Thursday, April 10, 2008
Last night I caught a few minutes of American Idol’s much hyped, “Idol Gives Back.” It seemed every “A List” celebrity in the world was brought in to appeal to the American public to send money to fight poverty, disease, and to make the world a better place to live.
Oddly, As I watched, I thought to myself, Maybe the church is starting to sound TOO MUCH like Idol Gives Back, and Bono, and the United Way. Maybe the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction.
For years many of my pastor friends complained that for too long American Christians have been preoccupied with “saving souls” and not caring about how those souls live in the “here and now.”
At the time they were right.
But now, it appears, Christians are more consumed with fighting AIDS in Africa, and homelessness in America, and poverty worldwide, than they are in telling people how Christ died for their sins.
What’s missing, it seems, is the urgency to share the saving message of Christ, without which a person will surely go to hell after they live their life here on this earth.
Here’s my question: What good is it if we give someone medical care, making their life more comfortable for the next 60 years, if we ignore sharing Christ and they spend not 60 years, but all eternity separated from God?
It’s not a question of either/or, but both/and.
Surely the works of the gospel (social justice) must precede and accompany the preaching of the gospel (Christ’s payment for your sins). But if we don't actually open our mouths and share the message of the Christian faith and call for a response, we’re no different than some cheesy suntanned TV personality raising money for charity.
Idol Gives Back and the Misguided Church
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Brian,
I agree with what you said. I also watched a little bit of Idol last night. The thing I hope it did was help the church realize there is a real need to practice the social gospel. I hope they see there really is poverty in the world that needs our help.
While the church is building large ornate buildings, spending millions of dollars on themselves, there is a world that has nothing. I often wonder if God is going to look at the church in America and hold us accountable for using what he has given us to help those in need, for bricks and mortar.
The church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
I really liked what you said about it is both meeting a physical need and a spiritual need. That is what puts the "gospel" in social gospel.
It reminds me of Jesus when he fed the five thousand in John 6. He did this little thing and walked on the water to cross the lake with his disciples. The crowd followed him to the otherside. And he said, "you are looking for me because I fed you." Then he proceeds to teach them that he is the bread of life.
Jesus teaches us to take care of physical needs to get to the spiritual needs.
Great post.
Bake
Hey Brian...The theme of this post is exactly what our pastor here in Columbus preached on this past week (listen here: http://www.vineyardcolumbus.org/resources/sermons/index.asp). It is entitled something like "Becoming a Both/And Church Rather Than an Either/Or Church." I found it really compelling. It is an articulate, well-balanced message on the importance of meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of humanity.
Deron
The coolest thing about the show was that there was reference to God in several songs. Hopefully this will help “young” Christians be more comfortable in everyday evangelism and hopefully others will be more receptive to the good news.
It’s nice to see people in show business doing something that isn’t over indulgent for a change.
Great post!
Brian,
I keep looking for Jesus in church and just seem to get eyestrain for my efforts these days. Yet He seems to keep popping up "out there." To me, as I watched Idol Gives Back, He showed up in Carrie Underwood's song "Pray for Time." Most christians I know would certainly write that off with "the lyrics offer no hope" or "not theologically correct" or maybe even "some cheesy suntanned TV personality raising money for charity." Referring to his One campaign, I once watched Bono tell Bill Hybels that paying someone millions of dollars to play sports or sing songs is utterly ridiculous. He then said "be that as it may, celebrity is currency...and I've chosen to spend mine." Reminds me of the parable of the 1,10 and 100 talents.
I believe that God will release His lavish grace in our lives as we embrace reality: the one that we live in AND the redemptive one we carry inside as Christians. Look for the one we live in in the lyrics to Carrie's song (written by George Michael):
These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers
This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses
The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
Because God stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all God's children
Crept out the back door
And its hard to love,
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say its much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time
These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear
Twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there
Is over here
So you scream from behind your door
Say whats mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much
But I'll take my chances
Because God stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things
They sold you
Did you cover your eyes when
They told you
That he can't come back
Because he has no children
To come back for
Now, Brian, can we meet the writer in this place - because it seems very real - with the truth of the gospel and its redemptive reality? Or will our presentation of the gospel just give him another stanza to write?
PS - Thanks for "Second Guessing God," I could not put it down.
So true, Brian! They did sing 'Shout to the Lord' at the end of the show - hopefully, that touched somebody out there. Love that song - would like to hear it at CCV!
The Mormons, sorry LDS, have this balance ‘mastered.’ They help people, and then once they've forged a relationship, pass on the word. People don't fight back; it is the least they can do since the young man in the black and white just built them a house. It is presented in a way that is palatable and applicable. I think that it is an exchange similar to the little fish that clean gills as a form of sustenance and the great white whom they swim next to.
I just can't help but think the two need to be separate otherwise the relationship is insincere. I am a vegetarian. When I was 15, all I wanted to do was tell people about my vegetarianism. My boyfriend at the time, now husband, taught me that I don't necessarily need to lead though my words, but rather quietly, through example. People would want to know why I was losing weight and feeling healthy. They would inquire with a sincere interest, not because I was lecturing them about it.
The people whose houses we build know we are from a church. They know we are Christian. I think Jesus would almost find it worse if we only helped people to get them to listen to us. It’s dubious and insincere.
Post a Comment