If you haven’t seen the latest show causing a stir on the internet, you certainly have not missed anything edifying. I watched about half of a show of GCB last night out of pure curiosity. Essentially this show is about a group of women who view themselves as good Christian women going about their lives in ways that constantly and obviously contradict their confessed faith. You can fill in the blank above with the slang “B†word that refers to female dogs. That is how these good Christian women act once they exist the doors of church.
Many are questioning whether this show is anti-Christian. I say, who cares. From the little I saw, it is certainly not going to persuade anyone against Christianity unless they are looking for fictional fodder to bolster their already chosen beliefs about the faith and why they should avoid church.
Better time is spent considering another thing: does this show present a real type of person? There is always the question of whether TV creates or reflects reality. And of course, it does both. But I am convinced that no TV show is created without a reality to undergird it. Certainly there are many Christians who put on good show and yet live their lives in contradiction to the most basic tenets of the faith. It may not be quite as extreme as this show suggests (Hollywood loves to exaggerate for effect), but it does exist.
And while certainly each person is ultimately responsible to God for their own actions, I would like to suggest that part of the problem is the poor preaching often heard from pulpits, mine included.
Do you know that if a Pastor wants to get a rave review about any sermon, I know of a certain formula to ensure it? What is it? Preach against sins no one in your congregation is regularly committing and do it with vigor. Have a congregation of heterosexuals? Preaching often and only about the sin of homosexuality. Have a congregation of mostly poor people? Preach about greed. Have a liturgy loving congregation? Preach about the evils of contemporary worship. Preach those sermons and you will be loved. You likely will even get invited out after church for meal to talk about it some more.
And that is what happens in so many pulpits. I know it is a temptation in my own. Preach about “them†and be loved. And when we do this, we create Good Christian __________ and here you can fill in whatever word is appropriate for your people’s weaknesses. We create people who are self righteous and surely sinful.
No, we must preach to the real sin of our people. Preach to your liturgy loving church about the dangers of rote worship. Preach to your poor people about being content. Preach to your heterosexuals about the leading cause of sexual immorality, lust and fornication among heterosexuals.
No, you will not receive a lot of “that-a-boys†and the people may be too sick to their stomachs to eat a lot after service. But you will have done your task faithfully. And when you then apply the gospel of Jesus’s forgiveness just as specifically, you will have creates good Christian people the only way God knows how, by killing the old man and raising up the new. May God enable current pastors to be so bold and send new ones into the field with this holy zeal.
Fantastic, fantastic post. (Especially since you could’ve made this about “them” in Hollywood who vilify Christians.)
I really enjoyed this post. My congregation, Redeemer Lutheran in Nashville, is blessed with a very orthodox, brave Pastor named Phil Young. Pastor Young never takes the easy way out. Every week, he boldly preaches the law and leaves us with no excuses and no hope of wriggling out of our guilt. He then just as faithfully applies the pure Gospel of forgiveness and salvation. Pastor Young does nothing to earn the false adulation of this world; he discharges his sacred duty in a way that certainly pleases God and blesses us, undeserving though we are.
Blessed are you.