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Proof of our pluralistic culture

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mwkruse
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PGF Outbox: Proof of our pluralistic culture

Whenever I am speak to a church or group of lay leaders about the missional church movement, I inevitably spend the greatest amount of time trying to convince them that "Christendom" is over.  From now on I am going to come with the new Gap Ad ready to play.  If you haven't seen it, watch it :

For the record, I like the artistic composition of this ad.  I think the costumes (Gap clothes) are fun and the dancers are talented and beautiful.  The choreography is top-notch.  High school dance teams the nation over will be mimicking this ad all year.

Let's take a look at the lyrics:

2, 4, 6, 8!
'Tis the time to liberate!
Go Christmas!
Go Hanukkah!
Go Kwanzaa!
Go Solstice!
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go without a tree!
You 86 the rules!
You do what just feels right!
Happy do whatever you want-a-kah and to all a cheery night!

First notice that Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Solstice are all equated. But of course, they are very different holidays. …

… The missional church movement begins by acknowledging that proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a radical, counter-cultural act that requires courage and conviction.  If you don't believe that being a Christian is outside the norm of American culture, then just watch this ad again.  And then imagine how your church needs to change inside and out to reach secular Americans with the Good News.

Read the whole thing. Great post.

Comments

5 responses to “Proof of our pluralistic culture”

  1. Mo Rage Avatar
    Mo Rage

    The fundamentalists will freak out, of course, but most of us will see this as only a good thing. Maybe this way we really won’t end up all hating and killing each other, just because “God is on our side”.
    Happy Whatever!
    Mo Rage
    “Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.”

    Reply
  2. Michael W. Kruse Avatar
    Michael W. Kruse

    Some things are true. Some are not. Mutually exclusive views can’t all be true. The challenge for many Christians has been failure to realize that conversion comes through love, modeling, and persuasion … not domination.
    Also, it is possible to have your mind so open that your brain leaks out. 🙂 Critical thinking doesn’t support all options or equally valid.

    Reply
  3. John Avatar
    John

    How could Christendom be over?
    There are more than 2 billion Christians on the planet–more than at any time in history. And Christianity altogether is growing in leaps & bounds in Africa, Asia and South America.
    Plus perhaps they lamenting the fact that Christians dont get to call all the shots now, or so the “end of Christendom” hype goes.

    Reply
  4. Michael W. Kruse Avatar
    Michael W. Kruse

    John, the tag line says, “Western Christendom.” You affirm my basic point. What the church likes like in the future will be significantly different from the Christendom that has been so thoroughly entwined with Western culture.

    Reply
  5. Travis Greene Avatar
    Travis Greene

    The number of people who claim Christianity as their religion has little to do with Christendom as socio-political reality.
    Of course, for those of us with Anabaptist leanings, the end of Christendom is nothing to be mourned.

    Reply

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