The Athenians and their tourists loved to spend their time telling or hearing something new—but what Paul preached was simply too much. Americans today are like the Athenians in more ways than they know. Consumers of meaning just as much as they are of cars and clothing, Americans will test-drive new spiritualities and try on a whole series of lifestyles. To many, the gospel is just too strange, too countercultural, too propositional, and too exclusive. To contend for the gospel and biblical morality in this culture is to run the risk of being cited for “hate speech.” We must assume a context
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