Cultural Biopsy

What competing narratives does the congregation carry into this text? What does the culture say about the same questions the text addresses?

Method (Rieff via Comer): take a piece of culture, hold it under a microscope, calmly analyze it. Where does it come from? Where is it going? Is it at odds with Jesus?

This is cultural biopsy, not culture war.

Dominant Cultural Narratives

What stories about [the text's core theme] are your people already living inside?

Where Do These Narratives Come From?

Where Are They Going?

Points of Tension with the Text

Where does the text's claim directly challenge or reframe the cultural narrative?

Formation Implications

What practices or postures could train people away from the cultural story and toward the kingdom story?