Reflecting on the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day A Week Later – Post 2

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, though it’s been a week later since Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, I’m still processing.

This whole Chick-Fil-A scene affirms the position of the futility of the Christian engaged in the “culture war.” Last Wednesday, “taking a stand”, ordering a chicken sandwich and setting a sales record galvanized countless people. But at the same time, it hurt countless others, those within our community and those outside. The point is simple, If the Church truly desires to reach out in love, the culture war is the wrong approach.

I know some are eager to point out that “the truth hurts” and so forth and I get all that. This is ever more reason that the culture war [Read more…]

Reflecting on the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day A Week Later – Post 1

I took some time off last week, hung out with my family and decided to cut back on my social media intake and blogging. I know I’m late in posting on this but like with many things, I want to add to the conversation and be counted for whatever it is I am for/against. These thoughts have been brewing for a little while now and though I thought twice about posting on the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, I am getting a handle on my words now.

I had the privilege of given the sermon last week; it was on the imprecatory Psalms, specifically Ps. 109 and was called, “A Song to My Enemy.” Toward the end, I tried to make the point that Christians can not simultaneously build the Kingdom of God and fight a culture war. They are mutually exclusive and simply put, Jesus calls us to seek first the Kingdom of God.

I also tried to make the point that “others” are not our enemies and that includes “liberal ‘whatevers’, ultra-conservative (insert [Read more…]

Reflecting on Aliens & Strangers – Blogging Through Our Sermon Series

A couple weeks ago, Pastor Tom who leads our Wilmington campus preached an excellent message called “Strangers and Aliens.” You can listen to it here.

He opened with asking the question, “What’s it like to be a Christian in New England?” and soon revealed this was a topic of discussion we had during one of our staff devotions led by our Pastor of Outreach, Richard, who was born and raised in the South. It was an interesting conversation as I find myself thinking about the Christian faith in the Northeast quite a bit. I not only think of this geographically but if you know me, you know that I talk a lot about our intergenerational understandings of the faith as well. In fact, if you really know me, you might know that I borderline obsess about how the Xers and Millennials perceive religion, organized and otherwise, spirituality, God, etc. but I digress.

So needless to say, the opening question was like good fair trade coffee in my mug. Tom was preaching out of I Peter and unpacking how at times, Christ followers felt like “strangers and aliens” of this world. This sentiment is likely true for all people at some point in their lives. I have heard my non-believing friends share similar thoughts on how they feel like they don’t really belong here either – something that the Church should always remember. As we all know, the “world” can be a lonely place.

In Peter’s day as he was writing to a group of churches in modern day Turkey, they were experiencing this reality. With the constant threat of Roman persecution and the growing pains of a young church, it was an intense time. Even more importantly, Peter was encouraging them to live counter-cultural to the pagan society which included various forms of debauchery, violence and idol worship.

Today we would ask what qualifies as “debauchery.” Today we ask about violence regularly, what justifies it, how can stop/limit it. And today we would also try to parse out “idol worship.” One person’s idol is another person’s (G)god, right? I would like to point out too that in the early church, many Romans accused the Christian church of “idol worship.” We always see “the other” as a pagan when they don’t believe and worship as we do. Thus, the many that experience the sentiment of feeling like “aliens and strangers.” This should always motivate us to converse with another.

Tom made two observations that I’ve been thinking about. There is a tendency for some in the church to live in two different extremes. One is “Uncritical Acceptance” and the other is “Uncaring Abandonment.” If it wouldn’t have been perceived as divisive and arrogant, I would have yelled, “Amen!”

Tom explained that the in “uncritical acceptance, there was a danger of embracing without discerning the vision and values of the society we live in. He went on to unpack “uncaring abandonment” as the washing of hands of the problems around us, to disengage from the world and retreat into a sub-culture.

I’m thankful that both these extremes (and many nuances in between) have been critiqued by passionate people in the Church today. I think of The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons and Culture Making by Andy Crouch to be great examples of that. (And if you have read those and want to explore counter-culture on a deeper level, I encourage Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat . Also check out Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon.

