As we have had discussions in the past as to what Christian worship looks like to other people, I found this link worth passing along. I haven't decided exactly what I think about it yet. I find there to be valid points from both perspectives, yet I'm just not sure I like it overall. Anyway, this link contains three videos; they are all parodies of the Mac vs. PC television commercials, except it is "Christ-follower vs. Christian." I just thought they'd be thought-provoking, if nothing else.
http://www.thinkchristian.net/?p=960
http://www.thinkchristian.net/?p=960
Labels: controversial, Worship: a way of life
posted by Michael Thom @ 5:48 AM
3 Comments:
At 7:06 AM ,
Joanna said...
I see the point they're trying to make: You don't have to follow a lot of rules, etc. to be a follower of Christ. But I'm not entirely sure I care for their approach. It has that touch of condescension that made the Mac commercials so annoying. The Mac commercials never made me want to buy a Mac because it felt like they were talking down to Windows users - "Oh, you poor, deluded fool," that sort of thing.
When I was a kid, my family would have labelled the "PC" character "churchy." And we would have been right. But that attitude led to several years where I rejected every church out of hand without getting to know them first, and that is just as big a problem as being stuck in a bunch of rules. In his own way, the "Mac" character is being just as narrow-minded as his counter-part. I agree with what he's trying to say - we don't have to be bound to a bunch of rules and traditions, we don't have to limit ourselves to exclusively "Christian" culture, etc. - but I do not agree at all with how he's saying it.
At 1:29 PM ,
Dr. Norm said...
Along with Joanna, I too see the general intent of the vids. However, I also have some concerns.
1. In the original commercial, it is painfully obvious that PC and Mac will never establish common ground. Might this send a mixed message that it's impossible for traditionalists and contemporaries to co-exist in one church body?
2. Similarly, in the originals we get the feeling that Mac is patently better than PC. Are contemporaries therefore "better" than traditionalists?
3. Finally, the parodies suggest that the irreconcilable differences lead to one conclusion: being apart from one another.
All of theses are counter to the intent of the Body of Christ, simply put: It is our differences that make the Body strong. Each individual brings their God-created differences, expressed in various gifts and graces, to the singular purpose of glorifying Father. When the Body ceases to be heterogeneous, we will loose the distinctiveness of diversity that allows the broadest opportunity for God to be made manifest. Just a thought... :-)
At 3:32 PM ,
Mark Pike said...
In addition to the good observations by Joanna and Norm, I pick up a strong whiff of smug posturing. Part of the intent of this fashion of calling yourself a Christ-follower is to distance one-self from the polyester traditionalist ("we're the hip ones!). How long before the Christ-follower tag becomes the new self-righteousness?
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