Sister Joan Chittister famously said, "We are each called to go through life reclaiming the planet an inch at a time until the Garden of Eden grows green again." Reflecting on that journey -- a blog at a time -- is the focus of this site.
Friday, September 28, 2007
What if worship ...
... was like an NBA Game?
Don't miss this latest from YouTube:
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Dear Rev. Russell:
Probably have a few more men in church. Very funny. Made my day and I forwarded it to my pastor.
I have thought and thought about how to express my feelings on this video, and the most low key, nonconfrontational thing to do is to say that I see nothing funny in this. I feel that it makes light of and is demeaning to Evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians.
I know that Episcopalians find great meaning in Eucharists performed by clowns with baloons on the altar, and letting Wiccans concelebrate with them, and incorporating pagan symbols into their rituals but trust me: the rest of the Christian world takes their liturgy far more seriously than this.
Just for a reality check, would you post a video entitled "If Mosque Ceremonies Were a Rugby Match," or "If Synagogue was a Baseball game?" I don't think so.
And for the next three people who are going to tell me to "lighten up, it's only a joke:" save your bandwidth. It's not a joke, it's the Creator of the universe, and how different people worship Him is no laughing matter.
Sorry Pilgrim I'm pretty much a fundamentalist and would be considered on the conservative side of the church. (Already left TEC for an Anglican continuing), but I believe God has a sense of humor and Rev. Russell's post certianly mines that sense of humor. God was not mocked, it was simply a play on our culture and how it views many events. There are many times I wish my friends who are so passionate about sports would show even a portion of that passion for church. The same guys who scream, yell and high five over a great touchdown, sit in their church pew like they are at a funeral. I'd like to see more raised hands and a few high fives in church. That is what I believe the point of the video was. I truly believe Jesus weeps and laughs. So, despite your warning, lighten up! It wouldn't surprise me if some fundamentalist church is the producer of the video. It has all the earmarks of something made for a big screen mega church presentation. My wife and I sometimes visit a local non-denominational church that has similar (but not yet as funny) videos as the one presented here.
Here is who produced this film: BluefishTV.com at http://www.bluefishtv.com/BluefishWho.aspx
and here is their doctrinal statement: http://www.bluefishtv.com/DoctinalStatement.aspx
I like it because of its pardoy of the silliness of NFL, NBA, or any other sports program and also celebrates the heros in the trenches of collective worship.
Back after a brief blog hiatus (been gardening all weekend!) I just want to weigh in on this one and say I would have been equally amused by a similar video doing the play-by-play for a high Anglo Caltholic smells and bells Mass or an ernest bunch of feminists putting together an ecumenical expansive language service.
If we quit being able to laugh at ourselves I quit -- and I'm not quitting!
7 comments:
Dear Rev. Russell:
Probably have a few more men in church.
Very funny. Made my day and I forwarded it to my pastor.
A sinner saved by God's Grace.
Jim from Michigan
Once again you write with clarity, intelligence and humor and to my way of thinking, in the name of Christ. Thanks for being there.
I have thought and thought about how to express my feelings on this video, and the most low key, nonconfrontational thing to do is to say that I see nothing funny in this. I feel that it makes light of and is demeaning to Evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians.
I know that Episcopalians find great meaning in Eucharists performed by clowns with baloons on the altar, and letting Wiccans concelebrate with them, and incorporating pagan symbols into their rituals but trust me: the rest of the Christian world takes their liturgy far more seriously than this.
Just for a reality check, would you post a video entitled "If Mosque Ceremonies Were a Rugby Match," or "If Synagogue was a Baseball game?" I don't think so.
And for the next three people who are going to tell me to "lighten up, it's only a joke:" save your bandwidth. It's not a joke, it's the Creator of the universe, and how different people worship Him is no laughing matter.
Show some tolerance, please.
Sorry Pilgrim I'm pretty much a fundamentalist and would be considered on the conservative side of the church. (Already left TEC for an Anglican continuing), but I believe God has a sense of humor and Rev. Russell's post certianly mines that sense of humor.
God was not mocked, it was simply a play on our culture and how it views many events.
There are many times I wish my friends who are so passionate about sports would show even a portion of that passion for church.
The same guys who scream, yell and high five over a great touchdown, sit in their church pew like they are at a funeral. I'd like to see more raised hands and a few high fives in church. That is what I believe the point of the video was.
I truly believe Jesus weeps and laughs. So, despite your warning, lighten up!
It wouldn't surprise me if some fundamentalist church is the producer of the video. It has all the earmarks of something made for a big screen mega church presentation.
My wife and I sometimes visit a local non-denominational church that has similar (but not yet as funny) videos as the one presented here.
A sinner saved by God's grace (and humor)
Jim from Michigan
Here is who produced this film: BluefishTV.com at http://www.bluefishtv.com/BluefishWho.aspx
and here is their doctrinal statement: http://www.bluefishtv.com/DoctinalStatement.aspx
I like it because of its pardoy of the silliness of NFL, NBA, or any other sports program and also celebrates the heros in the trenches of collective worship.
Back after a brief blog hiatus (been gardening all weekend!) I just want to weigh in on this one and say I would have been equally amused by a similar video doing the play-by-play for a high Anglo Caltholic smells and bells Mass or an ernest bunch of feminists putting together an ecumenical expansive language service.
If we quit being able to laugh at ourselves I quit -- and I'm not quitting!
ROFL, Susan! :)
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