7 Mountain eCourse - Session 1

Culture is shaped by 7 cultural mountains or gates.

1. The 7 Cultural Mountains
of Greatest Influence

2. Why the 7 Cultural
Mountains?
Session l

3. Bill Bright, Campus Crusade for Christ
&
Loren Cunningham, Youth with a Mission
19751975

4. These 7 areas most define culture

5. 25
!www.ChangeAgentBook.com

6. 7 Cultural Mountains of Influence

8. Kingdoms of this world
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven,
which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Messiah, and he will reign for ever and
ever.” Rev.11:15

9. Focusing on 7 spheres of influence is not a
theology. It’s a strategy to focus on areas
that have the greatest influence in shaping
culture.

10. Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed
them, and God said to
them, “Be fruitful and
multiply; fill the earth
and subdue it; have
dominion over the
fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air,
and over every living
thing that moves on
the earth.”

11. Colossians 1:15-18
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature: For every creature: For by him were all things createdby him were all things created, that are , that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: powers: all things were created by him, and for him: all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he in all things he
might have the preeminence.might have the preeminence.

12. Jesus, Lord Over All Domains of Influence
(not just Lord over salvation)
1.King of Kings – the
Lord of Justice
2.Jehovah Jireh – Lord
of Economics
3.Father, Lord of the
family
4.Creator God, Lord of
science & technology
5. Living Word, Lord of
communication
6. Potter, Lord of the arts
& beauty
7. Great Teacher, Lord of
education
8. The Great Physician,
who heals our
infirmities
Source: Landa Cope, Old Testament Template

13. Gospel of
the
KingdomSalvation
HealingHealing
Hearing GodHearing God
ProvisionProvision
WorkWork
Sonship

14. Dominion
versus
Salt & Light?

15. Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its
flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot
by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is
set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house. ...

16. JESUS’ MISSIONJESUS’ MISSION
LifeLife
WorkWork
CityCity
Nation Nation
Church Church
Matt 6:9-10
"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. “

17. SAMARITAN WOMANSAMARITAN WOMAN
Culture change should be a Culture change should be a
fruit, not a goal!fruit, not a goal!

18. We are called to use our influence
only to serve others and to solve a problem.

19. Jesus acted as having authority,
but He never reached for the power.
People were drawn to Him when
they experienced His love and His power to
solve a problem in their life.

20. However, our Lord’s primary obedience was to However, our Lord’s primary obedience was to
the will of His Father, not to the needs of peoplethe will of His Father, not to the needs of people
— the saving of people was the natural outcome — the saving of people was the natural outcome
of His obedience to the Father. of His obedience to the Father.

21. God’s Redemptive PlanGod’s Redemptive Plan
RelationshipRelationship
Adam & EveAdam & Eve
““Free will”Free will”
The FallThe Fall
SatanSatan
-Orphan Orphan
heartheart
JesusJesus
LK 19:10LK 19:10
Jn10:10 Jn10:10
Power of AttorneyPower of Attorney
Ezek 22:30 Ezek 22:30
IntercedeIntercede
Jesus DeathJesus Death
All AuthorityAll Authority
Mt 16:19.”keys”Mt 16:19.”keys”
John 14:12 John 14:12
““greater works”greater works”
Jesus ReturnsJesus Returns
““Yeah, we blew it!”Yeah, we blew it!”
SatanSatan
“ “Ruler of world”Ruler of world”
Jn 12:21Jn 12:21
Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the
heavens of the Lord, heavens of the Lord,
but the earth He has given to but the earth He has given to
the sons of men.”the sons of men.”
7500 Covenants7500 Covenants
Rom 4:17
Faith is calling things
that are not as though
they were!

22. DelegatedDelegated
Influence with God and influence with manInfluence with God and influence with man

23. LOREN CUNNINGHAM
“Use your authority and
you will lose your
influence…

24. …use your influence and
you will gain authority.”
- Loren Cunningham

25. We are not talking about
• controlling culture
• manipulating people
• dominating others
God gave everyone FREE WILL to choose the
life they would live

26. Colossians 1:19-20
For it pleased the Father that in him should all For it pleased the Father that in him should all
fulness dwell; And, having made peace through fulness dwell; And, having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all to reconcile all
things unto himself; things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they by him, I say, whether they
be things in earth, or things in heaven.be things in earth, or things in heaven.