It should dawn on us at some point that we as Christians can navigate both extremes quite easily if we imitate Jesus’ unconditional love to those that were inside and outside of his circle. True followers of Jesus cannot be mindless slaves to the world nor can they pretentious snobs to it either. The love of God is what compels us to not disengage from the challenges of the world and it’s the love of God that lead us to be wise and discerning toe that we can live in ways that are honoring, virtuous and worshipful to God.

It was a very solid and very applicable message, may I and those in our GC community keep it on the forefront.

Reflecting on “Controversy” Post 2 – Seeing It As an Opportunity for Conversation

In my first post, I made the point that there will always be controversy and that we should probably get better at dealing with it.

Controversy is a tricky thing of course. For those caught in the middle of the controversy, it can be a very painful experience. If you are among the grieved, offended, angered party, controversy is an opportunity to be heard. In its best scenario, it’s a chance for progress or even change! Depending on how inside/outside you are of it will generally determine how annoyed you get with the fueling of it and its attention.

For example, most of us would agree that the Tim Tebow thing was much to do about not too much. Ok, the guy likes to kneel and pray a lot. Whether you are a huge admirer or a detractor, let’s move on. Of course whatever chance we had of that disappears now that he is playing for a New York sports team. Had he played for Jacksonville, it would be much different, they simply don’t have that type of media attention there. Still, I wish the Cougars, err, the Jaguars the best of luck this season).

While over-discussed certain people and topics, we certainly under discussed others. As a society, we probably could have discussed the Genocide in Sudan a bit more. We shouldn’t forget about the elections and ongoing unrest in the Middle East and regardless of what we feel about the Occupy Movement, it should remind us of the pain and frustration that it represents in our neighborhoods. None of these conversations are actually over of course.

As a Church, we should be discussing these as well. I would also suggest specifically as a church, we could have discussed Rick Perry’s thoughts on government a bit more (Santorum’s Catholicism limited some of the Evangelical input). Many of us Christian Gen X’ers and Millennials are very concerned with some of this Buster’s idea of Christian nationalism. I for one, am grateful that the Perry campaign ended. That isn’t meant to sound as a personal attack but as soon as a politician attaches “Christianity” to his platform, I get very sensitive because now, the candidate is attempting to represent me in a number of ways. And to put it politely, people like Rick Perry do not best represent me.

I’m sure he’s a great guy, maybe a good guy to have in a church but not a President type. I appeal to a fundamentalist who was no stranger to controversy who said, “I would rather have an atheist who is a neurosurgeon of excellent talents operating on me if I ever need a brain surgery than to have the best Sunday school teacher in the world who doesn’t know a thing about it. I’d much rather have the atheist if that is his specialty. … We’ve got to elect a president who, whether he or she goes to church or which church or whatever, understands the issues. And the top issue today in our culture is survival.” Even Jerry Falwell got it.

So here’s what I’m saying – looking back on it, Perry’s short run for the Presidency allowed for conversation. Without Perry, I would have fewer conversations on nationalism, patriotism and the Kingdom of God, the verbiage of Christian America, Church and State, Mormonism and the popular motto that “everything is weirder in Texas.”

And that’s what’s good about controversy. Controversy gives us an opportunity for conversation. For me, there are only so many times I can talk about the weather, or the traffic, only so many times I can talk about entertainment culture of even sports. Some times, we need to have a serious conversation and controversies allow for that. The media hype gives us a headstart in thinking about the issue. Further, the culture’s emotional response (whether it be in the forms of anger or sympathy) creates urgency. And when we finally stop talking about the weather and the traffic, we might be able to cut through the superficialities, deepen friendships, offer hope to those around us and maybe even contribute to the collective good.

That said, there certainly is a danger in becoming a controversy hunter. Having to make up your mind on every issue does not make you informed, only opinionated. This opens the door for pride and anger to enter the heart. There is also a danger in turning into an information junkie because everything tends to get objectified and even this becomes no more than a hobby. This invites apathy and possible disillusionment.

