The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics

Even after Christendom, our culture is fertile ground for gospel renewal. We need apologetics for the whole church tailored to this moment.

Since the fall of Christendom, Christians in Western countries can no longer assume their neighbors share basic familiarity with the Bible or even a sense for God. We now face a strange mixture of apathy and antagonism toward the gospel. Some people view Christianity as yesterday's news. For others, it's the source of today's problems. Lately, though, more and more are open to the idea that Christianity may be tomorrow's hope.

Amid these confusing and conflicting shifts, we need apologetics for the whole church and not just for those who enjoy arguing. Cultural apologetics can help uncover opportunities to proclaim the gospel as the only way to fulfill longings for truth, beauty, and goodness. Churches that embrace this approach can be strengthened and renewed as they demonstrate an appealing and convicting way of life that stands out in the world.

In The Gospel after Christendom, scholars and practitioners from the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics define cultural apologetics, explain its biblical and historical grounding, and demonstrate its importance for the church today. Their diverse viewpoints, united in the gospel, offer a balanced approach that can guide Christians to share the Good News with their neighbors in this challenging but exciting time.

With contributions from:

• Sam Chan
• Joshua D. Chatraw
• James P. Eglinton
• Skyler R. Flowers
• Rachel Gilson
• Collin Hansen
• Rebecca McLaughlin
• Ivan Mesa
• Alan Noble
• Gavin Ortlund
• Derek Rishmawy
• Daniel Strange
• Bob Thune
• Christopher Watkin
• Trevin Wax

Collin Hansen serves as vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and has written and contributed to many books, including Where Is God in a World with So Much Evil? and Rediscover Church. He has published with the New York Times and the Washington Post and offered commentary for many broadcast outlets. He edited The Gospel After Christendom and The New City Catechism Devotional, among other books. He is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School.

Skyler R. Flowers is an associate pastor at Grace Bible Church in Oxford, Mississippi, and the associate program director at The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He earned a master of divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and he is currently a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. Skyler and his wife, Brianna, have two children.

Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for The Gospel Coalition. He's editor of Before You Lose Your Faith and coeditor of Scrolling Ourselves to Death and Faithful Exiles. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.