You Will Search For Me, But You Will Not Find Me

It was hard enough for me to believe there could possibly have been such a ridiculous pairing of star-crossed lovers on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic, but now James Cameron is just reaching. Click here for an article about the filmmaker's upcoming documentary about finding the bones of Jesus in some back-alley neighborhood on the south side of Jerusalem. Intriguing? Sure, until you start to listen to all the archaeologists and (of course) clergymen who are disputing the find, which, by the way, isn't even new.

It is interesting, however, the similarities between many Christians and many skeptics today. Both kinds of people jump at the slightest morsel of information or revelation that validates their belief (or disbelief). For Christians of weak faith who embrace any little affirmation of mystery or scientific validation of a biblical claim, it seems they find comfort in the opinions of others, even though faith is not about that at all. When such things are completely stripped away, I wonder if such a weak faith would still remain. If something does remain, then that is true faith. Grow in that.

The same is true, however, for skeptics, which, I know, would make many of them shudder at the thought of having such a deep-rooted personality trait in common with the very people they do not - perhaps cannot - be like. Any long-shot discovery that, however pathetically, might poke holes in the traditionally-held belief of the religious, they pounce upon and expound on it as if it were world-shaking, faith-shattering FACT. There have been several in recent years. To name a few, the sacred feminine claims of The Da Vinci Code, or more specifically the one in a million chance that Jesus played Romeo to Mary Magdalene's Juliet; the Gospel of Judas and its purported real true story behind Jesus' death and purpose, nevermind the writing was more fragmented than readable, and it joins hundreds of other Gnostic gospels and first century writings; and now this documentary rumbling its almost laughably academic way toward its March 4th airing on The Discovery Channel.

We are the same. You, a skeptic, and me, a man of little faith, who still feels that surge of pious excitement when some obscure archaeologist reports finding a petrified piece of cypress log on Mt. Ararat, or a day missing from some ancient calendar record dated around the time of Joshua.

When will we both heed the words that were spoken first to the disciples and the temple police in their confusion and doubt, and then to us in our zealous yet futile search for proof? - "You will search for me, but you will not find me."

An Unveiling

I have started up a new blog address in addition to this one. It is called Wonderstuff: Pop Goes the Culture. For some time I have been trying to decide if I should separate some of my blog entries that concern pop culture, politics, and/or entertainment from those that are centered more on biblical, spiritual, and/or missional matters. Because this blog has gotten large enough (this will be the 85th post) and does not appear to be tapering off (despite when I'm laid up with either the flu or wedding plans), I've decided a spin-off blog might be interesting. Will it be a Frasier, or a Joey? I suppose only time will tell.

I do hope you will make an effort to visit this new blog while still maintaining your perusal of this one as well. You will begin to notice that the sidebar of this blog will contain both a link to Wonderstuff: Pop Goes the Culture as well as a notice when a new entry appears on it.

Please also remember that this blog, Wonderstuff, has a Xanga counterpart if you are more of a Xanga reader than a Blogger. A link will soon be posted in the sidebar for that site as well.

Okay, enough shameless plugging. Now that everything is getting more organized, I can get back to the original spirit of this blog. And now it has a friend!

You can read Wonderstuff: Pop Goes the Culture, including the inaugural post, by going to this address:
www.wonderstuffreviews.blogspot.com

Grace and peace to you, my readers.

Observations from the Couch

It appears that I am down for the count this weekend. My throat is raw, scratchy, sore, and, to use the appropriate medical term, "just plain icky." My olfactory is filled with all manner of things it should not normally house. I'm drinking orange juice and putting my faith in the not-so-miraculous powers of Sudafed, Benadryl, and Ricola. I need to sleep, but I find it hard to sleep in the middle of the day no matter how exhausted I am, unless it is Sunday (for some reason, I can sack out on Sunday after church like a grizzly bear beginning its hibernation).

So, in the meantime, I am posting the response from the Focus on the Family offices to my - how shall I describe it? - letter of complaint. I wasn't sure if they would respond, and the fact that they did rather promptly brings me to a bit more respect for them than I had of late. However, I'm not so sure that the basic point of my letter was received, because the woman's defense seems like a standard one - almost a faxed in response. After reading so many of these magazines, something I have realized is that my concept of what can motivate "godly behavior" does not have to be something devoid of darkness, pain, or angst, whereas their opinion is that something in pop culture cannot serve as a godliness motivator if it doesn't almost explicitly proclaim black and white biblical truth. I've written on this dilemma before - to read more, go here.

Still, it is encouraging to know we are both seeking to help students, even if we completely disagree on how it should be done.
___________

Letter of response:

Thank you, Bo, for contacting Plugged In.

We appreciate your taking the time to share your concerns regarding the reviews in our publication. In response, it’s important to understand that Plugged In is not written for teens, pre-teens, or young adults, but rather for *parents* who need help sorting out their kids’ entertainment choices. You might be surprised at the number of Christian parents who haven’t a clue as to what their children are encountering “out there” on a daily basis. Plugged In seeks to lay it all out for them as dispassionately as possible. This is why our writers go to great lengths to identify every aspect of a film, television show, or CD, even down to the smallest detail, that might possibly constitute a problem for concerned moms and dads. Once parents have the facts, they can make wise, discerning decisions of their own with regard to their families’ entertainment options.

