Collin Hansen’s new book Blind Spots has initiated a helpful conversation about what American evangelicals conventionally miss when their faith is defined by insular, America-intensive subcultures. I found especially instructive his interview with Gloria Furman about what she learned about blind spots as she has lived and ministered in Dubai.
We’re inevitably shaped by the culture in which we live. The incarnation also means that we can live a life fully pleasing to God in specific places and times. But we’re also constantly at risk of developing tunnel vision because of our culture, unwittingly letting bad theology and corrupt priorities degrade the biblical fidelity of our faith. Among American evangelicals, among the greatest risks are the influence of the prosperity gospel (God primarily cares about making you comfortable and prosperous) and the gospel of American patriotism (my Christian faith is inextricable from my identity as a Patriot, and probably as a Republican).
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