Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Does anything good come out of excessive pride?

Okay, so Kinzi gave me Jesus Camp to watch (far too late to join the commenting on her blog) and I found something so interesting in this documentary. I'm fairly certain that the New Testament isn't really big on pride. In fact, it's talked about this many, many times and framed in many different ways. When giving charity, the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing. If you talk it up and tell everyone to gain pats on the back, you have received your reward on earth, none will be waiting in heaven. And yet, in this film, a young girl is talking about how God isn't in churches where they sit quietly and sing. He's only in churches where people jump up and down and shout (her thoughts, not mine). How prideful is that? Your way of worship is the only one. Your style is the only one. The truly ironic thing about this is that the argument goes both ways. Mainline churches for many, many years failed to respond to the younger generation (and consequently lost membership) because they couldn't see"performing" at church you know with all that contemporary music and wild hopping and shouting.

Finally mainline churches have begun to see that they must give people the opportunity to connect with Christwhere the person is (not where the church elders are). And yet, this young girl is being taught (and clearly hears at home) that her way to worship is the only way. How sad... And, really, is that Christian?

4 Comments:

At 11:58 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

BINGO, MommaBean! My thoughts exactly about that young lady. The Bible is clear that there are times to shout joyfully, but there are more to sit meditatively and ponder. Both are worship. Both alive.

I guess I'm gonna have to post about it now!!

 
At 11:05 PM , Blogger UmmFarouq said...

You know, I have owned this DVD since the summer but have not been able to watch it yet. I flip through my DVD case and pass it each time...is it fear of the unknown or all of the negativity I've heard already? I am not sure. I need to just pop it in the player and *gulp* watch it. Or do I?

 
At 1:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Umm Farouq, I did the same thing! Sat looking at it, fearful of what horrific things are tainting perceptions of my homeland and faith.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, I know of worse teaching, wilder doctrine and more crazed people. BUT, it left me with lots to have to explain when I finally post about it.

As a Muslim, Umm Farouq, you know what it is like for people to use the worst examples of your faith to define you. I think most secularists in the US are afraid of all people of faith taking away their right to sin as they desire.

It is tiresome, but necessary, to complete the picture before a watching world.

 
At 5:06 AM , Blogger MommaBean said...

Kinzi, I'm so glad you loaned it to me as it was definitely interesting. I actually wrote down some other thoughts and can't find them (how's THAT for being a Mom).

Umm Farouq, look at it this way, it could have been a documentary about the snake handlers on Sand Mountain (in our own home state). It's not nearly as bad as I feared and is actually quite representative of a portion of the population. That's exactly why post two yesterday was the opposite side of the coin (someone on the Evangelical Left).

 

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