In addition, it would be impossible to discern whether movies, TV shows, or music are positive or negative – helpful or harmful – without making value-based decisions, or judgments. In fact, a large part of “learning to discern” is evaluating whether the actions portrayed or the words presented motivate us toward godly behavior, or toward actions that are sinful. As our statement of faith and guiding principles explain, Focus on the Family’s values regarding family life, sexual morality, music, movies, and other issues are grounded in the teachings of the Bible rather than the changing opinions of contemporary society. Please be assured that we do not wish to condemn or alienate those who disagree with biblical principles. However, in our efforts to reach out and minister, we cannot compromise our beliefs or change the direction of our ministry simply to accommodate differing views.

Again, thank you for expressing your opinions so honestly. God’s grace and peace to you in the days ahead.

Amy Campbell
PluggedInOnline.com

The Tale of the Wearied Defense Attorney

As a few of you have noticed (if you still check this blog, which has been stagnant for a month), I took a leave of absence from blogging. Wedding plans kicked in at high gear and have not slowed down, and that, along with coordinating the next six months of student ministry at the church, have kept my fingers from the keys and my mouse cursor from the PUBLISH button. However, I do find some time to get some thoughts down, and I figured I would share some of that until I can get back to my normal routine on here.

The following is an e-mail letter I wrote to a magazine called Plugged In, which is published monthly by Focus on the Family as a resource for parents, ministers, and teens. It claims to review pop culture in a "Christian" light. The more I peruse the publication, the more I loathe their close-minded reviews. Perhaps I am just cynical, but in case you would like to get a taste for yourself, visit their online version here. The reviews of Aaron Sorkin's work did not necessarily push me over the edge into writing a letter, but I did choose to use the reviews as an example, since their opinions of The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I could not have found less objective.


Dear Plugged In:

As the student minister at my church, working with middle school, high school, and college students, I am growing extremely weary of standing between two opposing sides who are becoming, whether they claim to be or not, increasingly hostile toward each other. It is getting more and more difficult to serve solely as an ambassador of Christ, as Scripture calls all Christians to do. Lately I feel instead like a defense attorney for American conservative Christianity. The backbiting, name-calling, and exclusivist attitudes of our "Christian culture" are creating rifts between the Church and young people of this country and it is only getting worse. This magazine is a prime example. How? Because you uphold only that which is white-washed and pristine, and any piece of pop culture that contains a noticeable shred of darkness, disagreement, confusion, or angst, you lambaste as being that which is leading the youth of America astray. Take, for instance, your Nov. 2006 review of the engagingly intelligent and entertaining NBC show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. You may argue a fairness of writing style, but the article's tone is most certainly biased against the show. Anyone who closely watches Studio 60 (as all reviewers should) will recognize that the Christian character, Harriet Hayes, is never humiliated for the values she upholds, nor do the characters who disagree with her find their views and ideologies triumphing hers. The show is simply not about jabbing back at evangelical America. Quite the contrary, it is a picture of how different views clash and function together in a very real entertainment environment - an environment that plays before the eyes of people, young and old, day after day. Why must everything that does not wave a Christian flag proudly and claim allegiance to the "morals" of Scripture be written off as inappropriate for viewers - even teenage viewers? Do we actually believe that we are helping our young people adapt to this ever-changing society by shielding them from every little piece of rebellion and unchristian view? We are so afraid any kind of exposure might shatter them as if they are made of glass.

In reality, pop culture does not have to be the enemy, even when pieces of it might contain lostness and rebellion. Scripture is certainly not without darkness, sin, and confusion. You knock The West Wing's President Bartlett for wrestling with God to the point of cursing him, but would praise many of the psalms that do pretty much the same thing. I would rather show that particular West Wing episode to my youth group than any number of Christianized films with cookie-cutter storylines and lame moments of conversion devoid of any real human pain and struggle. Why? Because the former is real! It is tangible; an image that does not make living the Christian life, or believing in God, or seeking to do the right thing, seem like an easy option.

Still, our Christian culture piles up more and more sterilized alternatives that are declared uplifting and edifying for followers of Christ, and those who do not buy into this candy-coated fluff are seen as desensitized compromisers, rather than what they are, believers who are unafraid of the culture, and ready to walk confidently into the buzzing mainstream. Christians who can locate Truth even in dark places, places not empty of all crudeness and pain. Christians who wholeheartedly agree with the words of Madeleine L'Engle, that "there is nothing so secular that it cannot be made sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation." At first, I thought this is what Plugged In was about, but over the years I see little in your magazine that does not uphold this cultural Christian battle-line.

And so I feel like a wearied defense attorney. Constantly wishing my client would just settle down and shut up, I struggle to save Christianity from so many of its close-minded followers, while I seek to present its deep Truth, that of fallenness, pain, confusion, mercy, grace, beauty, laughter, and an ultimate redemption.

Please don't be so quick to neatly divide light and darkness, the good from the bad. Look deeper. For the sake of this culture and the young people who will inherit it, look deeper.