Category archive - culture

Dreadfully bored with theology

I wonder if readers can identify the source of this quote, in which the speaker is asked to explain why churches are growing:

Two ways. One is a demand answer; one is a supply answer.

The demand answer is simple. There are so many young, educated people who are struggling with ambition and isolation. They come out of a blue-collar background or a farm background and find themselves working in the jungle of Los Angeles or Cincinnati. They need something to offset that intensely competitive, high-pressure, high-stress environment. They need something that they may not be conscious of, but something that restores balance and sanity. They need community. Read more

The End (Thanks to a New Beginning)

You Supply the Caption XXV will be the final caption post I publish here. I began this series in June of 2007 with a tribute to Purgatorio, the blog hosted by Marc Heinrich. Purgatorio is one of the funniest and most insightful blogs about our Christian sub-culture that I have ever seen, and his “You Supply the Caption” posts were always among my favorites. Last January, however, Marc stepped away, and I was really missing his weekly “YSTC” posts. That’s why I began posting my own.
Late last week, I discovered that Marc had returned, and now that he’s back, there’s no more need for me to try to fill that void. Frankly, he’s much better at it, anyway.

If you’ve never read Purgatorio before, block off some time and go through the archives. You’ll be glad you did.

Welcome back, Marc!

A School Holiday Pageant

The following is from the script for my daughter’s school program, which has a 1950′s theme (poodle skirts and saddle oxfords) and is titled “Happenin’ Holidays”:

[Children enter soda shop playfully. CHILD 1 carries a bell and rings it as he walks. He stops ringing the bell]

CHILD 2: I sure do love all the decorations and ornaments at Christmas time. I think my favorite must be the bell. It lets the whole world know that Jesus was born in a manger long ago.

[CHILD 1 hands CHILD 2 the bell]

CHILD 2: Thanks for sharing your bell with me.

CHILD 3: My favorite ornament is the star. The star led the shepherds and others to baby Jesus.

CHILD 4: I love the beautiful lights. They represent the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus is the Light.

CHILD 5: I like the wreath. It is perfectly round. The circle never ends. Just like God’s love – it is never ending.

CHILD 6: I really like the gifts. We give gifts to represent the gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

CHILD 7: Hey, all this talk about ornaments and decorations make me want to rock around the Christmas tree. Come on!

[Class performs "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"]

CHILD 7: Whoa, that was fun! I like all the ornaments and decorations at Christmas time, but my favorite would have to be a song. A song about Jesus being born in a manger.

CHILD 3: Hey, I know that one!

[Class performs "Away in a Manger"]

This is the script for the portion of the program to be performed by my daughter’s kindergarten class (she’s CHILD 3; isn’t she cute?).

Oh, did I mention it is a public school?

Amazing

I have enjoyed watching CBS’s reality show The Amazing Race. The show provides some fascinating drama as contestants must overcome physical challenges, cultural differences, and traffic in order to be the first to the next pit stop. It makes for some pretty entertaining television.

But the producers are apparently not content with the human drama that would result naturally from the format of the show, as it seems they believed they needed to add to the drama by their choice of contestants. This year we have a Goth couple (“every day is Halloween for us”), a daughter and her absentee, workaholic father, and a 23-year-old airline pilot and his grandfather. For me, these varied folks would provide plenty of entertaining drama, but apparently the producers didn’t think so. This is where Kate and Pat come in.

Kate is an ordained priest, and Pat a vocational deacon, in the Episcopal Church. They are lesbians. They are “married.” Dramatic, isn’t it? But clearly, our culture is pushing us toward the goal of a day in which this arrangement is not dramatic in the least.

So what are Bible-believing Christians to do? Ed Stetzer has said (paraphrasing from memory here) that speaking against the culture is like speaking against someone’s house. It’s just where they live. I understand the thinking behind that statement, and agree with the futility of standing in the pulpit and railing against the prevailing attitude in Hollywood.

But if this is indicitave of where people are living, if this is their “house,” shouldn’t someone be telling them that it is in danger of collapse, and that they should consider moving? If so, how do we go about it.

Clearly, I’ve got more questions than answers. If you’ve got some answers, share them in the comments.

An Understanding of Differences

It goes without saying that ministry to people from different generations requires an understanding of the differences between them. While obviously not universally applicable, there are some general characteristics that mark sharp contrasts between generations, and these characteristics have a direct effect on their behavior, attitudes, and general outlook. Unless we attempt to understand these differences, we will not be as effective as we could be in meeting the needs of people across the age spectrum. Bowden McElroy has written much about generational differences at his blog.

The two photographs above are of war memorials in Washington, D.C. On the left is the Vietnam Memorial, and on the right is the memorial built to honor those who served in World War II. I have my own theories, but I’d be interested in your answers to this question: Why was the World War II memorial not built and dedicated until some 22 years after the Vietnam Memorial?