I have to admit that whenever I see a book that talks about relating to popular culture from a Christian perspective, I tend to cringe in expectation of what I’ll find. To be honest, I find that most of the authors are young and cynical and their point of view seems to promote a message of compromise rather than influence. That isn’t the case with Dick Staub. Staub is a seasoned veteran of broadcasting and writing and speaks with authority when addressing the topic of culture and Christianity.
One of the things I appreciated about this book was the “gloves off” approach to addressing Western Christian sub-culture. We live in an age of “Christianity Lite” where truth has been tamed in order to become more seeker-sensitive or sentimentalized to the point of rendering it ineffective. Staub states that Christianity has become “’moralistic therapeutic deism,’ in which people are promised that therapeutic benefits, such as a happy life, can be achieved through good, moral, kind, nice, pleasant behavior.”
The author also speaks candidly about Christian culture’s definition of excellence in art. I truly appreciate his plea for artists to produce art and not just religious art. Too often, we have excused a lack of commitment to excel in artistic skill and accepted artistic contributions that are often mediocre at best. This is often why popular culture looks at the artistic Christian sub-culture with a mocking contempt and has so little influence. Stuab proclaims a message that all artists should give themselves fully to a deep relationship with the Lord and strive to excel in their craft and prove themselves to be authoritative voices in popular culture. He states, “True artists push ahead, find a way to make their best art, and, if unable to pay the bills with their art, find a way to earn sufficient daily bread in other ways.” An artist must give themselves fully to their art regardless of whether they ever receive any compensation or notoriety.
The strength of this book is that Staub spends a significant portion discussing the need to have a deep and abiding relationship with the Lord before ever being qualified to influence or properly understand culture. It is an excellent message of the need to effectively relate to current culture without sacrificing a mature relationship with God. This is a must read for pop-culture enthusiasts and anyone desiring a fresh perspective on relating to and influencing today’s culture.
Emergent church leader says gay can be biblical lifestyle
Once again another leader who has the influence to shape the minds and theology of this next generation has drastically compromised the truth of the Gospel. Tony Jones is an author and leader in the Emergent Village movement, which in my opinion, is one of the most dangerous movements facing the church today. Tony
has finally stated that he believes “‘gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and queer’ individuals can and should live out their sexuality in – and blessed by – the Christian church.” Emergent authors such as Tony have been saturating the publishing world with books that are marketed to the teenage to twenty-something demographic. Their message is clear, today’s Christianity needs to be redefined for a more relevant generation and its theology reframed for current culture.
In this article, Jones states “all the time I could feel myself drifting toward acceptance that gay persons are fully human persons and should be afforded all of the cultural and ecclesial benefits that I am.” Here is the key; of course homosexuals are fully human people that should be treated with the basic respect that is afforded to everyone. The Church, unfortunately, has missed this mark dramatically in the past and we are now reaping the consequences of our actions. However, this is not an excuse to throw away 2 millennia of sound church doctrine and the unmistakably clear statements of scripture on this issue because of the Church’s irresponsibility to display the love of Christ in all situations. The point is that the perception of homosexuals being anything less than fully human is tragically false and this is where Jones made his first mistake. Had he initially seen them as creations of the Heavenly Father who are intended for a divine purpose and loved unconditionally, he would have been able to navigate and interpret Scripture without the compromise of “his experiences and feelings leading him toward a different conclusion.”
Many have made the mistake of seeing those impacted by homosexuality as something less. This perception instantly removes us from a Biblical foundation and misrepresents the heart of God. We are, therefore, left with no alternative than to be led by experience and emotion in order to find our way. If we initially see each person as a divinely created being intended for relationship with the Father, then we have our compass to guide us in the correct interpretation of Scripture that leads to a Biblical response of mercy and truth to all who will hear.
via Emergent church leader says gay can be biblical lifestyle
Posted on: November 24, 2008 in Commentary 5 Comments