Understanding Evangelical Media

Recently, I was invited to review a book for Themelios. The book in questions was Understanding Evangelical Media: The Changing Face of Christian Communication. Edited by Quentin J. Schulze and Robert H. Woods Jr.

I began thus:

As a Christian working in the media, I was excited to hear about Understanding Evangelical Media, a collection of essays edited by Quentin J Schulze and Robert H Woods Jr. Its breadth is impressive: radio and theme parks, advertisements and comics are put under the spotlight. In each chapter various writers provide numerous examples of how Christians have used different mass-media to communicate with each other and the non-Christian world–with shaded boxes containing yet further examples and reflections.

There is, then, no shortage of information in this book. And this information is well organised as contributors explain how their respective forms of Christian media seek to instruct, delight, and persuade–which are Cicero's three basic purposes of public communication. Clearly Cicero's categories are useful, but why are his favoured to biblical ones...

Read the rest - and a whole stack of decent theological treats - here.

A Baby is Born

She screamed and screamed. Mouth wide, teeth clenched, she tried to push. Nothing had prepared her for the pain that twisted her body on the bed of straw. As she felt stabs in her sides, she gasped for breath and prayed that this precious child would never have to suffer such lonely, crippling agony.

For hours she struggled and then it was finished. The baby was lifted up.

The innkeeper’s wife held in her hands the Lord of the Universe, ruby red, eyes closed, still attached to his mother by his belly. And then, he was free. The cord was cut, the wound covered with a strip of linen and then the tiny child, blinking and trying out his mouth for the time, was passed to his mother.

As she looked down and saw him in her arms, she wept and laughed in equal measure. Such pain had brought such blessing. His feet were tiny, as were the hands that had placed the cattle on a thousand hills. Helpless and hungry, the baby took milk from his mother.

Moments later, wrapped in bandages, he was laid to rest, not in a crib but a manger. The cows and donkeys, the sheep and the goats in the barn could look down and see their maker. A lamb, earmarked for Passover, too small to see in, approached the trough, and lay against it. Soon, the lamb, and the Saviour of the world, were sleeping.

© James Cary 2008

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Nine Carols and Carols for Godless People

Last week, I took part in a radio discussion with Robin Ince - who is organising "Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People" taking place at the Hammersmith Apollo this month. (Richard Dawkins, and Ricky Gervais are among the guests) Robin's an atheist, a comedian (I worked with him on Concrete Cow and he played Jed in Series 3 of Think the Unthinkable). He's a delightful chap and you can listen to our discussions on Premier Radio by looking (and then listening) here. I'm not sure how coherent I was, or whether I said anything especially useful, but it was good experience nonetheless. Feel free to leave a comment below to tell me what I should have said.

A Christmas Story

Last Christmas, I wrote this story:

CALEB HAD TO MAKE A DECISION; he was contemplating something that was essentially madness. No right-minded shepherd would even consider leaving his sheep. The hills were dangerous. Wolves or thieves could be anywhere. And if you lose your flock, you lose your livelihood. It would be like a fisherman leaving his nets on the side of the Sea of Galilee and simply walking away.

He couldn’t leave his flock with the other shepherds. They also wanted to go to this place they’d been told about too. It was visible from where they stood – at least the lights could be seen in the darkness. But the town was still some way off and would take a couple of hours to get to. And once there, how would they know where to find this baby? They had been told this child was ‘lying in a cattle trough’. There must be dozens of mangers in Bethlehem and they could hardly go and ask to peer in to each one and check it for a Saviour. Caleb had wanted to ask the angel for more details, a map, or a street name, but he had been struck dumb, filled with awe at the sight of this heavenly being who appeared in light so bright it burned their eyes with white-hot radiance.

Caleb couldn’t remember the last time he had been so afraid. He was used to being in control, not just because he was an experienced shepherd. It was because he was nearly a foot taller than anyone else he knew. As a result, he had acquired the nickname ‘Goliath’. Only his mother had called him Caleb, or Caleb Ben-Zephaniah when he had done something wrong. Which has been quite often.

But as abruptly as they had arrived, the angels left. leaving Caleb and his colleagues staring at each other in wondering. They were mainly looking to Goliath to make the decision for them. Apparently, being the tallest made you the cleverest.

“So, Goliath,” said Simeon. “Are we going or what?”

“Well, yes, I suppose. But we can hardly take all this lot with us,” said Caleb, gesturing at the flock scattered before him. “Where are we going to find a place to park a few hundred sheep?”

This was true. People had come from miles around to register. Caleb’s wife was preparing for their own imminent trip to Capernaum. Now would be a bad time to start losing sheep. He could barely afford to lose one, let alone the whole herd. He looked at the flock again – or the few sheep he could see by the light of the fire that flickered before him.

