Mountains of Culture & Caught up in a Mess

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Good Sunday, everyone! Last Friday night, I went to a conference entitled The Power of One, headed by speaker and Marketplace Leaders founder, Dr. Os Hilman. I wasn't sure what to expect as this wasn't something that I'd searched out myself, but that someone from work had invited me to. Hilman's thesis is that there are seven mountains of culture: Arts and Entertainment, Business, Family, Government, Media and Religion. His position is that in order to be influential in the marketplace, a person/organisation needs influence, and in order to achieve influence, that person/organisation needs to engage the culture in these seven "mountains". 

I can get into this. Hilman is from a Christian persuasion, and his input here is a breath of fresh air. He's saying that being Christian does not mean being absent from the world in which we live, but rather engaging it. The concept of influence is an important one for me, because I see how the world has always influenced the church - popular music of the time has always been utilised by the church to get people interested in the message, but I also see that in more subtle ways recently. Currently, the climate in places/organisations that are considered "progressive" includes giving everyone the right to exist as they choose.

Lately, I've been thinking about what that means for people who have religious principles they wish to live their life by? It is absolutely NOT straightforward. Look at Dan Cathy and the Chick-fil-a mess, versus this interview with Bill Marriott. My question is this: how do people like me, who consider themselves progressive but faith based, fit into debates like this one? Do we boycott organisations who voice unpopular (especially, potentially Christian) opinions? Do we just stay out of it entirely? I want to stress again that this isn't straightforward. This is my stance as I have it so far (NOT an exhaustive list):

Some of What I do stand for, as a human being and a Christian:

1. I value life and all people that exist. 
2. I am a Christian by choice, and within that belief system, I believe that God gave me and all people free will. That means that God gives me the right to choose my behaviour, and while there are consequences to any action, God isn't going to force me into doing anything, good or bad. 
3. I believe that I should share the great experiences that I have had (as a result of my faith, or otherwise) 
4. I believe that it is good and right for me to tell people how my relationship with God has made me better, and made my existence fulfilling and meaningful. 
5. I do believe that God has given us stipulations about how to live, and that as individuals who follow Christ, we must stand within the morality He has given us. 
6. I do believe in working hard, in developing relationships within the environments one finds him or herself in, and I absolutely believe that every person is responsible for him or herself.

Some of What I don't stand for, as a human being and a Christian:

1. I will not stand for any organisation or person who aims to brainwash or promote a political agenda under the guise of religion
2. I will not stand for any organisation or person who aims to brainwash or promote a lifestyle under the guise of "progression"
3. I will not support or stand for any person, or organisation that purports to have more dominion over me or other people than God has. 
4. I don't believe that the job of teachers, leaders, government officials, or pastors is to make social judgements on lifestyle and preference. The same way liars get away with lying and might even argue that their utterance or action was not a lie, I believe that that is the product of free will, and hence, in God's jurisdiction. 
5. I don't even believe that our focus should be on the do not half as much as it should be on the do.

Do you see how unclear some of this is? I'm saying I don't believe in telling people who they should be, but I do believe that when you make a faith decision, you're becoming something in particular. "But What?" is the next question. I believe that love is the missing ingredient in most of the dispute. A pastor who preaches on putting gay people in a pen doesn't know how to love his neighbour as he does himself. I'm not interested in lording my faith over anyone else, because at the end of the day, I'm still wrong a lot of the time and so are my fellow Christians with enough humility to admit it (we're sorry). The truth be told, I am worried as a Christian, as a member of society and as a (hopeful) future parent. 

How will I teach my children and the young people in my life what is right from wrong when a.) bigots make me uncomfortable being associated with them, and b.) the world's growing liberalism makes me sure my children won't be allowed to watch even cartoons? I'd really like to hear what other people have to say about this. My answer so far is to "test the spirit" and FOREVER ensure that I am not getting my opinions from other's opinions, but that I have my very own relationship with myself, and with God.