2 of 2

This pastor is not alone—although this video is particularly egregious. Shortly after ct editors viewed this video (in the heat of summer), we received a press release from a nationally known church promoting its Christmas program. That church "has been entertaining and inspiring audiences … for more than 25 years," said the press release before it went on to talk about "pageantry, marvel, magic, and awe."

To be sure, the church ministers in the entertainment culture, so it must find ways of arresting attention, engaging, inspiring, and motivating audiences immersed in this culture. It must also resist the insidious nature of entertainment discourse, which demands fragmentation, while having confidence that it offers something more engaging than entertainment: narrative.

There is nothing more arresting than the biblical story of God's great rescue operation to save us from sin, degradation, and destruction. It is a narrative with humor, violence, heroism, tragedy, and triumph. Its parts belong to a meaningful whole. (That's the reason many churches follow the liturgical year, which carries us through the narrative of sin and darkness to the coming of the Messiah.)

Because the gospel is very much a coherent narrative, it can be destroyed by using a discourse that traffics in fragmentation. But a fragmenting culture ultimately longs not so much to be distracted as to be drawn into a rich and transforming story.

Postman pointed out two dangers that can destroy a culture. One is the Orwellian, in which culture becomes a prison. The other is the Huxleyan, in which culture becomes a comedy. You can see the Orwellian danger coming far in advance. It publishes books like Mein Kampf and goose-steps its way into our lives. But the Huxleyan danger sneaks up on us. As Postman wrote, "When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a comedy show, then a nation finds itself at risk."

Let's not fill the church with collaborators. Let's join the resistance, a resistance that, if successful, will allow people to cohere and flourish in ways our culture can hardly imagine.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Mark Galli's recent SoulWork column addressed how to break the addiction to spectacle.

Timothy George answered, "What is the role of baptism in faith and salvation?"

Collin Hansen outlined debates about baptism in his column, Theology in the News.

Previous editorials include:

What It Means to Love Israel | Beware giving the nation too much theological meaning and the Jews too little. (September 5, 2007)

All That's Good in Sports | The NBA is as good a place as any for working out one's salvation. (September 4, 2007)

Statistical Shell Game | The numbers we report are a matter of gospel integrity. (August 16, 2007)

Virtue That Counts | Why justification by faith alone is still our defining doctrine. (July 13, 2007)

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

October 2007, Vol. 51, No. 10