Archives For Incarnational

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Miley’s Twerking, Hasidic Jews and the Failure of Relevance

Chris —  August 28, 2013

Here are the three best things that came in response to former Disney child princess Miley Cyrus’s public gyrations.

1. The reaction of Will Smith’s family.

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2. CNN’s defense (via the Onion) of making it their top story.

3. This question (reiterated by Time and others): Is MTV still relevant?

There was a time when MTV was simultaneously the scariest and most powerful culture shaping tool in American pop culture. The world was a ship spinning out of control with the Brat Pack was at the helm. That was decades ago before music videos migrated to YouTube and Reality TV became banal.

Miley’s strip show comes across as a desperate plea to remind the world MTV exists.

When many people think of practicing Jews, they envision the Hasidics, a sect that developed in 1800s. Hasidism was a charismatic revival movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe. They are Talmud loving mystics, best known for their distinctive black hats and black robes. Continue Reading…

In Culture, Mission , , , , , ,
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via Evangelical Alliance

Posted by Chris on June 6, 2013 In Church, Mission , , , , , ,
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Wednesday Spotlight

Should Your Church Band Sound Like a Cover Band?

Chris —  May 15, 2013

“Every church I’ve ever played for just wanted a Christian Radio cover band.”

I heard this statement at a recent lunch with a local musician. Like many in my city, Austin, he’s a working musician, playing behind artists and with multiple bands. The difference is that his gigs are all at churches and parachurch events.

The sad thing about his statement is that it shows how churches easily divorce music from mission. Like her role model, Jesus, the church is called to have an incarnational presence in its community. That means that the church learns and loves the local culture, and then tries to embody what it means to be a community of Jesus followers in that time and place.

So should your church band sound like a cover band, doing renditions of what ever is popular on the Christian radio station in the area?

Maybe.

If that is incarnational thing to do.

People everywhere love music, but in Austin, music is the lifeblood of the city. Imagine what it would be like if the music on Sunday sounded like the music people those same people listened to the rest of the week?

I asked on Facebook for people to name bands that capture the sound of Austin.  You can hear the answers here:

Who would you add? What does your city sound like?

 

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I Don’t Get the World Cup

Chris —  June 18, 2010

I’m not really a sports guy. I’ll attempt to play almost anything, and enjoy an occasional day at the ballpark.  But I can think of a million things I’d rather do than spend two hours watching a game.

Not surprisingly, I’m even less interested than the average American in the world’s most popular tournament.

The other day at work, I witnessed two friends watching a game.  One was clueless, and asked a series of questions about how the tournament worked and the rules of the game.  Now, he has something new that he enjoys, and the bond between them has grown.

My attitude is a far cry from that of Jesus, who was born poor and spent thirty years as an average Jew and manual laborer.  This earned him the credibility for three years of meaningful ministry.

I might not get the World Cup, but I do claim to care about my co-workers and neighbors.  Doing so means learning to express interest in what they love and care about join them in that, and celebrate with them.

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Determining Incarnation

Chris —  January 29, 2009

In the center of the ongoing conversation of what it means to be “missional” is the concept of being incarnational.  Basically, what does it mean to live like Christ in our culture.  The key to incarnation is answering two questions.  First, what did Jesus do while he was incarnated?  Second, are we doing those things today?

A few things did while Jesus lived on earth:

  • Taught people
  • Healed people
  • Fed people
  • Prayed a lot
  • Hung out with people, of every stripe
  • Criticized religious people
  • Was killed

The Church:

  • Excels in teaching
  • Doesn’t do much healing…unless you’re a charismatic, but we don’t want to talk about them…
  • Occasionally partners with non-profits that feed people
  • Talks about praying a lot
  • Is often exclusive, and has even built church growth theories on gathering exclusive groups
  • Criticizes people of differing political, sexual or theological persuasion
  • Occasionally faces persecution in far off corners of the world

What would you add to these lists?  There are two more questions: Why did Jesus do what he did?  What would he do today?

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