On better days, my motives for conversation include the following:
An opportunity to reduce the tension.
Our culture is so quick to respond and it’s usually in anger. We can speculate on the cultural psychological makeup of why but on the other side of it, we ought to ask, are we contributing to the pain or helping to lessen it in at least some small way? Reducing the cultural tension can help us think more rationally, and hopefully, respond more compassionately. Usually when this happens, the media shuts down reporting on the controversy and looks for another.

Second, such discussion creates an opportunity to listen. There have been numerous times when the conversation began in talking about a particular scandal and then a more personal experience like the pursuit of success and pride became the new center piece of the conversation. Listening in these moments can do wonders.

Third, such discussions, even heated ones, create an opportunity to see the other side. In conversing with those with different presuppositions, we not only gain understanding of “the other”, we not only offer our side to “the other” but we each get to see the complexity of the issue and the complexity of our respective personhood. We realize we have motives and experiences that have shaped us, and sometimes they need to be altered, destroyed or celebrated. It’s best if we can do this together.

Lastly, controversies can allow us to get to the heart of the matter. For example, going back to the Rick Perry example is that I was suspicious that he was using the Christian narrative as a tool for his political agenda. Certainly I would like to see more Christian values in the culture, including in the government, but not at the cost of the message of Jesus. And even more so, I do not want to see the powerful arm-twisting and crafting sound-bytes for hollow agendas. God does not manipulate, nor should we dare to either. And so, when I talk about moments like this, I get to talk about the calling and the potential of the Church as God’s vehicle to bring His kingdom of goodness, love and redemption to this world. I get to talk about how a strong church can reach out to the a increasingly secularized culture and how we are all invited to be part of God’s redemption.

It’s in these ways, controversies create opportunities for conversation, even for goodness, and we ought to be faithful with them.

Some More Thoughts on Blue Like Jazz

Yep, still thinking about Blue Like Jazz. Difficult for me not to in some ways. I loved the book, supported the Kickstarter campaign, participated in several book studies with it and currently leading a Reading Circle on a Million Miles in a Thousand Years. If you are around Lexington, MA, we’ll be discussing Part 5 and the movie this Sunday night after GC@Night in the cafe – All are welcome.

It occurred to me halfway through my second viewing of BLJ, that I was enjoying the movie more this time around. Perhaps my expectations were tempered, maybe I was responding to all the negative reviews of the movie/project, or maybe I was a in a better frame of mind – I don’t know.

The negativity does crack me up. Though it’s not as bad as the Tebow deal, it’s become humorous how people are so quick to hate on this movie and on Don Miller and crew. A while back I saw someone commenting on Don’s body language during an interview. Come on dude, Don and his friends are out out promoting this movie city to city for the past 3 months, cut him/them some slack. The guy sold his house to help finance the project!

In some ways, Blue Like Jazz can’t be the movie to do what many of us want it to be. Primarily because it had become too big in the Christian subculture and Don is too popular of a writer to not have expectations for.   the “first-responders of this movie” are going to be those fans  (It will be interesting to see  more from those who haven’t heard of the book).  Many of us want this to be a conversation piece about God, spirituality, Christianity in general, many others want this to be a traditional tool of evangelism, others seem to want it to be an obscure piece of art floating like an astronaut in space.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of things I didn’t like but I am glad it was made, glad it’s out there and I think Don, Steve and Ben did an amazing job, especially with what they had to work with.

My concerns are as follows: I was never really sold on the “inciting incidents” (thanks Don and Friends for giving us the language to critique your work) that led to Don’s collapse of faith and then the “bottoming out” scene that soon led to his repentance.  If the movie was a true comedy, maybe the “youth pastor sleeping with mom thing” and later “waking up in a porta potty and realizing that your life stinks and the priest rescuing you” works but I thought they could have come up with something better.