27. “for the Son of Man has come
to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10

28. The Church’s premise for
hundreds of years?
“If we just have more Christians in the
culture the culture will be better.”
Nigeria

29. % to change % to change
a cultural mountain?a cultural mountain?

30. Culture is defined by only Culture is defined by only
3-5% of people who operate at 3-5% of people who operate at
the top of a cultural mountain.the top of a cultural mountain.

31. Mountains are Controlled by Small Mountains are Controlled by Small
% of Leaders and Networks% of Leaders and Networks
““US culture has been defined by less than 500 US culture has been defined by less than 500
intellectual cultural philosophers who influence intellectual cultural philosophers who influence
7 gates and supporting networks since our 7 gates and supporting networks since our
birth as a nation.” Randall Collins, a sociologist birth as a nation.” Randall Collins, a sociologist
and author of and author of Discovery of SocietyDiscovery of Society

32. ““Indeed, according to Collins,
the total number of
philosophers who are
significant in world history is
approximately 135 to 500
persons; the small number if
we take only the major figures
in each world civilization; the
intermediate one if we add
secondary figures.”
– Randall Collins, Discovery of
Society

33. Influence in HistoryInfluence in History
•Average of 35 years of each leaderAverage of 35 years of each leader
•Books and speeches don’t change Books and speeches don’t change
culture; adopting ideas by a culture; adopting ideas by a network of network of
influencersinfluencers
•Ideas must be institutionalizedIdeas must be institutionalized
• Money must support ideas which makes Money must support ideas which makes
the differencethe difference
Randall Collins
sociologist

34. Randall CollinsRandall Collins
The Discovery of SocietyThe Discovery of Society
“Size of a population is relatively unimportant—
it doesn’t take a large number of elites operating
in strategic ways to make world-historical
changes in the direction of a civilization.”

35. 2,700
In sum,
between 150 and 3,000
people (a tiny fraction of the roughly 23
billion people living between 600 b.c.
and 1900 a.d.) framed the major
contours of all world civilizations.
Clearly, the transformations
here were top-down.
Randall Collins,
sociologist and author
of Discovery of Society

36. Culture is defined by the adoption of values and
beliefs in 4 main competing networks
–Military (Gov’t)
– Economic (Business)
–Political (Gov’t)
•Key=Cultural – Education, Arts &
Entertainment, Media – define values /beliefs

37. James Davison Hunter,
To Change the WorldTo Change the World
““Imagine a genuine ‘third great awakening’ Imagine a genuine ‘third great awakening’
occurring in America, where half of the occurring in America, where half of the
population is converted to a deep Christian population is converted to a deep Christian
faith. faith. Unless this awakening extended Unless this awakening extended
to envelop the cultural gatekeepers, it to envelop the cultural gatekeepers, it
would have little effect on the would have little effect on the
character of the symbols that are character of the symbols that are
produced and prevail in public and produced and prevail in public and
private culture. private culture.
•James Davison Hunter, To Change the World, Oxford Press, New York, NY 2010, P. 46

38. James Davison Hunter,
To Change the WorldTo Change the World
““Without a fundamental restructuring of Without a fundamental restructuring of
the institutions of culture formation and the institutions of culture formation and
transmission in our society – the market, transmission in our society – the market,
government sponsored cultural government sponsored cultural
institutions, education at all levels, institutions, education at all levels,
advertising, entertainment, publishing, and advertising, entertainment, publishing, and
the news media, not to mention church the news media, not to mention church –
revival would have a negligible long-term revival would have a negligible long-term
effect on the reconstitution of the culture.”effect on the reconstitution of the culture.”
•James Davison Hunter, To Change the World, Oxford Press, New York, NY 2010, P. 46

39. No other No other
institution institution
convenesconvenes
influencers influencers
who work in who work in
the cultural the cultural
mountains mountains
weeklyweekly!!

40. Summary
• Recognition of 7 areas that most influence
culture
•Salt and light
• Strategy, not a theology
•Not dominionism
–Gospel of the Kingdom
–Lord’s prayer