Safe Christian Radio for the Entire Family!
The other day I heard an interesting (I should say depressing) ad on my local Christian radio station. Actually, that wasn’t the first time I’d heard it; it airs on stations around the country. It promises, “safe Christian radio for the entire family!” When I hear that I turn to the heavy metal station immediately.
I wonder where we are as a church when we can use the words “safe” and “Christian” in the same sentence. The word Christian means “Christ-ones”, or, better, “Those-who-belong-to-the-Anointed-One-who-suffered-and-died-and-rose-again”. How is it possible for the followers of Christ to seek safety?
I’m sure the writers of that particular catch phrase had three things in mind. They meant no vulgarity, no questioning parental authority, and no promotion of non-Christian worldviews. For many modern American Christians the greatest vices in the world are sex and, at a distant second, violence. These stations are more than comfortable with craven capitalism. While they would never advertise alcohol or tobacco, even if that were legal, they have no problem promoting materialism and more, more, more. This is all unfortunate, since the Bible, which contains the foundational documents for Christians everywhere and everywhen, is less “family friendly”.
The prophet Amos railed against greed, going so far as to call women of privilege fat cows, threatening them with foreign invaders who will lead them off with fish hooks as judgment for their disregard for the poor. Ezekiel spoke of unfaithfulness to God in graphic terms, comparing Israel to a young woman with a rapacious sexual appetite, extending the metaphor to include animals. Hosea wept over a wife who would not stay home and off her back.
In the New Testament, Jesus, speaking the gritty language of his day, concluded that what goes into a person does not make unclean, since it passes through and into the crapper. His pronouncement on “family”: “Whoever does the will of my Father, this to me is Mother, sister, brother”. Paul was happy to use the words of pagan poets in explaining the gospel to the philosophers of Athens. So much for the Christian worldview, Paul.
“Safe . . . for the entire family . . ..” It seems that a safe Christianity demands a safe God. I shudder to think that I might lead my children to believe God is safe, or Jesus is warm and cuddly. Certainly I want them to hear the words, “Come to me, all who are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. But I also want them to meet the wild Jesus who walked on water, his hair whipped by the wind, his clothes soaked by the rain, shouted down the storm and wondered where his disciples’ faith was hiding. I often tell people that there is safety in Jesus, but Jesus is not safe.
A safe God is predictable and domesticated. If I learn nothing else from reading the scriptures it is obvious that God is not safe. He is not capricious like some other gods, but you surely cannot anticipate how YHWH is going to respond to any situation. The actions of the God of Israel and the Church transcend logic and predictability. Who, for instance could have foreseen the death of the firstborn of Egypt, or the tears of Hosea’s Lover-God? Who could reason the incarnation? Where is the safety when the salvation of the entire human race, no, the entire universe in parts of Paul, swings in the belly of a girl and her husband-to-be?
We ought to flee a safe Christianity. An early church father said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. Years ago I sat with my friend Bruce, a charismatic pastor, who was sharing the faith with a college student, encouraging him to give himself over to Christ. He said, “If you take this step, there’s no turning back.” The student said, “What if I say yes to Jesus and he tells me to go to Africa and die?” Bruce answered, “Then you’d better go. I’m not promising you cotton candy and dancing girls. This is Jesus we’re talking about.”
There is among a certain slice of the Church what’s been called a “bunker mentality”. We are under attack and always in danger of losing. This attitude has lead to a kind of parallel culture for many Christians, but especially evangelicals. This is the ultimate source of safe Christian radio. There has been in the past centuries a bleeding of Christian influence in art and culture until now Christian art is defined by its derivative nature and cheese appeal. It imitates the very worst in pop culture, rather than leading the way in innovation and creativity. It is bad art, or, worse, not art at all but didacticism and propositionalism masquerading as art. This disengagement with the culture has been disastrous for both culture and Church. And it has not been “safe”.
The sociologist Rodney Stark believes that the reason the Church grew like a rabbit colony in the early centuries was because of the willingness of Christians to take risks and to engage their world. It was Christians who allowed women a place of leadership, to the scorn of pagan neighbors. It was Christians who went around adopting abandoned baby girls who might otherwise become slave prostitutes. It was Christians who stayed in the cities during plague outbreaks, caring for the sick, many of whom lived. It was danger, not safety, these Christians embraced.
History is replete with tales of Christians acting like Christians, despite the risk. Saint Perpetua and hundreds like her were torn by animals and men for not denying the faith. Saint Francis hugged and kissed lepers on the mouth, believing them to be Jesus, and his actions spurred thousands of men and women to do likewise. During the Nazi occupation of France unknown peasants hid Jews in their homes, risking everything for the blood relatives of Jesus.
A Christianity that is safe never leads me to question my own assumptions about the world. From the safety of my cocoon I can ignore the death wail of the earth’s poor, whose “blood cries out from the ground”. I can comfortably believe myself to be OK; it’s those other people who have the problem. I can easily hold onto racist, xenophobic ideas, or turn a blind eye to the prophets’ call to repent and walk humbly with God. A Christianity that is safe never leads me to Jesus, who said very distinctly, “Take up your cross and follow me.”
I would like to hear one of these radio stations advertising opportunities to work in AIDS hospices or to enter war zones and work for peace. I wonder what would happen. They could no longer claim to be safe for the entire family, since my son or daughter might hear and really believe and follow Jesus into a prison in Mozambique.
