Today, Doug Pagitt is in town and I'm about to go to a discussion about his new book with a few pastors and theologians from Western Seminary which should be interesting. While I have some large concerns about a few ideas in the book, there are also some things I very much agree with. One of those that I looked over again today was this:
"When I talk about contextualization, I’m not talking about using pop culture connections to make faith more fashionable for the masses. I’m not talking about telling the same story with updated language. I'm talking about doing what John did — developing an intimate understanding of both our context and the story itself so that we can live faithfully in our day."
Amen to that! Many churches act as if they are doing something contextual to our culture because they do a series called "American Idols" or "Grace Anatomy" (which could be one of the more ridiculous series' titles I've heard for some time.) These sermon series that try to take contemporary pop-culture crap and make it into something spiritual is far from being contextual, but it does smack of desperation to be relevant. I always wonder when I see these inane sermon series ideas, "does Jesus suck that bad?" Seriously, must we come up with shallow gimmicks to get people in our doors? I'm glad that's not the truth! But I hope the church in America comes alive to the realization that contextualization is a much deeper concept than taking what culture has to offer and making it spiritual.
Sorry about the rant, something struck a nerve there :)
1 comment:
I have not watched one episode of Grey's Anatomy, but I do have to say that Gross Anatomy, the 1989 flick staring Matthew Modine, was...awesome. Just throwing it out there.
Jeff
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