Culture – Page 3

In the Beginning…

January 14, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

God created…Did you catch that? God created.God made. God did. God acted.What did he create? Quite simply, everything. He created it all and he did it well. You might even say perfectly.One of the things he created was a human being, “male and female he created them.” We learn from Genesis: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living...

Welcome to the Jungle

January 13, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

I am reading a great book by Dick Staub entitled, The Culturally Savvy Christian. As I have been reading it, I keep hearing amens and alleluias rumble inside my head. I think it’s because this guy has written a book that I would have loved to write.I can’t write the book, he already did.What I can do though is bring some focus to this little corner of the cybernet and discuss a bit what I think it means for the church to engage culture.Welcome to the Jungle, it should be an interesting journey....

A Baby, A Cross, and a Catharsis

December 25, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

Don’t we all love the prayer scene from Talladega Nights? httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7pco3TTV5k OK, maybe not all of us. But, I sure do. What strikes me is that today is the day when we all celebrate “sweet baby Jesus”. On Christmas Eve we watched a full slate of classic Christmas movies for kids and all of them dealt with skepticism regarding the existence of Santa. At the end of the day the point was always, “Christmas is about helping poor people” or some derivation. In my head though this wasn’t ringing true. I am becoming more and more convinced that Advent and Christmas cannot be separated from the Cross. The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all important for middle eastern burials. Jesus was most likely born near Passover (that’s a discussion for another time) and he died at Passover. The Lamb of God born at Passover, the Bread of Life born in the City of Bread. What is Christmas about? It’s simple, it’s about a Cross...

Can You Understand Me?

December 17, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

One of the most powerful feelings I have ever had was the time that I landed in Germany and realized that I had no idea what the signs said. It was remarkably uncomfortable. I had no idea what he ads were saying, I had no idea what the people around me were saying, I could not understand a thing. I felt very lost and very confused and very much alone (which is weird because I was traveling with a group of six others).I felt these things because I knew I had no hope of being understood.I have found that as a Christ follower who intentionally seeks to introduce others to Jesus I unwittingly speak German to them.In my previous post I talked about respect. Well, if I respect someone then I can not caricature them. I need to honestly and authentically understand what they believe. This means that I must listen. Not only that it means that I must hear...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

December 16, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

Aretha sang, “Find out what respect means to me”. Respect is a simple word. It is one which causes people to get into fights, feel good, or get loud. Respect is something that is intangible and yet is required.Today I interacted on a blog where some people were critiquing a friend’s book.They had not read the book.Yet, they trashed the book. They trashed him. They challenged his character. It was a personal attack.They claim to be Christians.Over the last couple of weeks I have been teaching a group of people about how to engage with those who don’t follow Jesus. We began with “respect.” Why? Because this is the place that Jesus starts. This is the place that Paul starts. They were respecters of people.Consider Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman in John 4.He respected her. He did not pull any punches but he dealt with her in love and did not demean her.Respect is a powerful form of love...

Why Weren’t They There?

October 16, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

“You keep saying you’ve got something for me.something you call love, but confess.You’ve been messin’ where you shouldn’t have been a messin’and now someone else is gettin’ all your best.These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll doone of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.”In the 1920s the Christians walked away from education. In the 1930s and 40s we walked away from science and academia. In the 1960s we walked away from culture. In 2010 it appears we have, by and large, we are in danger walking away from our communities.Today I spent the day at a local hospital which was hosting an international taste festival and a world impact expo. The organizer sought to provide opportunity for ten congregations or organizations from each of the world’s three dominant faiths: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to highlight their mission efforts around the world. Only four Christian churches committed to participating. One backed out and...

A Minute to Win It, or, How YouTube Changed Media

October 5, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

A little over a week ago a group of high school students gathered at Grace Chapel, EPC in Farmington Hills, MI. They were there to play “A Minute to Win It”. They played a ton of different games, laughing, and trying to win, and then laughing some more. One of the volunteers in the crowd were recording the mayhem and a few of the videos were uploaded to YouTube.Then it happened. An email from an exec at NBC requesting the videos for use on an upcoming episode of A Minute to Win It! The media is now trolling the web to find media for itself to show to us as media.In this new world of HD cameras and YouTube one thing is now certain:The media creators have become the media consumers.Think about it. NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, etc…need us. They need us to keep themselves relevant, hip, and in the know. They need us to create for them. They are...

To Think or Not to Think

October 4, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

What does it mean for a Christian to think? I don’t mean the kind of thinking where one tries to figure out a problem. I am talking about the kind of thinking where one struggles with their core beliefs and tries to determine what is real and true.We as Christians believe that the Bible is special revelation which shows us truth and points us to what is real. We believe that it is authoritative, that means we believe that we have a book that gives us real answers by which we ought to live.I believe that this is true.I repeat: I believe that this is true.However we must not take our faith and use it as a replacement for critical thought. The Apostle Paul commended the Berean believers because they searched the Scriptures for truth. If we are going to be like them then we must take our cues from them.I am coming to the thought that for the follower...

Detroit, May You Be a Phoenix

October 1, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

The Phoenix is a mythical beast which lives and dies by burning itself into a heap of ashes. From the ashes rises the next generation Phoenix. I look around at the Detroit Metropolitan area and realize that we have become a heap of ashes. The fire began to blaze in 1968 with the riots. From that moment on the death spiral had begun. The fire is out. We are but a pile of ash. The question now becomes what will happen with this pile of ash? Will we be blown away by the wind never again to breathe the breath of life? Or, just maybe, will we rise like a Phoenix from the ashes?I have hope that we will rise.Why?In the last 24 hours I have been a part of two significant events in our city. On Wednesday, September 29 I participated in TEDxDetroit and on Thursday, September 30 I participated in EACH. These two gatherings were very different and very...

Hey, hey Hockeytown!

September 28, 2010 by The RevNo Comments

The Lions are 0–3, the Tigers are out of the playoffs, U of M is undefeated but it looks like they probably won’t win a Big Ten game, that can only mean one thing: Hockey. That’s right we are ten days away from the start of the NHL and most importantly the Red Wings. Last season was frustrating. But, in the end it was great.It was great because… We found out that Jimmy Howard is the real deal. We found out that guys like Eaves, Miller, and Abdelkader can play with the big boys. We found out that Mike Babcock is a ridiculously good coach. We found out that the Swedes have heart. We found out that the leadership on this team will take them a long way. Hudler found out that he needed the Red Wings. Mike Modano didn’t win a Cup and will go for one here in Detroit. The Blackhawks won their championship and a real original six rivalry was reborn. The Penguins didn’t win the...