In any case, I truly liked the characters of BLJ. I’ll admit my first impression of Marshall Allman playing a young Don Miller threw me off. He looked like a cross between a goofy-looking Sufjan Stevens and a hooded Portlandian version of Eminem from 8 Mile (the movie poster has him in this pose staring down Penny and I’m worried that he’s hiding a black eye about to try to battle her on the bridge). But I have to say Marshall did a fantastic job.

I liked pretty much all the characters and truly hated the cheating youth pastor (played so well by Jason Marsden. While I know this is part is not autobiographical of Don and his mother, I am seriously suspicious of Jason, know what I mean “bro?”). Penny is charming and sweet, thought the Pope character had the best lines and Yuri (the Russian) was great in his small role.

But then there was Lauryn. I liked her immediately because she’s Alex from LOST. She had such a great character until the end – why was there no resolve to her? She’s a key figure in the first half of the movie, Don’s first real friend if you will, then not only does Quinn break her heart but she seems to get dumped by the script as well. She bears her broken-hearted soul to Don and then gets regulated to picking up drunk kids at the Ren Fayre and laundry duty. I know it’s a little complicated that her character is a lesbian but I was expecting a bit more resolve to her.

I’m sure Don, Steve and Ben left a lot on the cutting room floor but if there any plans for a director’s cut, I’d like to see a scene that gives her some dignity and closure (if one exists).

What I was really let down by and I think this will always bug me is that legitimate money was not put into this. Itt should have received the Eat Pray Love treatment (wait they spent $6o million on that??  Ok, how about a tenth of it?). Had it been financed and distributed consistent with standards of modern movie making, I think it could have been a significant cultural moment. I know that sounds naive but if you just go and see what’s out on Fandango, I think I have a killer point.

I hear stories but I don’t really know how these things get funded. I don’t really picture local churches taking their missions budgets and giving them to Kickstarter but I do think the Church as a whole missed an opportunity. If history is any gauge, the next Kirk Cameron film or Fireproof 2 (More Inferno, More Evidence) will get a $10 million backing.  Not sure what a real solution looks like, but we need one, we actually need a quite a few, multifaceted ones.

Limited runs in theaters are tricky, you can read Don’s figures and thoughts here. I anticipate that the DVD Sales will be pretty solid. It will be used in countless sermon illustrations, youth group lessons, college Bible studies and various other places. We’ll see this DVD in every CBD catalog for years to come and will likely end up in Best Buy $4.99 bin, which isn’t bad, it just how consumer culture robs the remaining essence of something.  I’m confident that they’ll make their money back and then some but wish it had a better theater run.

Again, ultimately, I do think Don, Steve and Ben did an amazing job with what they had. And I wish them the best as BLJ rides out and hope this experience ushers in many good things.

For more check out:
www.donmilleris.com
Don’s BLJ brief “What Critics Are Saying…” List (one-liners from from NY Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, etc.)

Go see it, here’s the theater list –  http://www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com
Here’s a link to my first post, “Why I Hope Blue Like Jazz the Movie Does (Really) Well”

Reflecting on the Q Conference, Washington DC Post 1 – Back Home & Grateful

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Q Conference. It’s a gathering of Christian leaders from different sectors of culture focusing on four themes Culture, Future, Faith and Gospel. The 7 that Q identified are: Media, Business, Arts & Entertainment, Education, Government, Social Sector and the Church. You can read more about Q here.

Given their interest in culture, each year the gathering moves to a different city which has included Atlanta, New York, Austin, Chicago, Portland and this year Washington DC. It’s always in a downtown venue, intentionally not in a church but generally a third place chosen for historical/cultural significance, aesthetics, and functionality. This year’s site was the beautiful Andrew Melon Auditorium on Constitution Ave. (which is just across from the National Museum of American History).

