Contact: Diane Morrow, 800-927-0517 ext. 106

MEDIA ADVISORY, Mar. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- As a self-described "church futurist," pastor and best-selling author Ed Gungor is constantly aware of the changing needs of the next generation of Christians, the ones who haven't yet experienced spiritual formation. To effectively communicate the gospel to this group, he believes our notion of "destiny" in the American church needs to be re-imagined. Ed longs to see believers willing to abandon their Christianized versions of the self-important American Dream, embracing instead the miraculous, surprising, and contagious Christianity that comes when they see themselves as the servants of God who find their home with Messiah and his people as they participate in the mission of God (mission dei).

American culture is changing at breakneck speed, encompassing everything from the rise of social networking to the popularization of postmodern philosophy, from the historic election of America's first black president to a slew of sexually charged trends that would have been unthinkable a few mere decades ago. Obviously, some of the trends du jour are not the stuff of biblical Christianity, which leads many to wonder, "How should the church respond to popular culture?"

The church must choose to engage popular culture or risk losing her voice. "The things that caught the attention and imagination of people a generation ago don't work anymore," Gungor states. "People are asking different questions now, and if we don't have our finger on the pulse of the culture, we aren't going to know what those questions are or how best to respond. If you want to capture their attention, you have to step into culture."

"As Christians, we can stand for truth without being mean," Gungor says. "Scripture holds that every person matters even if they don't live right. When we believe that, we can show respect for people -- even those who live in ways that grieve us. Engaging others with kindness and respect causes them to open up about their hopes and dreams, which gives us an open door to share how the gospel speaks to such issues."

Talking Points:

• Can't Christians Be Nice

• Being a Green Christian

• Truth vs. Culture

• God Loves Gays

• Religiously Transmitted Diseases