Monday, October 23, 2006
The $ 1.6 Million Christian Concert...
So we had the Franklin Graham thing this weekend..it went by fairly well..still think it is a waste of money. I think if we evaluate it as an evangelistic outreach..it was clearly an utter failure. For the simple reasons that about 85-90% of the audience was clearly christian. So if the purpose of spending all this money was to reach out to people clearly the festival failed. While that maybe more apart of the people in Winnipeg. Also in a class today one of the guys mentioned something that is very true...that truth without love..doesn't hold truth. This was in a response to how Graham communicated the message..he made some remarks that people would call 'bold' or frankly sounding hateful at times. I guess the whole conference doesn't really have a overall ring of sharing the love, which Graham stresses in his speech before calling people murders. but i do hope that people who did respond to the 'alter call' can meet christian that can love them..and bring them up in a loving community....
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Hey -- wanted to add a couple of my comments here after being at the Festival too. I hear what you are saying about a Christian concert. It was discouraging to see a lot of people leaving after Casting Crowns and Michael W. Smith were finished on Sunday. Some people -- possibly people who were far from God -- were turned away at the doors so that some Christians could get a free concert. That's sad. I brought my youth group in part for those concerts (is that equally sad?) but in part because I want them to have every chance in the world to accept Jesus.
The other thing is that Franklin Graham's comments about sin were interesting to me, too. It is offensive today to say that homosexuality is sinful. Or that abortion is murder (both were said on Saturday night). But Jesus also called his generation a wicked and perverse generation, right? If you look at what Jesus says, some of the things are not loving at all, at least the way we tend to describe love.
The struggle I have is that sometimes we are so busy trying to make God "relevant" that we don't speak the truth about how God feels about these things. Do I really give a rip about all the kids who are aborted? Probably not, and the sad thing is I'm not even ashamed of that.
Why does a red flag go up for me immediately when somebody says the truth? I think it is because wackos have taken it too far -- they have crossed the line from calling a sin a sin to expressing hatred of those who they disagree with. Franklin did not show any hatred towards people who had had abortions, or who were homosexuals. But he did call those decisions sinful.
Just some of my thoughts. Feel free to challenge them!!!
Hey Bryan...
Thanks for your comment. I think the 'christian concert' thing really bothered me. I think most of the youth at my church came for the free show, i still think Milt Stegall and Cindy Klassen had an influence on the youth.
I do understand our desire for the youth to come and meet Jesus.
I really appreciated what you said. However, i have a couple of question..do we as christian have a right to talk like Jesus? I agree with you that at times we don't call sin a sin. I also remember jesus not comdeming the adulterous women in the gospel, but telling her to sin no more.
I have no problme calling homosexuality a sin. Actually just did a workshop at a youth retreat on it..and i simply assumed that homosexuality was a sin, i don't see away around it. I just wonder why Graham chose these two subjects, which are typical 'hot topics' in our time. I am weary of people who use them as an emotional tool to get a response. My experience with this kind of political talk is that people want to call them a sin, but not want to help bring restoration in there lives.
I understand in the abortion topic..often it seems that these babies that get aborted that no one cares about them. I also have experienced people with a 'pro-life' stance also could care less about the mother who has a baby and receives no help from people..even though the main reason the abortion was thought of in the first place is due to growing up in a typs of enviroment, we tend to ignore social sins..not sure what good it is to call people on sin and not showing them to healing, which is needed for both of these instances. Telling a homosexual that he/her is a sinner without a place to talk about there struggles and why they feel they gravitate to this lifestyle is futile, not very holistic.
I am all about truth. Jesus spoke 'bluntly' about sin..i completely agree..i am just weary of people attempting to do that..jesus also was a friend of sinner..somehow i wonder if we are capable of doing that in a loving manner without our human nature getting in the way.
A little side note to all this is that i think this kind of festival creates problems for many people who come forward to understand what it really means to be a follower of Jesus. I find the sinners prayer one of the great cruxes of evangelicalism. It tend to give off a notion that this is the end, where i find it is the beginning.
