God is not...

This song, God is not a white man, looks at how we try to fashion God into what we want we want - which can often be just a more holy version of ourselves.

But apart from all that - it's just fun to listen to.


It's good to remember - that God is not white and American - or owned by a political party or church. It's also a good challenge to remember that God also loves a whole bunch of people that we sometimes don't. Perhaps if we are going to continue to call ourselves Christ-followers, we should work on that.

A Challenge for the New Pope (and for us)

After the announcement of the Pope Francis, the ABC was interviewing veteran 'Vatican watcher' Father Thomas Reece, and asked about the "challenges for him (the pope) that he faces immediately".

Well of course the biggest challenge that the Pope and the Church faces is how to make the Gospel message attractive and understandable to people in the 21st Century.

I don't think we can continue to just quote theologians from the 13th Century and think that people in the 21st Century understand what we're saying. Pope Benedict actually put it quite well. He said that Christianity should not be presented as a series of "Nos", you know, like a nagging parent, "No, you can't do that, no," but should be presented as a "Yes", a yes to Jesus Christ, a yes to his gospel of love, a yes to compassion for the poor and to work together for justice.

This is an attractive message and I think often our churchiness gets in the way of this message of Jesus.

I particularly agree with the last bit. It's part of the reason i call this blog Sycamore-fig - after the tree Zaccheus had to climb when people got in the way of him seeing Jesus.

Blue Like Jazz - The Movie

(UPDATE: Blue Like Jazz is now available for churches to screen.)
Based on the best-selling book, Blue Like Jazz opens in selected Australian cinemas next weekend. I caught an advance screening, and thoroughly recommend it - with 2 exceptions.

1. If you're under 13, it's probably not for you yet. It's rated PG-13 for a reason. (M in Australia)

2. This is not your standard Christian movie. If you're looking for a basic plot of 'person has (G-rated) sinful life, person is evangelised, person's life becomes a bed of roses' - this is not that movie.

However, if you like a movie that's both edgy and realistic, do check this out.

It's the story of Donald, the Texas Baptist-boy who faces a whole new world when he enters college and has to figure out what life and faith are all about. What does he really believe - and what's just the baggage of the 'sub-culture' he came from?

Donald meets some diverse characters and makes a mistake or two along the way - but it's a compelling journey. The trailer is interesting, but the synopsis gave me a better idea of what the movie is about.


It's the kind of movie that a non-Christian can see, but if you choose to see it with your church group, there's a bible study and various discussions guides to help you reflect on the deeper aspects of the movie.

As an added bonus, the website has a $5 coupon - for a discount on the cinema price.

PS. This is the movie that almost didn't get made. For reasons like those i mentioned at the beginning, traditional Christian movie companies turned their back on it. The only reason it became a movie was because thousands of fans of the book chipped in to get the movie made.

The Filter Bubble

This TED video illustrates how we can (unknowingly) find ourselves in an information bubble.


Websites can tailor the information we recieve to what they think we want to see. The result is that despite living in diverse world, we get only certain types of information. I think this diagram shows it best.


As the presenter points out, this same type of filtering has always occurred in other media - by newspaper editors, tv producers etc. But here i wanted to ask where we think this might happen in church circles.

How often do we seriously listen to views from people other than church people? Do we listen to sermons by preachers other than our local pastor. Do we read the full gospels (or even full bible) or just the snippets from the lectionary? Do we talk with people who see Jesus differently from us - or do those people get bounced away by our own personal filter bubble?

Jesus > Religion

Love this great verse from Jefferson Bethke. Full lyrics can be found here, and some of my favourite pieces are below. We often get caught up doing the whole church/religion thing. I think it does us good to be reminded that we are supposed to be following Jesus.