It’s a pretty intense schedule with two days of over 40 presenters each given either 18 minutes, 9 minutes or 3 minutes to share their central message. As an audience member, it’s great, you know when the person is going to finish.  As a presenter, it must be difficult but we do get quite a number of excellent presentations. There are also talkbacks with the presentations and table discussions with fellow attendees. But even still, it’s a lot to take in. On Day 3, each attendee participated in a briefing. Mine was on human trafficking at the Old Exec. Bldg of the White House. Obviously it was cool to be there but the data is heart-breaking. You quickly forget the aesthetics when you hear the plight of those being trafficked. However, it is great to see our government involved in this global crisis.

I’ve been looking over my notes and as of now, I really can’t sit here and list my favorite presentations and offer an adequate summary of what was said for each. Frankly, I’m not sure I can even tell you my favorite moments yet but as I’ve been unpacking from the trip and talking about it, I’m sure I’ll have a bit to say soon.

What I was thinking about on my drive and have been thinking since returning is how important these conferences and conversations are. I know there is a lot of joking and negativity surrounding conferencing and I’m sure some of it is warranted bit there’s a good bit that is extremely helpful. This being my fourth Q, I have found that many of these presentations fuel my ideation, inform my weak spots, and some of them frankly, are similar to “breaking news” for me.

Q is probably so personally helpful because it makes so many conversations accessible to me. I simply don’t know of any other gathering for ministry types that bring in such an array of theologians, practitioners, scientists, corporate employees, artists, government workers and various thinkers and personalities from the different sectors of society. Now I want to be careful that I do not overstate its effectiveness, after all, the longest presentation is only 18 minutes and some similar presentations have been made in years past. Which is a good thing, because it reintroduces the conversation to newer attendees and reinforces the conversation to returners. I cannot help but feel that some of what was said are things that I have either have wanted to hear more of or words I needed to finally hear.

I’ll be thinking about that, especially as I meditate on how the Church can serve the common good of the culture.

Lastly, I’ve also been thinking about how fortunate and grateful I am for those that have made it possible for me to attend Q. Over the years I have been the recipient of scholarships either from Q or kind and generous people around me. Also grateful for my friend Ryan for letting me crash in his DC apartment – enjoyed our late night conversations. I’ve been fortunate that the Churches I’ve served in have been supportive (thanks GC). And certainly, I’m grateful for my wife’s support – three little kids for three days, I owe you another one honey. I’m not kidding, when I think of the sacrifices that allow me to attend these events, I think I better not only pay attention to the material but use this material. And so may the Lord bless these words and efforts and all who/what is involved.

Wishing Andrew Sullivan a Beautiful Easter – 3 Things I Liked About His Newsweek Feature

A few times a year, Time Magazine or Newsweek will feature Jesus on their cover  and we’ll debate a sucky article full of  twisted examples and typical rhetoric.

So when I heard of this week’s new issue of Newsweek, I figured it would be more of the same. I clicked the Twitter link, saw it was Andrew Sullivan and was even more disappointed because I generally like him.  I read his blog every so often and frankly, I respect his mind and his soul.

Scanned the article once, except for the title, I liked the piece and knew I must have missed something. Why would Newsweek put this out? Read it again and appreciated it even more on a number of levels. Here are three things I liked.

1. I think he got the crisis right. If you are undecided in reading the article or your time is limited, here’s how Sullivan describes what he calls, “The Crisis of Our Time”:

“All of which is to say something so obvious it is almost taboo: Christianity itself is in crisis. It seems no accident to me that so many Christians now embrace materialist self-help rather than ascetic self-denial—or that most Catholics, even regular churchgoers, have tuned out the hierarchy in embarrassment or disgust. Given this crisis, it is no surprise that the fastest-growing segment of belief among the young is atheism, which has leapt in popularity in the new millennium. Nor is it a shock that so many have turned away from organized Christianity and toward “spirituality,” co-opting or adapting the practices of meditation or yoga, or wandering as lapsed Catholics in an inquisitive spiritual desert. The thirst for God is still there. How could it not be, when the profoundest human questions—Why does the universe exist rather than nothing? How did humanity come to be on this remote blue speck of a planet? What happens to us after death?—remain as pressing and mysterious as they’ve always been?

