PBS Discussion on the historical Jesus

Watch From Jesus to Christ: Panel Discussion on PBS. See more from Station Promos.

Via Zwingliusredivivus

Buying Christianity Today's book of the year

If you want to get into real biblical theology, let me commend you to buy the following book:
A New Testament Biblical Theology, A: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New by G. K. Beale.


If you click the link, you will be helping for the upkeep of this blog. 

Once again, on the subject of Guns and killings

Can the Church learn anything from Gangnam Style?

Apparently, Jelani Greenidge, thinks so.

I've been in both city and countries churches here in Australia, and they both suffer from the same problem, the want to hold on to their own culture desperately. Yet, the success of Gangnam Style, is because it has overcome the issues I have seen taking place in the Anglo churches I have ministered, both city and country alike.

1. Top-shelf entertainment is inherently cross-cultural. No longer is something limited in scope to boundaries of nationality, race, or even language. As a matter of fact, the best films and literature freely borrow and interpret from a variety of styles and cultures. Music is no different. Just as Americans have embraced the Japanese word and concept of “karaoke,” so too have plenty of Koreans adopted mannerisms from American pop culture, including hip-hop. And there are plenty of really good Asian emcees, including several who are Christ followers, like Jin (formerly of Ruff Ryders), and Korean-born Brooklynite HeeSun Lee.
This truth is pretty self-evident, however many creative Christians fall on either extreme of cultural myopia (only being interested in your own culture) or cultural appropriation (taking elements of the culture in an ignorant or disrespectful manner). Believers wanting their work to engage with their broader community should take this to heart. We can’t run away from other cultures, and we can’t be irresponsible with our cultural engagement.

I've been in the city, they want to force me to conform to their culture, I am in the country, I have to conform to their culture. True, but success now has been proven that a cultural success is not being "monocrome", but being more open to the different cultures surrounding a church.

2. Today’s pop culture is dominated by visuals. “Gangnam Style” is a perfect example of this. Without the video, the song, catchy as it is, would not be the juggernaut that it is. This is why, as an artist or a band, you can’t just have a certain sound, you’ve also got to have a certain look to go with it. This is also one of the reasons why church creative teams are beginning to invest more time and energy into set design, because the ambiance makes a difference.

A church that has no visual, or at least stimulates the mind while preaching, is a church doom to fail an die, and let me say it, they deserve it. I am sick and tired of hearing, "it's not the medium, but the message", but someone with a weak voice, will not proclaim the gospel as good as someone with a good, strong voice. What good is to say a great truth, that Jesus is Lord, yet, saying it like you don't believe it? Haddon Robinson has many good things to say about such preachers. But going back to visuals, yes, we need to have more visuals at church. That's the only way people will retain whatever it's being said, or done. So, yes, more to visuals!

3. Production values matter. I can’t say this enough. Many YouTube videos by Christians have clever ideas and funny concepts, but they’re marred by poor lighting and bad editing. A large part of the reason why “Gangnam Style” is popular is because it looks fantastic. PSY and his crew went to a lot of effort with the various outfits, locales, etc.

Can't emphasise this enough. Musicians, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Preachers, prepare, prepare, prepare. Sound system guys, please, have everything ready before the start of the service. Proyector people, please, have the right slides and the timing.
If you don't worry how the service it's going to look, why should the visitors worry to listen and pay attention in your service?

4. Audiences appreciate commitment. What sets this video apart from the millions of others like it is that it’s really funny. Improv coaches believe one of the keys to comedy is commitment. PSY didn’t just do a few silly things and call it a day. He went all out. Rapping in a tuxedo while confetti gets in his mouth. Or in a public bath (complete with uncomfortable elderly onlooker). PSY is not necessarily the most attractive, physically fit guy out there, but he’s likable in this video because of the lengths he’s willing to go to deliver his message. And because of that, many people received it.

If you want to stay conventional, you loose. And if people don't like it when you do something different, they loose. We love to take sudden trips, do things spontaneity, yet, we want to stick with the same thing over and over again at church. I am not suggesting for a radical change over, but to make a commitment to do something different, and when criticised, show your commitment by having a good explanation of your actions. If you can give a good explanation of your actions, and biblical, people will either appreciate that, or will shut up since they won't have anything to say back.

5. Great songs unify people.  I was reminded by this awhile back when Michael Jackson passed away. One of the downsides of this era we live in, with the proliferation of DIY pop stars and a million different TV channels, is that audiences are so heavily segmented that there are very few things that a LOT of people enjoy together. Thus, viral videos like “Gangnam Style” are filling the void left by top 40 radio and TV shows like Soul Train, American Bandstand, and, if you want to back even further, The Ed Sullivan Show.  “Gangnam Style” isn’t necessarily great music per se, but so much of the fun is that so many people love it. When my phone rings out “Gangnam Style” while I’m on the bus, I get knowing nods and grins. It’s like being in a secret club.

Yes, good hymns and songs unify the church. Get a song that will be like the representation of the vision of the church. When we sing national hymns, it makes us feel one people. I remember that song by QANTAS here in Australia during the Olympics, "I still call Australia home", that everybody liked. ANSETT, an airline that doesn't exist anymore, was the official Olympics Airline, yet, didn't attract customers because they didn't have a song that attracted the people. QANTAS profited more from the Olympics than the "official" airline, that ultimately went broke. The same happens with churches who don't find a common ground. Yes, I know, our unity comes from Jesus, but I guess that is for those of us who understand it, and eventually, not all will understand that. If they would, we wouldn't have church splits and that sort of divisions. So, let's start by uniting people at a human level, because not all of them will be united spiritually.

Well, I guess there are good things to gather from Gangnam Style and the likes. Even the early church did things that the world did (worship in Basilicas) so they could connect to people. The church that stops that, then it is doom to die, sooner or later.

Guns don't kill people... toddlers do. Right?

It looks like the Palestinians are not the only ones who give guns to their children to kill others, or kill themselves:

 A Tennessee toddler is dead after accidentally shooting himself.
Janice Atkinson, with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, told WRCB-TV that 2-year-old Brennan Nowell died late Thursday from his injuries.
Authorities have said the child was shot in the stomach with a firearm that belonged to his grandfather.
Neighbors told the station that the child found the handgun and was playing with it when he accidentally shot himself.

This is very sad. It just happens too often. Go and have a look at the source.

NRA's Hypocrisy at its best, but also stupidity.

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre says that the worst type of violence are video games, which is the new type of "porn". 

However, he forgot to mention the NRA's own violent video game. 

A total fail on his organisation's part.

Here it's the proof:

via :zwingliusredivivus

USA is top of the G8 for unwanted reasons

French cheese is illegal in the US, but not high caliber guns

Jim West is right, having more guns is not the answer

Do you know what the stupidest argument being made is in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut?   That if someone at the school had a gun everyone would be alive except the shooter.

Idiocy.   Ronald Reagan was shot by a gunman and he was SURROUNDED by secret servicemen WITH GUNS.

Those making this moronic argument need to pick up a history book.  It's both false and profoundly stupid.

Jim West. Theologian at large!!!

USA is number 1, in murders with a gun

For the Twilight fans. This is horrible.

Good on you Messi

What people really believe

A more appropriate song from St. Nicolas