In the medieval and Reformation periods the West had an agrarian economy. In the Modern period we had an industrial-manufacturing economy. By the 1980s we had a service economy. Today, according to Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine (Strategic Horizons LLP), we live in an experience economy. We are not only buying things (e.g., cars, refrigerators, and telephones). We are buying an experience. This has significant implications for the cultures that we are trying to reach with the gospel. It has significant implications for the assumptions people make and for the way people will regard the church. These are the sorts of issues Jim and I discuss in this episode of Office Hours. I introduced HB readers to Jim’s work last January, when he was teaching a course at Westminster Seminary California. Together Joe and Jim have authored The Experience Economy (updated edition, 2011) and Authenticity (listed by TIME as one of the 10 ideas changing the world). I hope you will enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it.

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