That’s why polls show a huge majority of Americans still believing in a Higher Power. But the need for new questioning—of Christian institutions as well as ideas and priorities—is as real as the crisis is deep.”

I couldn’t agree more, people area always asking the big questions and looking for purpose and meaning. Obviously as a Christ-follower, I feel that Christianity has the best answers to these questions and searches. But as a Christ-follower, I fear that we as a Church are squandering its power and opportunity for lesser things. I’ll fight for Christ and the Church but I completely understand why some are pursuing the former without the latter. I’m left thinking Andrew gets these broad strokes right.

2. He may have redeemed Jefferson for me or at least motivate me to take a deeper look. I like Jefferson. A particular set of former youth group kids would lead you to believe that I’m obsessed with him because I “forced” our group to visit his memorial in the heat of July. Whatever. I do appreciate Jefferson on a number of levels – founding father, architect of the Declaration, and key promoter of separation of church and state. If that last line surprises you, I believe in the importance of a secular society because I believe a strong Church is not threatened in such a context. One friend emailed me encouraging me to express that sentiment more. Perhaps I’ll also write a post on that some time.

But back to Jefferson, I’ve never been able to share any more of an affinity for him because of his denial of the supernatural aspect of Jesus. It’s not enough for me that he believes we need to serve the other if Christ has not been raised. As a humanist, it would be enough for me, but not as a Christian. From what Sullivan was saying, it’s clear I need to look further into what Jefferson was not only doing with the famous edited Bible but with his practice of Christianity.

3. Sullivan doesn’t write as an outsider, but as a Christian acknowledging its weak points and proclaiming its essential ones. I may push back on some parts (I think everything is political, but do agree that too many in the evangelical church are overly-concerned with power in our political system). Regardless of my push backs, I appreciate what he’s clear on.

“Whether or not you believe, as I do, in Jesus’ divinity and resurrection—and in the importance of celebrating both on Easter Sunday—Jefferson’s point is crucially important. Because it was Jesus’ point. What does it matter how strictly you proclaim your belief in various doctrines if you do not live as these doctrines demand? What is politics if not a dangerous temptation toward controlling others rather than reforming oneself? If we return to what Jesus actually asked us to do and to be—rather than the unknowable intricacies of what we believe he was—he actually emerges more powerfully and more purely.”

I read the article a couple times. I’m not sure the cover of “Forget the Church, Follow Jesus” is what the article is actually saying. Again, I ‘m biased because I do believe in the Church. You would expect a pastor to say that of course but I’d like to think that I’d believe in the Church even if I wasn’t. Jesus went through hell to establish it, we Christ-followers need to be the Church Christ has called us to be, I’m grateful to be serving in it and am praying I and many will be faithful to Jesus’ way.

In any case, for a Newsweek cover, this is perhaps the most Christian article on Jesus that I recall seeing.

Nice job Andrew Sullivan and may you have a beautiful Easter.

Neo-Reformers, Emergents & Missionals Agree … on the Bad Theology of the Bethke Video

“What if I told you” … that it’s crazy who you might end up agreeing with?

Remember this video that went viral called “Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus” by Jefferson Bethke? Of course you do, you haven’t got a chance to repress it yet. But in case you have closed your Facebook account as a New Year’s resolution, here it is:

Confession: When I first clicked on it, I was a bit excited, cool background, cool typography, cool dude, then after 30 seconds I thought “Uh oh, this is not cool. It’s not even accurate.”

Thought of blogging about it, but by the time I collected my thoughts, I had already seen this excellent one “Lame Poetry, False Dichotomies, and Bad Theology” by Jonathan Fitzgerald on the Patrol Mag site and there were a few others floating around Twitter.

Tony Jones had a few scattered comments about it on his FB and this post.

Kevin DeYoung had a lot to say here.

Then about a week later I saw on Twitter that Bethke responded to Kevin’s critique and his comments were included in a follow-up post by Kevin.

