"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" ( Romans 12:2 ). Culture shapes us far more than we like to admit. It tells us what is normal, what is admirable and what is unthinkable, and it can change its mind with surprising speed. These two stories about culture, retold in our own words, look at its power from two angles. The first is a famous psychology experiment showing how much our surroundings shape what we do. The second is the story of a landmark that the cultural elite once called a disgrace. Each ends with a takeaway for preaching or reflection. Stories in this post: The Milgram Experiments: How Context Shapes What We Do The Eiffel Tower: "Monstrous" in 1887, Beloved Today ──────── ✝ ──────── The Milgram Experiments: How Context Shapes What We Do In 1961, a young assistant professor at Yale University, Stanley Milgram, set out to test something unsettling. How far would ordinary citizens go in obeying an ...
Sermon stories for preaching and faithful living