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Christ Among the Dragons: Finding Our Way Through Cultural Challenges
"Here Be Dragons" When medieval mapmakers came to the end of the world as they knew it, they would write on the edges of their maps, "Here Be Dragons." Without a way to navigate, these areas were, at best, promising yet unexplored, and at worst, perilous. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, evangelical Christians have an equally unsettling map and a lack of unity in regard to how we will find our way through uncharted territory as we stray from core ideas and differ on key issues. How did we get here? How will we find our way back? In this book James Emery White takes us on a journey beyond the dragon territory to discover the new world Christ is mapping for us.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2010
About the author
James Emery White
32 books55 followersJames Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; president of Serious Times, a ministry that explores the intersection of faith and culture. Dr. White is an adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president; and author of more than twenty books.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 31, 2010
The title makes this book sound like a personal devotional book on interacting with secular culture - and while there are elements of that present, the primary purpose of the author is to challenge the evangelical church/movement to face up to where it has either disengaged and/or capitulated to the culture.
That makes the book sound deadly dull - it isn't. James Emery White writes with a heady combination of orthodox Biblical theology, spot-on pop culture references & personal experience as a pastor & seminary president.
This is a book that should be required reading for evangelical leaders.
That makes the book sound deadly dull - it isn't. James Emery White writes with a heady combination of orthodox Biblical theology, spot-on pop culture references & personal experience as a pastor & seminary president.
This is a book that should be required reading for evangelical leaders.
July 6, 2013
Bright, articulate, engaging look at the Church, at culture and at the struggles faced by Evangelicals. My only complaint is that I wished I could write and/or communicate so well. He spoke in one chapter about the sin of envy and its repercussions so I must let this go. His chapter on truth was particularly rich.
February 18, 2025
A decent assessment of what ails the evangelical church and how to course correct a ship clearly going in the wrong direction. However, some examples are mere anecdotes and some of his main points (such as what is true, good, and beautiful) are left largely unsupported. (Additionally, there are some elements he accepts as given that I vehemently disagree with, such as his stance on LGBTQ+ adherents. However, he does at least imply that those issues are not of "primary" concern, allowing room for dialogue.)
Given the experience of the Church since this book has been published, there is a sense whether this is all "too little, too late."
Recommended to those interested in the evangelical church and reform efforts within it.
Given the experience of the Church since this book has been published, there is a sense whether this is all "too little, too late."
Recommended to those interested in the evangelical church and reform efforts within it.
August 1, 2010
My church has been doing this book club where you read a book selected by an assistant pastor for that month and discuss it. So I finished it an discussed it today with the group. Good discussion even though we didn't have a lot of time.
This book hits the church in a loving manner from different directions. White seems to address the core problem facing the local church and Evangelicalism at it's core and that problem essentially is disunity. And I can only say I HIGHLY agree and an AMEN. This has been what God has laid upon my heart for the last 3 to 4 years and what lead me to go to seminary. The disunity of the church. We are destroying ourselves from the inside and focusing our energy on battling brothers and sisters spiritually on par with the physical battles between Protestants and Catholics in Europe 100's of years ago. We lack wisdom, grace, and love in the church which leads to disunity. James E. White does a great job of hitting on a lot of huge themes and issues genuinely, in an interesting manner, and without being too wordy or scholarly. Which is why I put this in Christian Living. It is a huge problem in laymen or laywomen's terms.
The book also is some what critical with how the church in various ways has sought to interact with the culture and gives some good wisdom on how to better approach culture.
My few problems with the book are these: First, I think White is a bit unfairly harsh on the parachurch organizations. He seems to both put them down and support them without really giving any concrete examples of how they have gone off course and what can be done to get them back on working along side the church. Second, he speaks of renewal in how the church should approach culture, but doesn't speak about the Holy Spirit in leading the church toward change and facing the world. Finally, he seems to touch slightly on the global challenge that faces the international church and the American church, but he really doesn't address it. The book is mostly geared toward the American church in the American context, but it does a disservice in not talking about the international challenges we face as Americans generally and as American saints specifically.
This book hits the church in a loving manner from different directions. White seems to address the core problem facing the local church and Evangelicalism at it's core and that problem essentially is disunity. And I can only say I HIGHLY agree and an AMEN. This has been what God has laid upon my heart for the last 3 to 4 years and what lead me to go to seminary. The disunity of the church. We are destroying ourselves from the inside and focusing our energy on battling brothers and sisters spiritually on par with the physical battles between Protestants and Catholics in Europe 100's of years ago. We lack wisdom, grace, and love in the church which leads to disunity. James E. White does a great job of hitting on a lot of huge themes and issues genuinely, in an interesting manner, and without being too wordy or scholarly. Which is why I put this in Christian Living. It is a huge problem in laymen or laywomen's terms.
The book also is some what critical with how the church in various ways has sought to interact with the culture and gives some good wisdom on how to better approach culture.
My few problems with the book are these: First, I think White is a bit unfairly harsh on the parachurch organizations. He seems to both put them down and support them without really giving any concrete examples of how they have gone off course and what can be done to get them back on working along side the church. Second, he speaks of renewal in how the church should approach culture, but doesn't speak about the Holy Spirit in leading the church toward change and facing the world. Finally, he seems to touch slightly on the global challenge that faces the international church and the American church, but he really doesn't address it. The book is mostly geared toward the American church in the American context, but it does a disservice in not talking about the international challenges we face as Americans generally and as American saints specifically.