Before I read the post I thought – wow, when Tony Jones and Kevin DeYoung agree, you know your theology really sucks. I pictured neo-reformers putting down their Calvin’s Institutes, complimentarians putting down their Real Marriage books and the husbands giving permission to allow their wives “extra time” to look online (sorry I couldn’t resist), progressives stopped tweeting about the GOP Debates (they’re really the only ones watching) and they all nodded in sad agreement – “The message of this video is terrible.”

No word yet on how Rob Bell and John Piper felt about the whole thing. I picture Rob in Hollywood creating characters for his new tv show. I bet you one is called “Joe Pipper” and he’s from Minnesota and he’s a cross between Robert Duvall’s character, “Sonny” in The Apostle and Simon Cowell. I’m also starting the rumor that John Piper has contacted Flannel to produce a series of DVD’s called, “Righteous O’rgh” (which is the Greek for “anger”, like in Mark 3:5. Could have gone a different tray with this joke, patting myself on the back for such restraint ;)

As you know, the respective sides have not agreed on much over the years. Guinness, iPhones and the continued desire to breath oxygen are some common denominators but I am aware there are tea-totaling Droid users in the respective parties.

But I digress.

The issue that everyone pointed out was that we all hate hypocrisy. “Religion” isn’t the problem. Heartless, cold, empty religion is what causes the damage. Bethke sorta admits to that in this CBS News video (although he plays the “semantics card” a little awkwardly IMO). You should click this to hear the priest use spoken word in response. (“Yo Jeff, let me give you a holler from the collar. I don’t think it’s religion you should be dissin’. I think it’s the nuance that you’re missing” – Not quite the battle from 8-Mile but what can you do).

So here’s where I find myself in light of this little episode.  I was grateful for what Kevin DeYoung said. I was grateful that Tony Jones posted about it. I know some will see this as a common enemy thing and while bad theology is a good common enemy, this little scene demonstrated revealed that we could look at the same sky and say it was blue.  Or look at a piece of art and say, “Hmmm, not sure the artist got it here.”  I want to be careful and taper off the “There’s hope after all for the unity of the Church!” conversation but from my vantage point, this was good for me to see.

I am also grateful overall for Bethke’s response. For a 22 year old, I’m excited for him. I hope this ushers in a season of study and thoughtful engagement with a number of aspects conceding the nature of worship, faith, religion, theology and the church. I hope he leverages his influence to build the church. And I hope his next video is grounded theologically and brings a better conversation to the social media culture.

What if I told you we all do could this?

A Brief Review on The Gospel According to LOST

As you may know, I review books fairly regularly. Most of them are sent to me for review. In this case, I bought this one, have not been asked to review it but I’m glad to.

Who is Chris Seay?
He’s the pastor of the Ecclessia Church in Houston, Texas and author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano, The Gospel According to Jesus, and his latest title, A Place at the Table:  40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor

What I Liked – 

I think the best thing I can say is that it’s an excellent read for “serious but somewhat normal” LOST fans. To no fault of its own, it will disappoint the super-nerd LOST fan. You know the one who has a Mr. Ecko tattoo, convinced the spouse to name the twins “Desmond and Penny” and got the VW van in honor of Hurley.

Really liked the “patron saint” theme – planning on using a little of that in my sermon. Also, liked the artistic renderings of the LOST characters – well done.
In terms of spiritual value, I’m not expecting much from these types of books, however Chris does a fantastic job between being interesting, brief and insightful. Further, it’s very “sermon material” friendly. I know most of the audience are not pastors, but for those who are – bonus!

What I Wasn’t Sure About – 
I read it twice. Once right before Season 6 and again this week in preparation for a sermon in which I was mentioning LOST. I haven’t watched it since the finale so unfortunately, I wasn’t “there” with every reference (which points to the strength of the book by the way). But even not having recapped but having seen the finale, the book felt dated. I imagine Chris feels the same and would love to see him revise and update it. THEN, I would watch the series again and read it again. Win-win here :)

Conclusion
I think LOSTies in my Christian circles would really enjoy this. You can order a used copy through Amazon right now for less than $5.

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