I mean if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor

They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it
Not realising religion's like spraying perfume on a casket

Now I ain't judgin, I'm just saying quit putting on a fake look
Cause there's a problem - If people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook

I mean in every other aspect of life, you know that logic's unworthy
It's like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey

Because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean
It's not a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken

Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the bible, and yes I believe in sin
But if Jesus came to your church would they actually let him in

See remember he was called a glutton, and a drunkard by religious men
But the son of God never supports self righteousness not now, not then

Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums

See one's the work of God, but one's a man made invention
See one is the cure, but the other's the infection

See because religion says do, Jesus says done
Religion says slave, Jesus says son

Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see

[More of Jefferson's stuff is available through the Chisel Season website, including more thoughts on 7 differences between Jesus and Religion]

Doing Something Great

This is a good positive video to start the new year.



I've written some about this before, but i just love how the internet connects enough Christians to enable us to do great works.

Alma

"Alma" is Spanish for "soul", but is also the name of this prize-winning animation. I watched it several times, because it kind of rings true for me as a spiritual metaphor. (And because i would notice different things in it each time).

It's difficult to say too much without spoiling it, but i think there's something in it for church goers. What do you reckon?

Steven Colbert - Pretend or Admit

In this classic quip from comedian Steven Colbert, he comedically makes a very serious point. (Kudos to the person who put the moving text to the original audio)



So which do we choose - pretend or admit? (Or can we choose obey?)

As Soren Keirkgaard (not a comedian, but a theologian with a rather dry wit) put it many years before:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined.

Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close.

[Related link: Followers or Fans?]

7 Is Greater Than 1

Soul City Church does this great video on how we could be more effective if we could get beyond the thinking that church "is something that happens on one day". A day when everyone "faces forward, sits still and pretends to have a good time".



"Imagine a church being known for more what it does 7 days a week - instead of just one."

You Lost Me ... Get It

Previously i gave you the stat that 70% of young adults will leave the church within 4 years. Now here's something for those interested in fixing that.

The book You Lost Me is accurately described by it's subtitle... "Why young christians are leaving church and rethinking faith". David Kinnaman (author of unChristian) analyses the ways church has failed young adults. A host of contributors provide 50 positive ideas to address the issue - including Jon Acuff, Francis Chan, Shane Claiborne and many more.



I heartily suggest you get your hands on a copy. If you're in doubt, read the free preview. If you want a quick summary of the problems, see the article 6 Reasons Young Christians Leave Church. Check out some of the ideas that didn't fit in the book, or get the free leader's resources.

PS. There's also a new article 5 Ways to Connect with Millenials

Wrong Worship

I was very amused by this parody.
What worship would sound like if we said what we meant? ;)



[Related posts: Lying to God and Coming Soon...]

Making The Trade

Are we willing to make the trade? To give up the self focus, to pursue Christ?



"We you live doesn't make you a missionary, the mission you're on makes you a missionary"

[Video by Right Now]

What If Go Meant Go

Brilliant video clip from the Foursquare Church



What if we did 'Go' as Jesus commanded? What if we spent less time stressed out by ineffective church fluff - and more time following Jesus?

"Are You Listening?!"

This clip takes an earnest look at prayer - the pitfalls, the growth, the examples in the bible, and the frustration when nothing happens. Two tips ... 1. It's probably best viewed in full-screen. 2. There's a twist at the end.

Prayer from Granger Community Church

On a similar theme, author David Platt writes an interesting article on choosing between a "business as usual" religion that looks good by society's standards - and the challenge to...

take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him

Followers?

In the promo for his video series, Francis Chan makes a good point.

Nowadays there are millions of people on this earth who call themselves followers of Jesus, but their lives look nothing like his. But in their heart of hearts they’re convinced they’re followers.

The Big Red Tractor

The Big Red Tractor - Francis Chan

I think this wonderful video speaks for itself. At face value, it's a great kids' story. But deeper down it's a great allegory for the church.

When they did things the same way "for many generations" there is just enough food for the village itself. When they followed the "good news" in the owner's manual there was an abundance of food to take to other villages. And the people became known for their generosity.
----
ps. i also notice the initial difficulty in getting other 'tractor lovers' to actually follow the tractor book, rather than tradition. ;)

Missional Church

You may have seen clips like this on the internet - that explain the basic gist of an idea, often using diagrams.