“Let’s be honest,” said Caleb. “How often do you see an angel and heavenly choir like that?”
Two other shepherds shrugged.
“I once thought I heard a wolf talk,” said one. “But it turned out to be your brother-in-law having a laugh.”
“If you ask me,” said Caleb, “something’s going on here. Something big. I’m not sure who this Saviour is, and I’m pretty hazy on Messiahs and that, but I’m going to find out what’s what.”

With that, he trudged off towards the lights of the City of David to meet this child who would be King.

“Goliath?” called out one shepherd.
“Goliath!” shouted the other.
So they left their flocks and followed him.

“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.”
From Isaiah 9

Today's Crossword

In case you're struggling with today's Daily Telegraph cryptic, I've cracked it and put some answers, help and hints up here.

Just like the First Christmas

It’s often said that at Christmas we’re too busy worrying about presents and food and paying for presents and food – and that we don’t take time to remember why we celebrate. It's fair to say that this Christmas that most people in Britain - including myself and most readers of this blog - will spending most of our time not thinking about Jesus and his birth.

In that sense, this will be just like the first Christmas, when Jesus was also completelly ignored and overlooked. The Messiah that had been promised for hundreds of years was born - of a virgin, no less. But no one was interested. In a stable was a baby that was the true king of Israel – those who knew this misunderstood and caused great destruction, namely Herod and his execution of infants to protect his throne. Those who should have known, who had memorised the scriptures and heard them read aloud every week, were none the wiser. But wise men from foreign lands arrived because they had insights that the priests, the pharisees, the levites and the Pharisees did not have. And as the Lord of the Universe lay sleeping in his manger, the only other visitors were a few shepherds. Hardly a surprising sight, seeing shepherds filing into a stable.

That’s why Jesus was born in a stable, not a palace where God’s King belongs. And why this Christmas will be a lot like the first.

Willow Creek Reveals All

Today, I became aware of an interesting discussion around the nature of church, which has come about as a result of some painful soul-searching by Willow Creek Community Church, led by Bill Hybels. Undoubtedly many have benefitted from the ministry of this church who pioneered 'seeker-sensitivity', a term which makes some of us cringe, but does, at least, deal with the reality of the unchurched and alienated.

If this story is unfamiliar to you, let me briefly outline it. Willow Creek Community Church commissioned a special management-consultant-style survey, to thoroughly audit their work and find out what was going on 'under the bonnet/hood' of the church, and how members of the church felt about things too. The results were announced recently and Bill Hybels was very public about his surprise and concern about what the reseach found. A major problem was that the more mature Christians felt ill-equipped theologically and underfed spiritually. They felt the ministry of the church was not providing sufficient theological depth, or encouraging adequately meaningful worship. Ouch. Criticism is always painful to hear, especially if its true.

In one sense, the findings of the survey were not a great surprise when one considers that this church led the way in bringing in non-Christians to Church for the first time. The tone of the survey and the language used was more alarming, reading like management-speak and an Oprah-manual. It appeared that the congregation believed that the church were a provider of spiritual goods and services. More alarming again was that the church leadership believed that this is what church essentially is. Of even deeper concern is the conclusion - that the more mature Christians 'need to take responsibility and become self-feeders.' ie. less-reliant on church, not more so, which seems to negate the concept of church-family, covenant community and any coherent sense of Christ's body. On top of this, the response of the church was to begin mid-week teaching programmes that were more like university lectures, given by academics, not pastors; and this was done rather than improving, and deepening, the quality of the teaching on the Lord's Day when the church is gathered together (on the day God set aside for rest, reflection and worship).

I hope I have not misrepresented ths situation or amplified inaccuracies. For more see here. And there's a video here. But of most interest to me was this response by the consistently thoughful White Horse Inn podcast here.

Some Crossword Fun

Clearly my week has been taken up with solving and setting crosswords (among numerous other things). But have a look here and feel free to enter the Prize D-Day Crossword competition to win a free copy of Crossword Ends in Violence (5) and some BBC Comedy CDs.

(And after this, no more mentions of crosswords and I'll be back to blogging as usual).

It’s a Wonderful Life - as long as you ignore Clarence

In pole after pole, the highest rated Christmas film is It’s a Wonderful Life. It's about George Bailey (James Stewart), who lives in small town called Bedford Falls where he runs a building society, which literally helps people build their house and also functions a bit like a bank. But when it all goes wrong and some money is misplaced – it looks like they might have to sell out to the unscrupulous scrooge-like Mr Potter. This sends George Bailey into a tailspin of frustration, panic and then bitterness and despair. He has spent his whole life helping people, sacrificing his own dreams to leave town - not least helping his brother, whose life he saved as a boy. His brother went on to win the Medal of Honour in World War Two and then get a well-paid job with his in-laws, whereas George ends up stuck in Bedford Falls running the building society. And now it looks like even that has failed. And so he tries to kill himself, wishing that he’d never been born.

