do not fear that which profits (monetarily, materially or strategically) the person or entity who is pushing said fear.
(case in point) the news networks are peddling fear 24/7 over H1N1. the more we watch the more they make.
(bottom line) do not be afraid
I've spent the past few months working with my friend Kurt who is pastor of Spiritual Formation at our church. Kurt has dedicated his ministry efforts to stemming the terrifying trend of children of "believing" parents walking away from the faith their parents embrace.
The bottom line amounts to this: are parents being intentional in teaching their children or are they charging the church with the duty to impart the truths of our faith? Of course there are a host of assumptions to be made however a couple of scenarios exist and the second, in my opinion, is the most tragic...yet preventable.
Scenario #1 would be that a parent models their faith, does everything they can to provide their child with a firm Christian foundation, a biblical worldview - still, the child willfully walks away from the faith.
Scenario #2 follows where the parent relies solely on the church to provide their child with a firm Christian foundation and biblical worldview. The parent neglects the instruction to "Train up the child..." and hopes for the best with what Sunday School can impart.
I've spent a great deal of time thinking about this pandemic-esque trend and have recently had the unfortunate experience of seeing the results from scenario #2. A few weeks ago while watching Saturday Night Live, I found myself enjoying the musical stylings of Kings of Leon.
I bought their latest album and noted their "thanks to God" in the liner notes. We all know that could mean anything or nothing but I began to notice some spiritual ponderings in their lyrics.
Intrigued, I began reading interviews with the lead singer which spoke of he and his brothers (the band is made up of three brothers and one cousin) being raised by a pastor.
According to all accounts, their father was a largely successful and highly sought after pastor who travelled all over spreading the good news of the Gospel.
You don't have to read or listen to too much of Kings of Leon to taste the pain and hopelessness with which they wrestle.
How does this happen? How can the children of a Christian "mega-star" have absolutely no clue about the hope of which their father spoke? How can they be so ignorant of the basics of the faith? How can they not know that they are loved?
"...Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load, I'm too young to feel this old..." from the song Cold Desert
Are you pouring your hope into your children?
As most know by now, Bill Maher (of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher) is bringing Religulous to the big screen this Friday (Oct. 3rd). Religulous is heralded as [...go ahead and guess...I'll give you 5 to 1 odds you can nail the superlatives used to praise this one...] "irreverant", "fascinating", "provocative" and "audacious". How'd you do?
Religulous, as Maher sees it, is the "final battle between intelligence and stupidity that will decide the future of humanity." Is he serious? He can't be. Anyway, he takes aim at all religions and seemingly harbors no greater hate for any one expression of faith (except maybe for the one which most Republican's are labeled as holding).
Where to start with this? It's almost too easy. I've developed a little formula which will guide my interaction with art and here it is - response should be directly proportionate to motive. What I mean is that had Mr. Maher sincerely approached this subject with legitimate questions, desiring to address an issue, a response would be warranted. However, this is nothing more than a silly diatribe meant to be shocking and abrasive.
James Rocchi, who did a piece on Religulous, says, "Religulous will certainly inspire controversy; whether or not it will inspire actual conversation is yet to be seen." It will probably garner neither in my view as it will be dismissed as common. Do we really expect anyting more from Maher? This is who he is. This isn't a film searching for answers, it's a slam from a usual suspect.
I saw Maher on Conan O'Brien last night and he said, "Religious people, don't know much about religion. They haven't read the Bible...they can quote it but they don't know what's in it...can't even name the Ten Commandments....I know more about religion than they do."
Whether or not this movie is a crock, the occasion of this release and Maher's assertion on Conan should cause us as believers to ask ourselves if Maher's words, quoted above, are indeed reflective of who we are.
I Peter 3:15 "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;"
O.K. so the title of this entry is a poor attempt to play off of the 80's box-office smash Back to the Future but stick with me. I was checking out Coldplay's new album the other day and a curious lyric in the second track, "Cemeteries of London" caught my ear. The words are, "...through the dark streets they go searching to see God in their own way..." Whoa, what was that? To see God in their own way? That sounds vaguely familiar. This song seemed so poinant because I have been bombarded recently with the realization we have churches filled with people seeing God in their own way.
I'm not assuming we as Christians turn first to Scripture to "see" God so I ask - Who or what should inform our view(s) of God? We tend to run to the most recent and popular ponderings of God but I want to cling to a principle I've been exposed to over the last couple of years. Here it is....Old is better.
The church is grounded in tradition and we neglect it everyday for what seems right to the latest leading New York Times Bestseller. Athanasius had some pretty cool (and sound) views of God but how often do you hear his name dropped in your small group at church? All this to say we can easily get into a lot of trouble when we neglect our history. Please run with me Forward to the Past.
....Christianity completely overwhelms the thoughts of those who shape the landscape of culture? For better or worse the theater and airwaves suggest those on the outside of the church are interested in the same things as those of us on the inside of the church.
I can't help but think of Romans 1:19 when watching movies or listening to music. Why is it that "God", "Jesus" and "Christianity" are the subject of so much art? Isn't it fascinating that Christianity is the target of so many? Shouldn't it be the case that, if Christianity is bogus and irrelevant, it would garner absolutely no attention?
I'm willing to consume the films and music of unbelievers without their exploration of the spiritual frankly because they make good art. But I'm all the more going to watch, listen to and study the art of those who can't get away from Christianity. Some might suggest that, like politicians, these artists are dropping references of the spiritual because they might appeal to a wider audience. However, the artists I'm thinking of are genuinely (I think) exploring, searching, and seeking right before our eyes. How cool is that? The occurance of references to the Christian faith in pop-art is unparalleled when compared to references to other non-Christian faiths. I ask why?
If you want an exercise in an unbeliever's exploration of the divine take a listen to the body of work by the rock group Live. ****Warning**** - These guys are not on your major market Christian radio station for two reasons - they're not Christians, and they make good music. You might hear an ugly word or two, so there's the disclaimer. They have moved from a scathing and virulent view of Jesus in their first album to a warm embrace of Jesus in their latest albums. Now I'm not suggesting they have fully embraced Christianity, but it's absolutely amazing to have witnessed the shift in their thinking.
Countless examples of artist's fixation on Christianity can be found in all mediums of art. I'm intrigued - are you?
In closing, think about the influence these architects of culture have on society. Please join me in praying for some of these guys. I'll list a few by name, primarily chosen because of the massive amount of fans that hang on their every word. It may be somewhat Pollyanna of me but think about what might happen if the Father were to draw some of the following to His Son:
