As I was channel surfing last night I came across Bill Maher hosting a special dedicated to deceased comedian George Carlin. Bill Maher is number 38 on Comedy Central’s list of 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time, a noted political commentator, a religious critic, and an unashamed atheist. He’s also really smart and funny. I paused for a few moments wondering how long it would take before he said something irreverent or perhaps even blasphemous; it didn’t take long. What he said is not important but like most of the things he says, it was current, edgy, and relevant.
Having heard what I expected from Bill and still in the mood to channel surf, I hit the up button on the remote control. The very next channel on my TV is one of the many channels dedicated to Christianity. I paused when I saw one of the country’s top TV pastors. He’s the author of several books and is instantly recognizable to almost everybody - Christian and non-Christian alike. The contrast between him and Bill Maher could not have been more stark. The TV preacher was smiling blissfully, blinking rapidly, and gazing up into the rafters as he talked about the miraculous healing of his mother from cancer some thirty years ago. Now, don’t get me wrong. I subscribe to an inordinate amount of religious channels, and I love to listen to good preaching and biblical teaching, but the thought that struck me as I considered these two wildly divergent public figures was, how relevant Bill Maher was and how completely irrelevant was the TV preacher.
I’ve been a Christian and subscribed to a Christian perspective my whole life, so trying to evaluate something from outside that perspective is not easy, but let me try. If I were a secular American in the world today, trying to evaluate the practical value of Christianity, and I saw those two snippets on TV, it would be very easy to reject Christianity out of hand. Were I looking for a weekly hour of social commentary, again the decision would not be that tough. Much of today’s society views Christianity as superstitious, out-dated, anti-intellectual, and unreasonable. In short, we are viewed as irrelevant – a reputation we often deserve. God, however, is none of those things. God is current, edgy, reasonable and utterly relevant.
If the God we worship is indeed real and is indeed God, then he must be relevant to everything: science, logic, reason, and even Bill Maher. God does not stand in opposition to intellectual integrity. He is, in fact, the author of science, logic and reason as he is the author of all truth. When Martin Luther stood in that infamous moment in history and was asked to recant his work he said, “Show me by evident reason or by Holy Scripture where I have erred, and I will recant.” God himself bids us, “Come, let us reason together.” We must understand that evident reason is of God as surely as Holy Scripture. We have all too often been comfortable saying to the world, “We don’t care what science or logic or reason say; this is what we believe,” and there by dismissing evident reason.
Let us engage the world around us. Let us lead the way in all manner of intellectual discourse. Let us not gaze blissfully into the rafters but soberly in the world. Let us be relevant, because God is relevant.
John Monday
After reading this, I can't help but think about the book "The Shack". The way God is portrayed in that book is wild and edgy. "The Shack" has sold millions of copies, but will it be relevant in 10 years? 5 years? Or how about another book, the Bible?
ReplyDeleteI think that the Florida Hospital Church is heading in the right direction. We have a Facebook page! (where's the twitter?) But do we always have to adopt worldly things to stay current? Will we ever the trend setters?
I too read "The Shack" and your point is well taken. My guess is that "The Shack" will probably be passe' in ten years, maybe not but probably. The Bible on the other hand is eternally relevant, and if it is eternally relevant we must not make it seem passe' to a world that so desperately needs the truth it contains.
ReplyDeleteRelevance is a challenge to every generation and will look different in every generation. the reason to maintain relevance is to convey eternal truths in current language.
-John
I want to highlight the last part of what you said: "convey eternal truths in current language". To me, relevance is all about speaking the gospel truth in current language. The content of the message has not changed and is still relevant; it is the way the message is conveyed that must be relevant. Just like we must translate the Bible so people can understand it in their language, we need to convey God's word to the current generation in a way they understand. For most cultures in the world, the way a message is presented is more important than the actual words used. Even in America, "I love you" can mean very different things depending on how it is said. The emerging generation is a technology generation. So part of speaking their language is using the technology they understand. The content of the message is the same, but the way it is presented, whether it is music, lights, slides, internet, etc., is what makes it relevant.
ReplyDeleteBill Maher and comedians like him are capitalizing on America's disillusionment with capitalism and the American way of life. Unfortunately Christianity stands as one of the pillars of our way of life and, since today we are questioning the foundation "on which we trust", we are questioning God. I agree with his general thesis statement, which seems to be "there are loopholes in the story" but where are his answers? He is simply spreading the cancer of social and spiritual unrest without offering viable solutions, it is like ideological terrorism really, each one of his little jokes is a bomb that blows apart the foundation of what we were founded on and without that foundation a generation confused people are trying to navigate through the storms of life.