Feel free to write back..i'd love to talk about this some more. I think my youth class was divided about there reaction to Graham...
If I could jump here and offer my two cents: It is worth noting that Graham specifially mentioned abortion and homosexuality, which happen to be "hot button" issues among the religious right. I can't speak with any authority on Graham because 1) I wasn't there, and 2) I don't follow his career very closely. All the same, I would guess that he didn't say anything about poverty and social injustice, which is clearly something that the Bible/Christian faith has some strong opinions on. I suspect Graham's motivations for condemning homosexuality and abortion have as much to do with conservative politics as theology.
Hey Joey...
Yeah, that's very true. I think the more i hear the religious right talk, the more thankful i am of being a canadian. It seems to be a christian for so long meant to would vote a certain way. Sortof sad..but oh well, don't think i will ever move to the states.
Chris
Hey Johnny...
Thanks for your thoughts. I just wonder how much it is a mere political strategy to gain votes. I also think canadians need to be weary of the political alliance with the party. Espeically, considering how in the last little while the religous right has become a joke in political circles and the 'weight' that Dobson and other believe they have is really a facade.
Hey Guys...
I was listening to some Rob Bell sermons' today titled 'Jesus wants to save Christains' ...Bell wonders why christian feel a need to be morality police. Mostly because it doesn't really work..just a thought...anyways listen to those sermons they are really good.
Chris
Good question about whether we can talk like Jesus or not. I don't know. I think the more I think about all of this the less I am sure of.
I like how Rob Bell points out that Jesus' harshest words were reserved for those who thought they were "insiders" rather than for those who were far from him. I see this pattern in Scripture, too.
And yet a sin is still a sin. And there is room for the prophetic call to repentance.
Just because I don't feel comfortable with it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. But I am with you in that I don't feel totally comfortable with it. I don't like sitting in a room where somebody is preaching it.
Then again, there is some stuff in Scripture that is pretty heavy, too (although again, most of it is aimed at insiders). But look at Jonah in Nineveh -- his prophecy of destruction turned 120,000 lives around. So the whole coming judgment thing can not only be used, but can even be sanctioned by God.
Personally, I would like to think it's God's love and goodness, and not the fear of hell, that should draw us to Him. One of John's letters points out that there is no fear in love -- perfect love drives out all fear.
Sure God hates sin -- but isn't His love a more powerful motivation than His anger? In a world where so many people feel alienated and alone -- isn't the promise of love and relationship exactly what we need? Isn't that the message we should be giving?
I think different people need to hear different messages. I am glad Franklin Graham is trying to be faithful to His calling -- I am also glad for guys like Rob Bell and Andy Stanley and Rick McKinley who come at it from a different angle.
The other thing with me is that if people only hear me speak once about God, I would rather speak about His love than his judgment. When I talk about judgment and stuff like that -- I would prefer to have a relationship with the people I am talking with, so that they can ask me questions and we can talk about it back and forth. Because I know those can be controversial topics, and I don't want to turn anybody away because I miscommunicated something.
I'll stop now before this becomes a novel.
Hey Bryan...
I think your point on the inside nature of Jesus' criticsm and harsh comments is important. I think people are realizing more and more that these were the religious people of the day that Jesus was talking to..sortof puts the whole street corner evangleist at odds with the biblical texts. i listen to a sermon Rob Bell gave on Hell the other day where he does a good job of point that out.
Bryan: I really like your comment about speaking "judgement" (properly understood) to people you have a relationship with. That, I think, provides a context where people can grow together in community. Yes, there is always a "prophetic" angle on things, but as you say, there is also a "pastoral" angle to consider. Good thought.
Chris: I'm curious how Rob Bell's recent sermons have affected your thinking. You mentioned his talk on hell and I'm curious what he said and what your thoughts were. Maybe you could write a blog entry on it. Do you take requests?
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