Somewhat daily discussion question: Have we gone too far?
Jeremy Geerdes
which follows one Dr. Russell Carlisle, a seminary professor from the
1890's, as he travels forward in time to our own era to explore the
ramifications of his theorem that one can teach morals without basing
them on the absolute truth of Jesus Christ. Of course, there are
obvious differences that he immediately notices, such as the SUV that
nearly runs him over almost immediately after he arrives, the price
that two rather shady pawn shop owners offered for the extremely
valuable coins he brought to exchange for modern currency, the radio
headset worn by the worker at the laundromat he passes, and the cell
phones attached to virtually everyone's ear. And there is some humor,
like when he climbed into the church van - something he had never
before even imagined - to go with the Sunday School group to the
movies, and then how he runs out of the movie screaming that it must
be turned off for the way the characters "blaspheme" the name of the
Lord by uttering the name of Jesus in vain.
Speaking of how Carlisle runs from the movie because of the blasphemy,
throughout the movie, the main character discovers ways in which our
culture and our churches have compromised a true relationship with
Jesus Christ in favor of simple good morals, which eventually eroded
away for lack of foundation into a tolerance and even embrace of sin.
Indeed, Carlisle found that this erosion has affected everything from
our language and dress, to the little girl "playing around" by swiping
his hot dog, to the things we do for recreation, to the way we do
church.
As I watched this movie with the kids and one of the youth leaders, I
found myself laughing at the humor, chuckling at a few of the more
cheesy parts, and contemplating areas of my own life where I have
allowed my culture to compromise me. Surely, we can all relate. But
one of the things that really hit me was the critique of the modern
church that the movie presented. Church members boasted of their new
building program, the church league sports that they all participated
in, the Sunday School movie night, and a whole list of other
activities. But when it came to the stuff that really matters -
breaking the bread of life, developing our relationship with the Lord,
and challenging others to do the same - Carlisle observed that "there
was boredom" throughout the sanctuary, even though the teaching was
theologically "accurate." He was astounded that no one in the Sunday
School class took offense to the language used in the movie, and even
more so that some actually justified it as better than most. He was
dumbfounded that the Sunday School-attending science teacher wouldn't
even mention the Bible in her class. And he marveled that only a
handful of people showed up to call on those who were interested in
joining the church, and those that did focused exclusively on the
programs and activities that the congregation offered.
Obviously, we must adapt our methods and means to effectively reach
the culture in which we live. And clearly, we must avoid the
legalistic tendencies with which previous generations of Wesleyans
have struggled. But in an era when everyone tells us that we need to
be "in the world" and we throw around fancy words like "missional,"
have we boiled church down to an itinerary of activities which, though
originally intended to draw people into a personal relationship with
Jesus, have ultimately distracted us from it? Have we allowed our
worship and teaching ministries to become simply things we must endure
to take advantage of the fun stuff the church offers that we like?
Have we become so immersed in our culture that we begin to tolerate,
justify, or even participate in its sinful behaviors? Have we so lost
track of our purpose as a church - to make God the foremost priority
in our lives and call others to do the same - that we promote our
programs and activities as the primary reason people should join?
So here's the question: Have we gone too far? If so, what must we do
to get back in line? If not, how much farther do we go before we have?
Rev. Jeremy R. Geerdes, Pastor
Debra Heights Wesleyan Church
4025 Lower Beaver Rd.
Des Moines, IA 50310
p/f: (515) 279-5212
h: (515) 277-7491
jgee...@mchsi.com
jgeerdes.wordpress.com
Jeremy Geerdes
is a link to their website:
http://www.timechangermovie.com/home.htm
Jeremy R. Geerdes
Effective website design & development
Des Moines, IA
For more information or a project quote:
http://jgeerdes.home.mchsi.com
http://jgeerdes.blogspot.com
http://jgeerdes.wordpress.com
jgee...@mchsi.com
Unless otherwise noted, any price quotes contained within this
communication are given in US dollars.
If you're in the Des Moines, IA, area, check out Debra Heights
Wesleyan Church!
And check out my blog, Adventures in Web Development, at http://jgeerdes.blogspot.com
!