Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The question...
Some time ago, I was watching a repeat of Malcolm in the Middle. Yes I know...but what can I say sometimes the best way to find out how the church is impacting the culture is to monitor the culture. This particular episode was hilarious. Malcolm's parents had a baby and it was time to try to get day care for the child so they could go back to work. The reputations of the their other children had preceded them and so they were unsuccessful at finding anyonee to take this child. There was only one place left, the day care run by the local church. In order to be accepted to this day care, they had to be accepted by the pastor. (Yeah okay that's far fetched but work with me here.) Hal and Lois had the kids all dressed in their sunday best and were trying to convince the pastor that they were committed Christians. Things were going along okay until their second-to-youngest child Dewey asked the pastor, "Why do you have all those 't's' hanging on your wall?" Is that funny? It is too me, but it brings me to a point.
Some people are offended by that question. If these parents would have been doing their job the kid would see a cross in the letter "t" and not the other way around. Lighten up! One of the best things in the world that can happen is when a lost person asks a question about the cross. It's an open door. The question for the church isn't how that question can be asked, but rather when the question is asked will you be ready to answer it.
When I go out to do arts ministry, I try to create images that don't answer all the questions. When people see an artist painting a picture of Jesus, one of two things will happen. They either pat you on the back and say I am a Christian too (as if it were a secret hand shake for the good guy holy person's club) or they say "Uh oh, a picture of Jesus, I better run before I get hit over the head with the Bible." Instead I search and pray for images that hold the answers but make the viewer ask the question.
No matter what you do live your life with such unquestionable character that people will have all kinds of questions that you really want to answer. To slide two verse of scripture together, "Let your light shine before men and always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have."
Some time ago, I was watching a repeat of Malcolm in the Middle. Yes I know...but what can I say sometimes the best way to find out how the church is impacting the culture is to monitor the culture. This particular episode was hilarious. Malcolm's parents had a baby and it was time to try to get day care for the child so they could go back to work. The reputations of the their other children had preceded them and so they were unsuccessful at finding anyonee to take this child. There was only one place left, the day care run by the local church. In order to be accepted to this day care, they had to be accepted by the pastor. (Yeah okay that's far fetched but work with me here.) Hal and Lois had the kids all dressed in their sunday best and were trying to convince the pastor that they were committed Christians. Things were going along okay until their second-to-youngest child Dewey asked the pastor, "Why do you have all those 't's' hanging on your wall?" Is that funny? It is too me, but it brings me to a point.
Some people are offended by that question. If these parents would have been doing their job the kid would see a cross in the letter "t" and not the other way around. Lighten up! One of the best things in the world that can happen is when a lost person asks a question about the cross. It's an open door. The question for the church isn't how that question can be asked, but rather when the question is asked will you be ready to answer it.
When I go out to do arts ministry, I try to create images that don't answer all the questions. When people see an artist painting a picture of Jesus, one of two things will happen. They either pat you on the back and say I am a Christian too (as if it were a secret hand shake for the good guy holy person's club) or they say "Uh oh, a picture of Jesus, I better run before I get hit over the head with the Bible." Instead I search and pray for images that hold the answers but make the viewer ask the question.
No matter what you do live your life with such unquestionable character that people will have all kinds of questions that you really want to answer. To slide two verse of scripture together, "Let your light shine before men and always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have."
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