My response to Rob over at Electrolund:
What I am troubled by is not God showing up in pop culture, but rather pop culture showing up in God, so-to-say. I think too many churchy-types think that the only way to reach young people is through the arm of pop culture. That left me, in particular, feeling very alienated as a young person. I hopped from youth group to youth group looking for one whose main focus was Christ and the great commission. All I found were rock concerts, bowling nights, and coffee houses. Don't get me wrong, I love coffee houses (the latter two annoy me, but I digress...) but if I want to be at a coffee house I'd go to a coffee house.
Recently at an ELCA Global Missions event, I mentioned this to some young people and surprisingly they totally agreed with me and one even thought I was "cool." So, let's stop giving our young Christians cookies and milk and offer them a hearty meal!
Friday, September 09, 2005
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3 comments:
Hmm, you make some good points, Sarah. The risk of trying to find God in culture is that, yes, we can water down the Gospel in the process.
Have to think about this some more…
Hrm. I agree, of course. I ran across a church online today that is offering "motorcycle Sunday" next week. Although I'm not entirely sure what that means, it's hard to imagine it can be anything but something along the lines of a coffee house or Christian rock concert.
You would think that the gospel would be enough meat to chew on for a long, long time without decking it out with gimmicks. Some women at our church have been going through a really fantastic study on the theology of femininity (not to be confused with feminist theology) that highlights the many ways women (and their relationship with men) illustrate the Church and Israel (and their relationship with Christ and God). All of these accessories adorning the church put me in mind of the prideful daughters of Zion in Isaiah with their "anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, headresses, ankle charms, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, finger rings, nose rings..." You get the idea. The church, like the excellent wife, knows that virtue and loyalty to God are enough adornment.
Or maybe it's getting late on a Friday and I am rambling nonsense. :)
For anyone interested in really good gender theology:
http://fiveaspects.org/
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