But he is rescued by an Angel called Clarence, who shows him what Bedford Falls would have been like if he’d never been born. The evil Mr Potter would have prospered, George's brother would have died and the whole town is lacking in any community spirit - like an early, small version of Vegas. George gets the point, he begs to live, the building society is fine after all and he learns to appreciate what he has.

It's is a really heart-warming and moving film, but it's worth exactly what exactly does the film celebrate? Lots of good things: helping people, doing good and ultimately self-sacrifice. George Bailey is a wonderful man and Bedford Falls is a far better place for his presence there, and for his willingness to give up his dreams for others.

The film also shows a workable interesting example of how compassionate capitalism works – as all of the loans and savings at the building society he runs are based on relationships and trust. The Bank Run scene is very timely. Given today’s troubled times, it’s almost worth watching the whole film just to see how the run on the building society is resolved, how George Bailey operates and how Potter’s calculated takeover is purely for his own profit and no-one else’s - and the damage it would have done if George Bailey hadn't been around.

At one point in the film, then, it looks like Potter is going to succeed, which drives George Bailey to suicidal despair. But why? Because he thinks his attempts to be good were worthless. And they were worthless because they didn’t work. So George Bailey assumes that a good deed is only good, or worth doing, if it succeeds. His good works have failed, causing despair. And his brother, and potter, have prospered, causing bitterness.

So why do good at all? Is it because it pays off now, in this life – as it does in the film? Everyone pulls together, the building society is saved and George Bailey learns to appreciate what he has. No. That isn’t why we do good – because it often doesn’t work out like that. Ultimately Clarence has no real answers to despair other than “This time it turned out okay”. No wings for Clarence.

Forget Clarence! What would Jesus say to George Bailey? Jesus told a number of parables that apply to George Bailey’s situation. Here’s one from Luke 12:

35"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”

Why bother to do good? How do we avoid frustration and despair at injustice? Why not jump off a bridge? Jesus says ‘Wait for my return and then it will be well. Then the master will serve the servant!’ We do good not because it works every time, because it’ll make s feel better or even that it’ll help us appreciate what we have. We do good because we’ve been given that task by Jesus. And the only opinion of us that matters is his.

Advent is an annual reminder that we wait for Jesus to come a second time. But maybe we need reminding more often that. And sadly, this beautiful and beguiling film doesn’t help. But it does partly explain our current banking crisis.

Is it okay to feast at Christmas?

It’s officially December. Christmas is coming. And it’s a day that many of us are looking forward to, because we’re looking forward to enjoying all that food. The turkey the size of an ostrich. Stuffing, potatoes, bread sauce and nine types vegetables. Some how you manage to fit some wine glasses onto the table as well. And then a light sorbet? No, Christmas pudding. With single cream? No, butter-based cream sauce with brandy. All in all, a meal designed to make you completely unable to work until January 2nd. Maybe some of us a dreading it, because we’re the one's who are going to have to cook that enormous turkey and the nine types of vegetables. Either way, we all know that Christmas dinner is important to the day, and to us and to our families. That’s partly why we’re having this tasting – so we know what’s going to be good on the day to eat and to drink.

But is it unchristian to eat such a large meal? A big feast is something that some might feel guilty about. So many people in the world will be hungry and thirsty this Christmas. What's more, Christians traditionally live modestly and not be extravagant or get too excited. Think of Ned Flanders in the Simpsons who’d feel guilty eating a whole bag of full fat crisps. And of course Ned doesn’t even drink alcohol.

We cal also think that Christmas is meant to about the birth of Jesus, born in a stable 2000 years ago. It’s about something spiritual, not physically. It’s about feeding the soul, not the stomach.

So why do we spend so long planning for, cooking and then eating such a large meal on Christmas day?

The Bible says that a huge blow-out feast for special occasions is a great thing to do. Not for its own sake - that's called gluttony and is very common in our society of secularism, hedonism and excess. A Christmas feast reminds Christians that heaven is going to be a wonderful feast. Physical, real and sensual.

That’s what Christians are looking forward to. Heaven, or the new heavens and the new earth, will be physical, real and sensual. Read Isaiah 25.

6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

Do you find that surprising? God promises a banquet! A feast! Aged wine, the finest wine. Not Tesco’s finest. God’s finest. And the best of meats. Not Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference. Not even Marks and Spencer’s premium free range, organic, hand-plucked chicken. God’s best meat. The one who invented meat, and designed the plump, slow-moving, easily carved turkey. God is promising a banquet.

