.

Snippet from the Show:
“We as Christians have to present some difference from the culture at large, the culture of the world. There has to be something different about our life.”

5 Practical Tips:
1) Spiritual Practice: Do an examination of conscience of a secularist mindset. What parts of your life have you brought in from the culture that you really should not have?
2) Read: Jeremiah 29 (the whole chapter).
3) Go Fishing: Do small pious acts in public.
4) Community: Become a regular at one restaurant.
5) Intercessory Prayer: Pray for the conversion of your favorite secular artist.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:
Christ and Culture a book by Richard Niebuhr

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Snippet from the Show:

The beautiful thing about our Catholic faith is that when you conform yourself to a celebrity...you lose yourself. But what Christ wants in conforming to him, instead of losing yourself, you actually gain yourself back, and become who you truly are called to be.

Resources Mentioned on this Show:

1) Alpha the Catholic Program
2) Sherry Weddell and the Catherine of Siena Institute
3) Divine Renovation a book by Fr. Mallon and Ron Huntley
4) SEEK 2019
5) Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling a book by Andy Crouch
6) The Rubin Report: “A Bishop and a Rabbi Discuss Religion”, a YouTube video

5 Practical Tips

1) Open up your computer and see what churches or movements in your area are doing well with evangelization.
2) Read Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
3) Pray for a specific priest that they might be able to communicate the gospel well
4) Watch “A Bishop and a Rabbi Discuss Religion” from the Rubin Report on YouTube.
5) Start an evangelization journal. Get a notebook dedicated for growing as an evangelist. Write about who you are praying for, mistakes you made, things you want to try, talks you have given, basically anything to do with evangelization. Write our practical tips and how well you did. This will help you grow as an evangelist.

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Becoming a true Catholic evangelist requires more than just knowledge of the Faith, a certain style, or even success. Your life must reflect the fact that Jesus Christ is active, makes a difference, and has healed your heart. As an evangelist, you are held to a higher standard and your personal life needs to be a fitting witness to your evangelization.

How can you do this?

The answer is simple: prayer. Prayer creates a true Catholic evangelist because the Holy Spirit is the cause of conversion. Today Michael and David share ways you can incorporate prayer into your daily life and how that prayer will make you a true Catholic evangelist.

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Snippet from the Show:
What we are getting into now is an era of time where people are totally comfortable with their children and grandchildren not being evangelized in any way whatsoever.

5 Practical Takeaways:
1) Evangelization is much more than a hobby, but just like a hobby, you need to invest in it. Take time to invest in yourself and read the book Forming Intentional Disciples.
2) Read “Man’s Response to God” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 142-175). It only takes 10 min. This is the best and most wonderful understanding of faith, as it lays out the individual and ecclesial dimensions of faith.
3) We want to be comfortable with the basic Gospel message, so read Acts 4:8-12.
4) To continually prepare your heart and engage in spiritual evangelization, go to your church, walk the whole perimeter, and pray the rosary for religious conversion.
5) It’s important to know what we don’t know about our Faith. Take the Apostles’ Creed and prayerfully meditate on it. Work through the different tenets of the Creed.

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