Rather than make me safe, I need Christian radio to remind me of the dangerous adventure we’ve been called to.
I wonder where we are as a church when we can use the words “safe” and “Christian” in the same sentence. The word Christian means “Christ-ones”, or, better, “Those-who-belong-to-the-Anointed-One-who-suffered-and-died-and-rose-again”. How is it possible for the followers of Christ to seek safety?
I’m sure the writers of that particular catch phrase had three things in mind. They meant no vulgarity, no questioning parental authority, and no promotion of non-Christian worldviews. For many modern American Christians the greatest vices in the world are sex and, at a distant second, violence. These stations are more than comfortable with craven capitalism. While they would never advertise alcohol or tobacco, even if that were legal, they have no problem promoting materialism and more, more, more. This is all unfortunate, since the Bible, which contains the foundational documents for Christians everywhere and everywhen, is less “family friendly”.
The prophet Amos railed against greed, going so far as to call women of privilege fat cows, threatening them with foreign invaders who will lead them off with fish hooks as judgment for their disregard for the poor. Ezekiel spoke of unfaithfulness to God in graphic terms, comparing Israel to a young woman with a rapacious sexual appetite, extending the metaphor to include animals. Hosea wept over a wife who would not stay home and off her back.
In the New Testament, Jesus, speaking the gritty language of his day, concluded that what goes into a person does not make unclean, since it passes through and into the crapper. His pronouncement on “family”: “Whoever does the will of my Father, this to me is Mother, sister, brother”. Paul was happy to use the words of pagan poets in explaining the gospel to the philosophers of Athens. So much for the Christian worldview, Paul.
“Safe . . . for the entire family . . ..” It seems that a safe Christianity demands a safe God. I shudder to think that I might lead my children to believe God is safe, or Jesus is warm and cuddly. Certainly I want them to hear the words, “Come to me, all who are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. But I also want them to meet the wild Jesus who walked on water, his hair whipped by the wind, his clothes soaked by the rain, shouted down the storm and wondered where his disciples’ faith was hiding. I often tell people that there is safety in Jesus, but Jesus is not safe.
A safe God is predictable and domesticated. If I learn nothing else from reading the scriptures it is obvious that God is not safe. He is not capricious like some other gods, but you surely cannot anticipate how YHWH is going to respond to any situation. The actions of the God of Israel and the Church transcend logic and predictability. Who, for instance could have foreseen the death of the firstborn of Egypt, or the tears of Hosea’s Lover-God? Who could reason the incarnation? Where is the safety when the salvation of the entire human race, no, the entire universe in parts of Paul, swings in the belly of a girl and her husband-to-be?
We ought to flee a safe Christianity. An early church father said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. Years ago I sat with my friend Bruce, a charismatic pastor, who was sharing the faith with a college student, encouraging him to give himself over to Christ. He said, “If you take this step, there’s no turning back.” The student said, “What if I say yes to Jesus and he tells me to go to Africa and die?” Bruce answered, “Then you’d better go. I’m not promising you cotton candy and dancing girls. This is Jesus we’re talking about.”
There is among a certain slice of the Church what’s been called a “bunker mentality”. We are under attack and always in danger of losing. This attitude has lead to a kind of parallel culture for many Christians, but especially evangelicals. This is the ultimate source of safe Christian radio. There has been in the past centuries a bleeding of Christian influence in art and culture until now Christian art is defined by its derivative nature and cheese appeal. It imitates the very worst in pop culture, rather than leading the way in innovation and creativity. It is bad art, or, worse, not art at all but didacticism and propositionalism masquerading as art. This disengagement with the culture has been disastrous for both culture and Church. And it has not been “safe”.
The sociologist Rodney Stark believes that the reason the Church grew like a rabbit colony in the early centuries was because of the willingness of Christians to take risks and to engage their world. It was Christians who allowed women a place of leadership, to the scorn of pagan neighbors. It was Christians who went around adopting abandoned baby girls who might otherwise become slave prostitutes. It was Christians who stayed in the cities during plague outbreaks, caring for the sick, many of whom lived. It was danger, not safety, these Christians embraced.
History is replete with tales of Christians acting like Christians, despite the risk. Saint Perpetua and hundreds like her were torn by animals and men for not denying the faith. Saint Francis hugged and kissed lepers on the mouth, believing them to be Jesus, and his actions spurred thousands of men and women to do likewise. During the Nazi occupation of France unknown peasants hid Jews in their homes, risking everything for the blood relatives of Jesus.
A Christianity that is safe never leads me to question my own assumptions about the world. From the safety of my cocoon I can ignore the death wail of the earth’s poor, whose “blood cries out from the ground”. I can comfortably believe myself to be OK; it’s those other people who have the problem. I can easily hold onto racist, xenophobic ideas, or turn a blind eye to the prophets’ call to repent and walk humbly with God. A Christianity that is safe never leads me to Jesus, who said very distinctly, “Take up your cross and follow me.”
I would like to hear one of these radio stations advertising opportunities to work in AIDS hospices or to enter war zones and work for peace. I wonder what would happen. They could no longer claim to be safe for the entire family, since my son or daughter might hear and really believe and follow Jesus into a prison in Mozambique.
Rather than make me safe, I need Christian radio to remind me of the dangerous adventure we’ve been called to.
posted by Ian Wrisley | 10:51 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home