And God himself will be the host. I don’t know what you’re like hosting party. You feel like you need to be everywhere at once. Well, God can do that. He’s everywhere.

But where is this feast? Where is this mountain? He’s talking about Mount Zion. The hill on which Jerusalem was built. The hill on which the temple was built. And the hill on which Jesus was crucified.

The banquet isn’t actually there physically now . You don’t need to jump on the next plane to Jerusalem with a knife, a fork and a bib. But that hill in Jerusalem is where it begins. That’s how it’s possible. That’s how we get in to this banquet. God is doing something on this mountain. Isaiah goes on:

7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

Just look at those promises. God will destroy everything bad. This shroud that covers up the peoples and causes division and enmity. God is bringing peace. And v8. He will swallow up death forever. God is bringing life. He will wipe away tears. God is bringing comfort. And all of this is achieved by Jesus Christ. In living, and dying and defeating death, he has destroyed death. He is the Prince of Peace.

9 In that day they will say,
"Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

What’s the banquet? It’s the celebration of a new world without war, death, pain and suffering. How is a brought about? Through Jesus dying on that hill in Jerusalem. We need to seek out Jesus on a cross on that hill. And trust in him. So, this Christmas, when you tuck into your seventh roast potato and eye up the remainder of the bread sauce on Christmas Day, what you’re enjoying is a foretaste of the feast that God has already prepared in heaven.

Doing Cryptic Crosswords

I meet a lot of people who like to do cryptic crosswords. But I meet more people who'd like to be able to do them, but can't. So yesterday I posted this. And then this today.

Elf, The Movie

Yesterday, at my church, I gave a short talk on Elf, the movie, for a family/Christingle service - hence the simple language. Feel free to nick it or adapt it if you can put it to good use.

‘Elf’ one of my favourite Christmas films. It stars Will Ferrell who plays a man who, when he was just a baby, climbed into Santa’s sack by mistake and got carried off to the North Pole where he was raised by elves. He’s given the name Buddy, and he does all the things that Christmas Elves do. But soon, it’s fairly obvious that he’s not an Elf, but a human – and so he goes on a quest to find his real father who lives in New York City. So he goes and finds him, but he’s very grumpy and isn’t pleased to see Buddy at all.

And it’s really hard for Buddy because he’s always happy and likes to smile and sing – but people who live in New York, like people who live in London, don’t like so smile and sing very much at all. And even worse, no one seems to have any Christmas spirit. I won’t spoil the ending, but, as you can probably imagine everyone ends up singing a song and rekindling some of that Christmas spirit.

It’s a great film. Lots of good jokes. Will Ferrell is hilarious in it, but we’re left asking the question, ‘What is Christmas spirit? ‘and ‘Is singing a Christmas song really going to help?’

What we all want is for everyone to be friends and at peace with each other.
What we all want is people smiling at each other in the street and then spontaneously bursting into song.
And every Christmas, we try to experience what that might be like. Sometimes we get a taste. Sometimes we don’t.

But ultimately, we want to live like that all year round? Why can’t we be friends all the time? Why are there so many arguments and fights and wars all year round? Do we just need to sing more carols? Would that fix it? Could we just send a choir to peace talks, belt out three verse of Hark the Herald Angels sing and suddenly the peace-deal is signed. It’s a lovely thought, but we know it would never happen.

The problem is that we find it really hard to be nice to other people all the time. Because, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re not all that nice. None of us are. We don’t want always want to be friends with other people. We put ourselves first and look after our own needs. And we put ourselves before God.

The thing is, God wants what we want – a world in which eveyone’s at peace with everyone else – not fighting, but smiling at each other and, yes, occasionally bursting into song. But how are we going to achieve that?

Do we just need more people like Buddy to come round and cheer us all up? Buddy can’t be everywhere at once. And Buddy’s not perfect. He often gets things wrong. And sometimes he’s sad. God has sent us someone far far better than Buddy.

He sent us his Son Jesus Christ – you’ll recognize the name Christ – it’s where we get the word Christmas! Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to be born as a baby, to grow up and show us how to live. But even more than that, he started a new kingdom in which we can all be friends with each other. If we worship him together, we will find that peace that we want. Because he is the Rightful king of our world, and he is the Prince of Peace.

And that’s why Churches the love Jesus, that serve him together and praise him as King are often friendly places that seem to have Christmas spirit all year round. Because God is at work in those places through his son Jesus Christ – helping us love each other and burst into song – and hey, look at the service sheets, that’s what we’re going to do next...