August 11, 2011
There have been well-publicized predictions in the past couple of years forecasting the demise of evangelicalism. These predictions have come from both within and without the church, ranging from InternetMonk.com's "The Coming Evangelical Collapse" to the New York Times Magazine's article "The Evangelical Crackup".
James Emery White is just one of the many who are not ready to call it quits just yet, as he demonstrates in Christ Among the Dragons. While we are fast approaching uncharted territory—hence the somewhat cryptic but intriguing title—While offers what he suggests are "introductory ways to regain our sense of true north in the four arenas that brought us together". He sums up these four arenas as follows:
1. The nature of truth and orthodoxy
2. Cultural engagement and the evangelistic enterprise
3. Christian community and civility
4. The identity and character of the church
White excels at describing the cultural climate and pinpointing the areas that seem to be both the locus of our division and the avenue through which we can bring new life to evangelicalism. I was less impressed, however, with the remedy for the diagnosis. As I finished the book, I came away with a vague sense that I was ready to do something but uncertain where to start. In fact, if Mr. White ever reads this review, I think a book solely expanding on the evangelical response in the four arenas of truth, culture, unity, and the church would be a welcome offering from his proverbial pen.
That disappointment aside, however, this book is a worthwhile and insightful diagnosis of both evangelicalism and the culture it is trying to reach.
James Emery White is just one of the many who are not ready to call it quits just yet, as he demonstrates in Christ Among the Dragons. While we are fast approaching uncharted territory—hence the somewhat cryptic but intriguing title—While offers what he suggests are "introductory ways to regain our sense of true north in the four arenas that brought us together". He sums up these four arenas as follows:
1. The nature of truth and orthodoxy
2. Cultural engagement and the evangelistic enterprise
3. Christian community and civility
4. The identity and character of the church
White excels at describing the cultural climate and pinpointing the areas that seem to be both the locus of our division and the avenue through which we can bring new life to evangelicalism. I was less impressed, however, with the remedy for the diagnosis. As I finished the book, I came away with a vague sense that I was ready to do something but uncertain where to start. In fact, if Mr. White ever reads this review, I think a book solely expanding on the evangelical response in the four arenas of truth, culture, unity, and the church would be a welcome offering from his proverbial pen.
That disappointment aside, however, this book is a worthwhile and insightful diagnosis of both evangelicalism and the culture it is trying to reach.
April 20, 2015
"... we approach everything with a warlike mentality, so we end up looking at the world���and people���with an adversarial frame of mind." James Emery White's book Christ Among the Dragons is full of similar sound-byte ready quotes that offer a clear view of many issues relating to the Christ/Culture relationship. The book doesn't cover a lot of new material, but it does present a lot of it in fresh, memorable ways. Here's another favorite quote, "The Christian has nothing to fear from science because the God of the Bible is the God of creation. All true scientific discoveries simply illuminate the world God has made." How true! It's almost obvious, and yet here we are--the Christian community, helping to enforce a false dichotomy between "science and religion", in which we do great harm to our ability to present the "message". If there is any small problem with the book, some parts can be a little dry and hard to get through, but I think you will find that it is well worth it.
October 9, 2016
White provides helpful categories for exploring various approaches to cultural engagement: retreat, revive, recapture, and reflect. He argues that while each of these may have positive aspects, none characterize fully how Christians should engage the culture. Instead, he argues for a fifth option, renewal, which takes the best aspects of these four approaches and aims "for something deeper and more lasting" (76). Along the way, White provides helpful discussions on truth, the church, and more. Ultimately, the book lacks sufficient practical application or unique theoretical contribution, either of which would help increase its usefulness. Still, for Christians with little background in cultural engagement approaches and issues, this is a helpful starting place.
January 8, 2024
3.5 stars [Ecclesiology]
(W: 3.28, U: 3.5, T: 3.92)
Exact rating: 3.57
#4 of 20 in genre
Though White briefly tackles the nature of truth and exhorts the reader in a couple chapters in the category of Christian Living, this is primarily a work of Ecclesiology.
White plausibly claims that the distinguishing factors of Evangelical moorings have shifted, and are almost washed away. He describes this shift continually within the framework of popular culture. One of White's main thrusts is to picture what the Church ought to be.
After second reading in 2024, it is only slightly dated. Still quite applicable.
(W: 3.28, U: 3.5, T: 3.92)
Exact rating: 3.57
#4 of 20 in genre
Though White briefly tackles the nature of truth and exhorts the reader in a couple chapters in the category of Christian Living, this is primarily a work of Ecclesiology.
White plausibly claims that the distinguishing factors of Evangelical moorings have shifted, and are almost washed away. He describes this shift continually within the framework of popular culture. One of White's main thrusts is to picture what the Church ought to be.
After second reading in 2024, it is only slightly dated. Still quite applicable.
January 12, 2017
Not a bad book... even if it is written by the wrong James White! The title only appears to the first chapter but the rest is simply a call to action. The book ends on the challenge that the American Church embrace the spirit on the church in Acts. Nothing phenomenal but def filled with good anecdotes
June 16, 2013
White explores the ways modern culture affects the church and the theology of its members, and how the church should impact culture. White provides a strong argument for the importance of being part of a local church. A very thought provoking book!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews