Pop-Culture

“Most people think our mode of worship is unique, and it is true that there are few such year-round ministries anywhere in the world. But frankly, I wonder why there are not more drive-in ministries. Surely every large community has the types of people who benefit from our services. These are people in the shadows, those who want to go to church but find the traditional church too trying for them.”- Verlyn D. Verbrugge-

I agree with this pastor when he says most people think their mode of worship is unique, because I think it’s unique too. I have been struggling a lot lately with how north Americans do worship, it seems that it is all about us as we stroll into church with our coffees and then sing songs that are more focused on making us feel good rather then worshiping God. This drive-in church concept just adds to my frustrations about how we worship. I can see their point and mission. It does make sense to try and reach out to the people that are “in the shadows” and afraid of traditional church but I think this drive-in idea is a bit too far. I feel like its just driving in, getting it done and leaving, where is the community among the drive-in? Can you even build a community without leaving your car? On the other hand maybe this style of worship is okay. God tells us that where 2 or more are gathered in his name, he will be with them, so if God is there, does it matter how they are sitting or worshiping as long as it’s sincere? I rally don’t know, this article brought a lot of questions into my mind and I am still struggling with it. I do know one thing though; I wouldn’t feel right coming before God in my nice comfy car seat, not even having to lift a foot for him.

http://wdi.gospelcom.net/index.html

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"Jesus is becoming more known as something to buy and sell in the marketplace than a radical lifestyle"-Kyle Dickenson-

I agree with this quote. Jesus has been made into something that can be manipulated and put in a box. It’s no longer so much a lifestyle but a trend. If you buy a shirt that says “Jesus is my homeboy” and you’re a Christian, then you’re seen as proclaiming your faith in a cool way. But if you’re not a Christian and you buy the same shirt, you are making fun of Christians and it’s just as cool. How the heck does that work?

You can buy a bobble head Jesus, and action figures, or even go to biblical theme parks where you can watch a reenactment of the crucifixion every three hours while you eat ice cream. Since when did it become okay to push Gods mystery into a toy we can play with? By doing this we are belittling everything God has done for us. To a child, a Jesus toy is nothing great, its something to play with, something they have domain over. Yes, some may argue that it’s good to get knowledge of Jesus into the world, but at what price? Will we belittle our God so people can experience Jesus in a “fun” way? Where do we draw the line? I think stamping Jesus on our products, claming to use it as a tool to spread the word is wrong. Last time I checked, Jesus isn’t concerned with what’s cool, or “in”. Jesus was working in the streets, spreading the word with his example. If Christians want to sell Jesus in the marketplace fine, let them but I will not support it. If they are serious about getting the knowledge of Jesus into the world, then they will get down in the gutters, and start there.

http://www.polvero.com/articles/39

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“It's a cartoon series called "Popetown," a parody of the Vatican. And it is so controversial that the Catholic Church in Germany, where it is to be aired in May, is already trying to persuade MTV not to air the show”- DW staff-

When I think of Religion and Pop-culture, the first thing I think of is the religious group trying to fit in to popular culture but this article reminded me of how popular culture often fits religious groups in whether they like it or not. In the case of this cartoon, it makes me a bit sad. Its hard to take criticism, I am not catholic but to the rest of the world, all Christians are more or less pushed into the same box with the Catholics so really the cartoon does effect us all. Such a big criticism is hard to take, and the world, which does not understand the Catholic Church, will probably take the twisted view the cartoon portrays and adopt it as their own. For a lot of people, media tells them what to love and what to hate, in this case it hates the Catholic Church. As for the church in Germany trying to persuade MTV no to air the show, well I’m not sure what to think. One on hand, it could look like the church is persuading MTV because the carton may have some truths the church doesn’t want revealed to the world, but on the other hand the cartoon may be full of lies that they don’t want revealed to the world. Jesus tells us that if we are going to follow him, we will face trials and tribulations, so I guess the church has to just take them as they come, no matter what form they are in.

http://www.dwworld.de/dw/article/0,2144,1966688,00.html

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“Popular culture can be a window of insight into the world and life views of the culture in which God has called us to live faithfully for his glory”-Denis Haack-

I had to read this quote a few times over, but I do agree with the quote. I think a lot of the times Christians are afraid of popular culture because in a lot of ways it portrays things that we do not associate ourselves with. It’s almost like pop culture is a pin bursting our nice little Christians bubble. I think popular culture is a good thing for us if we take it in the right way. God has called us to live faithfully in this world and what we do here is for his glory so as Christians if we are unaware of what is going on around us, how are we to comprehend our purpose in this world. God does not want us to just stay in the bubble; he wants us to get out into the world for his glory. I think calling pop culture a window of insight is right. It’s our way to look out to the world and see what it loves and what drives the world. It is not something to fear, but rather a building block in our faith and evangelism. Being aware of pop culture does not make us part of it; it just helps us understand our world better. I don’t want to be locked down in a Christian bubble, fearing the world because I have no idea what its about.

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/D_202.html