I wholeheartedly agree
Posted by Blaine on June 12, 2008
Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
Back to the tree
Posted by Blaine on January 8, 2007
A while back, I read an article somewhere about the brilliance of Britney Spears. I know. I re-read that overview, too- And found myself intrigued enough to read on. (Did it work for this blog?)
The article laid out how even aspects of her personal life were well-contrived, planned marketing schemes to keep her career growing and growing. Anytime you see some entertainment show mention Britney, there’s nearly always the question of “what happened to that sweet little girl on the Disney channel”. This article showed how she needed to market a sweet, girl-next-door image to sell albums as a tween star. We she got older, she had to sexy-up, sing more adult-ish lyrics, and lead a lifestyle that would clearly distance herself from her squeaky-clean past. (The article didn’t say this, but based on how much sense that made, I doubt anyone knows the real Britney. Chances are, even she has lost sense of her real self.)
Why are innocence, naivite, and inexperience characteristics that should be hidden or overcome to be respected?
Ever hear someone talk about “getting rid of their virginity”? Or “finally” finding out what something means? Ever hear people talk about “experiencing the real world”? Our world values knowledge and experience in ever subject. To be ignorant of something is to be foolish, closed-minded, and stupid.
And look how easy it is to find information? Our tv’s have 500 channels and the internet has infinite resources a click or two away to providing multiple answers to any information you desire. Our teenagers are walking around with immense amounts of data in their brains that they are not even able to process yet. Jeff Foxworthy once told a story about deciding he needed to tell his son about sex. So, to start off the conversation, he asked his son what all he know. A few minutes in, Jeff was taking notes asking in bewilderment, “You can do that?!!!”
It’s amazing how we find our way back to the tree. Not the good tree, not the tree of life, we find our way back to that tree Adam and Eve ate from and were forever changed: the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Eve was no longer content with her naivety. Adam couldn’t handle being separated from Eve because of her new knowledge. So, they both gave up their innocence and purity and their minds were opened to a world pregnant with darkness and depravity.
Our world has scoured that tree, made jelly from it’s fruit, baked it into pies, and even has chewed on the leaves and branches. Nothing is off-limits and no subject is taboo.
I love that quote from Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park, where he says, “You were so busy asking yourself if you could, that you never stopped to consider if you should.” We have no concept where the line is. But even Paul said, “…it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” (Eph 5:12)
I’m not saying we should burn our books, toss out our computers, or move our families to remote mountain cabins. We should even value knowledge and experience- when it leads to wisdom, character, and integrity. But let’s honor and respect lines where ignorance truly is the higher path.
Perhaps then, future Britney’s of the world won’t have to live out a public self-destruction before someone will buy their albums.
Advertising a Worldview
Posted by Blaine on November 21, 2006
I found this interesting article today at www.cpyu.org, called “10 surprising things you need to know about today’s youth culture” by Walt Mueller.
1. Advertising is a powerful shaper of kids. The typical child sees between 3,500 and 5,000 advertisements a day, all of which are carefully constructed by marketers to create a continuous need for products by exploiting kids’ anxieties and aspirations. Because of where they’re at developmentally, young people’s lives brim with anxieties and aspirations, making them especially vulnerable to advertising. Marketing taps into their spiritual brokenness and exploits it by promising redemption, fulfillment, wholeness, and satisfaction through the purchase and use of products. In effect, marketing substitutes a false gospel for the true Gospel we’ve been called to communicate. But ads don’t only sell a product. Their greatest power lies in their ability to sell a worldview. They serve as a map for curious young hearts and minds that are looking for guidance that will shape their behavior.
I never thought of advertising offering us a worldview. It makes sense, actually. They need to convince us to buy something. In doing so, they need to show us how we NEED to have it. If we don’t really NEED to have it, they paint a picture in which we do.
Anyway, The Center for Parent Youth Understand website at www.cpyu.org often has some good articles on teen culture and adolescent issues related to spiritual development.