ReplyDeleteI was reading a blog the other day about evangelism in the United States. It's author was discussing how ineffective evangelism in the United States has become. He concluded that much of our inability to show Christ to others was our tendency to create worship content that looks worldly but has a heavenly message. We compromised the contrast between Christianity and the world when we opted for showmanship over real message.
The Jesus I am coming to know would not enjoy 90 percent of the seemingly "relevant" Christian music playing on Z 88.3, He doesn't even seem like the type of guy that would have a radio in his car. Not because he thinks that the radio is so wrong or that the DJ's are raunchy but because He is a man of introspection, a man that basks in the glory of silence and escape from the noise a medium like the radio creates.
Jesus drew great crowds not because of his social relevance but because of his global relevance. He spoke of the application of simple universal principles.
We as Christians artists don't have the budget to compete with the showmanship of top rock bands, leading comedians, or the best sports stars. But the world will never offer a starving public the bread of life which, in my humble opinion, should be presented in clean and simple packaging.
The message of Christ will always be relevant and edgy. However, whether we like it or not, the way it is presented makes a difference. Christ always met people where they were, and that's what we need to do as well. It's not about compromising or becoming "like the world." It's about authentically speaking the language of the culture you're trying to reach. Is it possible that Americans are disillusioned and gravitating toward someone like Bill Maher because what they mostly see/hear from Christians seems out of touch with their lives and irrelevant to their world?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I appreciated your blog. It was refreshingly thought-provoking! Thanks. I will admit that at first I was preparing myself to read something that slammed Bill Maher, (because that is what most “Christians” love to do!) and was relieved to read something reflective and, as I said, thought provoking. Bill Maher certainly has an audience…I’m in that audience. I am one that finds zero relevance in the preacher staring into the rafters comfortable with his miracles. But …hey, if that floats someone’s boat, more power to him-I’m ok with that!!! People have questions, people are searching for something. Thank you for the challenge to us to be relevant in our world.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I also appreciate the provoking ideas that Bill Maher stirs. In my personal opinion I do prefer to dealing with a honest atheist than an irrelevant (hypocritical?) christian. On the other side, I have seen that in other cultures, like in India for example, there's a kind of relevant theomachia when we consider efforts to outreaching animists, hindus, and whatever sort of beliefs; it is like "my god is better than yours" thing; miraculous healings and similar manifestations of grace become "relevant" and frequent. Maher makes us tick, think, mockingly or irreverent as he may be, or as uncomfortable to us, there is a tint of valid questioning about what "christianity" really means. "Christians" tend to be pro-life, but may endorse terrorist acts like bombing abortion clinics or killing doctors, incoherent; "Christians" invaded and massacred nations, as in the crusades, or the Conquista, in the name of faith; "Christians" have persecuted among themselves with such a ferocity to the point that their history is all blood and gore; "Christians" may be brutal when judging as a "lack of faith" if a person with a terminal condition gets depressed and desperate or if such a condition worsens in spite of prayers and anoinments; "Christians" have voted in leaders who are eager to enforcing moral and faith issues thrashing rights of freedom or conscience. We, the Crhistians, should ponder about these thorns on our soles "maliciously" placed by "serious mockers" like Bill Maher, because most of the time they are just telling us a straightforward message: that maybe we are walking the wrong path, and our steps are actually our own and not Jesus' as we claim we do.
ReplyDeleteI know that I'm coming late to the discussion (finally took some time to join "relevant" Facebook) but I'd like to suggest one thing about how we package the gospel in a "relevant" way. Last week, I was visiting with a 93 yr. old man and his wife in their home - yes, I know that's not our "target" age at FHC but there is something to be said for the wisdom that often (not always) comes with age. He told me that he and his wife had left a congregation and followed a minister to a new church for one reason - transparency. "The man was transparent which made him believable. It was incredible." I would posit that while relevance is important,, the authenticity and transparency of our words/lives (or lack thereof) is of utmost importance, more important even than styles of worship music. When Jesus taught, the crowds most often marvelled not at his relevance, but at his "authority". We could get ourselves off of the hook by saying, "Well, of course he had authority, he was the Son of God." But if we search the gospel stories carefully we'll see that Jesus' "authority" was experienced and noted by those who did not know or claim him as the Son of God (maybe even people like Bill Maher). I would suggest that Jesus' authority came from a transparent life - a life where his words matched his actions. It is an authority, a "transparency" that is available to us, but is costly to achieve and even more so to live. It cost Jesus his life. In my book, it's easier to pursue relevance.
ReplyDeletejodie
Jodie- I totally agree. However, I would suggest that these two things (transparency and relevance) can and should both be intrinsic to a church wanting to reach out and change people's lives.
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