This one explains the concept of missional church.

In the past past churches have spent large amounts of resources to construct the most attractive place imaginable. Inviting people became synonymous with evangelism.

The people who came seemed relatively similar. Eventually someone asked the question "What about all the people who aren't like us?"

Sounds like Black Box Theory ;)
Alternatively, the missional church...

empowers its members to be the church in the community. The church trains resources and encourages and challenges its people to live out the good news in their community.

The church recognises the every believer embodies the life of the church in their neighbourhood, at their school, or at their place of work. Each one of them telling God's story in the context of genuine compassionate relationships.

Sounds a lot more Jesus-like to me.

Followers Or Fans?

I was recently sent this video, presumably broadcast shortly after the Osama bin Laden assasination. It makes some very good points (in a witty way).

New rule: If you're a Christian who supports killing your enemies and torture, you have to come up with a new name for yourself.

Martin Luther King gets to call himself a Christian because he actually practised loving his enemies.

He describes Christian hypocrisy as being "like joining Greenpeace and hating whales"

He (Jesus) has lines like "do not repay evil with evil" and "do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you". Really - it's in the book you hold up when you scream at gay people.

Probably the most stinging quotes were

If you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do ... you're not Christ's followers, you're just fans.

and

I can say that, because I'm a non-Christian - just like most "Christians"

They are harsh statements - but probably well-deserved.

Clare Bowditch

ABC's Compass program did a great 1-on-1 with Australian singer songwriter Clare Bowditch. It covers her religious upbring, her beliefs, her absence from church (despite still being close to God) and how she sees things now.


Some of Clare's thoughts (though i recommend seeing the whole chat for a better sense of where she is coming from):

God is ... the source of longing and question and compassion and this impulse in us to want to do good; to want to be kind to our fellow human; to protect; to nurture.

So I think what the world is for me is a series that presents a series of choices. So what do we choose? What do we believe? What do we focus on? What do we spend time on and what do we get caught in? And it is always looking to the question of a higher ideal and what that is and where it's hiding.

It's been difficult to find a priest who I can relate to, to be honest. So that's one of the problems I've had.

I don't know if there's a home for people like me in the Catholic Church any more to be honest.

But if you're a questioning Catholic, the question today that you ask is, can the church open its heart to difference?

Some of the most interesting and curious and thinking and intelligent and heartfelt open hearted of people I know are atheists, are agnostics. No church has a monopoly on what it means to be good. But I think the conversation has to be broader.

We can't be in a world that divides people on points of sexuality or gender or so on. Those things are really disruptive for people who want to believe in god and then feel that they don't have a home for their faith because their religion doesn't allow that kind of difference.

The interviewer asked "Imagine that you could change three things within the Catholic Church that would make it feel like home. What would they be?"

I think the issues that are most urgently in need of being addressed and that I see people hurting over are really the question of sexuality, same sex marriage and the legitimacy of love between humans who happen to be the same sex. And also the question of the role of women in the church. And of course there's that heartbreaking one which is the question of, well the question of how do we encourage what seems like such a closed institution to open up and tell the truth and be transparent.

Saturday Night Worship / Party

I've talked about Mars Hill before, and their creative thinking. This video promoting their Saturday night worship in Downtown Seattle would be considered outside-the-square in lots of churches merely for worshipping on a Saturday, let alone having a video to spread the word. But the reasons behind it are where it gets really missional.


Based on Paul's speech to the men of Athens, they figure that in some ways their city today is quite similar to Athens in Paul's day. So, after the Saturday night worship, the people of Mars Hill are invited to

continue the worship by going out into the neighborhood to restaurants, bars, and other gatherings. More than merely showing up, we want to encourage all to share the love, grace, and celebration of the gospel with the people in the places where they do their worship.

Essentially, they see their Saturday night worship as a celebration of Jesus, and after the 'service' they take the party to the city.