Quiet Stretch…
Posted by Blaine on June 28, 2006
This is a quiet stretch for my blog. Between camps, mission trips, and my sister’s wedding, I’m at a computer barely enough to clear out my junk mail. I’ll be back as I find my feet back in Baton Rouge. Until then, check out this article that was passed to me. I think the author makes some great comments about the Church’s relationship to culture.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Jackson/nicholas4.htm
In HIM,
Blaine
Welcome to the church of Christ… Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.
Posted by Blaine on April 10, 2006
The blogs have been on fire in recent weeks in regards to Nancy Grace’s attempt to make sense of the Mary Winkler murder charges (the minister’s wife who confessed to killing her husband, Matthew Winkler, a Church of Christ minister in Selmer, Tennessee). Because she knew little about Churches of Christ and Matthew Winkler was a minister, Grace thought to look in to the church to find some possible reason. Since the “Church of Christ” has no formal, centralized leadership, and she was in a hurry, she located an “expert”- a Baptist minister who had “researched” Churches of Christ.
Guess I could be interviewed about immigration because I wrote a paper about it in college.
Here’s the transcript:
I want to go to pastor Tom Rukala, joining us tonight, a special guest, a Baptist minister. I`ve been researching the Church of Christ. I don`t know that much about it. What can you tell me?
PASTOR TOM RUKALA, BAPTIST PASTOR: Well, the Church of Christ is a relatively new church. It was started about 150 years ago by Alexander Campbell (ph). And it`s, unfortunately, a very legalistic sect, and they tend to use methods of intimidation and pressure tactics. They claim that they are the only ones going to heaven, and all other people are condemned to hell. So in case…
GRACE: Uh-oh, I`m in trouble. But I already knew that.
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: Now, wait a minute. What more can you tell me?
RUKALA: Well, they claim that if you`re not baptized by one of their ministers, that you`re doomed to hell, even if you`re a believer in Jesus Christ, which, of course, breaks completely from the traditional Christian view that all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved because we`re saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. For the Church of Christ folks, that`s not enough. You have to be a member of their narrow sect. It`s a very exclusive group. And if you`re not a member of their sect, you`re condemned.
GRACE: You know, Pastor, you keep saying “sect.” “Sect.” You make it sound like a cult.
RUKALA: It kind of is a borderline cult, unfortunately. I don`t want to make it out to be some kind of Hare Krishna group, but it has cult-like characteristics and…
GRACE: In what sense?
RUKALA: Well, in the sense of the exclusivism, the attitude that they are the only ones who know the truth. The tactics that they use are sometimes just — not only un-biblical but unethical, and they can be very ungracious, unfortunately.
Then, check out her conversation with Rubel Shelly, her attempt at getting someone knowledgeable. I won’t quote the whole thing, just the intro. You can read the transcript here.
With us, Dr. Ruble Shelly, professor of philosophy and religion at Rochester College. He`s a Church of Christ minister. He knows the Winkler family. Let`s take a look.
Single leader, cult-like qualities, trying to isolate members, members happy and enthusiastic — I don`t think that`s a bad thing — experimental rather than logical, hide what they teach, say they`re the only true group.
Dr. Shelly, response?
Not that we should be surprised at media resulting to sensationalism, but give me a break. “Experimental”? “One true group”? I’m not even sure I’m fully comfortable with “happy and enthusiastic”. We’re just too different to have those labels placed on us. Each of those apply to some people I know. Many people don’t fall into any of those categories.
Still, despite all the sensationalism and ignorance, there’s a grain of truth staring us in the face that we can’t ignore. Just read this wikipedia article on Church of Christ. It’s a pretty accurate and balanced recording of our history, practices and viewpoints.
Historically, we are a contentious bunch. We have chosen to have ourselves identified by what makes us different in terms of religious practice rather than our likeness to Christ. When he said we should be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matt 5:13-16) , do you think he was talking about instrumental music and baptism by immersion? Are those the “good deeds other men will see and praise [our] Father in heaven” (v.16).
I’m not talking about trying to be correct on those issues or any others. I’m talking about how we choose to be identified. I think Christ wanted us to be identified by our love, our service to others and each other, our compassion, and our concern for our fellow man. Our history doesn’t exactly shout those from the rooftops.
We may not be a cult, but we’re not exactly innocent bystanders, either.
But I don’t think that makes Churches of Christ accessories to a murder.