The Heartbeat of America

This past week the results of the American Religious Identification Survey were released (source). This poll is regarded as one of the most comprehensive studies of "how contemporary Americans identify themselves religiously, and how that self-identification has changed over the past generation" (they've also conducted the survey in 1990 and 2001). The survey found that the number of Americans that identify themselves as "Christian" has dropped from 86% in 1990 to 76% in 2008.

My friend and fellow blogger Adam recently commented on the opportunity that these findings hold to remind us of the growing need of lost people. I agree with Adam that our reaction to this survey should not be to circle the wagons and cry about the decaying moral fabric of our culture. I mean, who among us in the church really believe that 76% of Americans are Christian? Perhaps this is a good sign that many people who consider themselves Christian are realizing just how little they invest in their faith. Maybe there are people out there today that would be willing to explore a walk with Christ who would have not thought of it as necessary previously.

People need the Lord. It's not just a rockin' 80's tune... it's the truth.

The Legend of Master Legend

I read a Rolling Stone article because I thought the title was funny, but the story really made me think. It takes a few minutes to read but it's worth it.

Read the Rolling Stone Article here.

For those of you without 5 extra minutes: the article is about a guy in Orlando, FL who has created a superhero identity for himself. He goes by the moniker "Master Legend" and he fights crime. really. There's also a brief and unfortunate reference to "Captain Jackson", a costumed hero I've come across in Jackson, MI.

The reason that I was so challenged by this article is because hidden in the middle of the story is a section about the work that Master Legend does between fighting muggers and developing new crime- fighting tools for his utility belt. He does a lot of work to reach out to his community (raising money for down-and-out families, giving food and razors away to homeless people). Here is a guy who may possibly be a bit wacky and hides his real identity behind a mask, but he genuinely cares about the people around him and is really in touch with the needs of his community.

Too often we Christians like to keep a buffer zone between ourselves and keep our hands from getting dirty in the lives of others. Of course, it does not mean you are a "bad Christian" just because you don't hand out things to homeless people, but how many of us are really in touch with the immediate needs of our neighbors? I'm slowly trying, but it's much easier to stay at home. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from the Master.

the best fake news

A few years ago a friend of mine told me about lark news. It's a Christian version of the onion [satirical news in the vein of the daily show and colbert report].

Here's a "news" article they wrote recently about the use of movie clips during a sunday morning sermon:

Sermon overwhelmed by film clips
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Pastor John Taylor, 43, once a winsome and compelling preacher, has lately embraced film clips as a way to illustrate his sermon points. Last week his sermon was finally overwhelmed by them.
"He used fourteen clips, totaling 33 minutes of a 35-minute sermon," says one observer. "I forgot he was even on the platform."
Taylor’s speaking portions consisted mostly of short introductions of scenes.
"It was all, ‘Have a look at this clip. Now have a look at this one,’" says one man. "I felt like I should have brought popcorn."
The selections included such disparate fare as The Simpsons Movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Atonement, Juno and Live Free or Die Hard. Many found the point inscrutable.
"I think the common thread was loyalty or friendship or something," says one woman. "I believe there was a message in there somewhere but I’m still trying to figure out what it was."
Taylor insists that film clips offer "unparalleled emotional impact and common language." He used to write sermons with emotional variation — humor, poignancy, personal examples and exhortation. Now film clips perform those functions for him. He likes to start with a humorous scene, segue into a more serious one, then build his argument using clips from a variety of movies. He usually ends with an emotionally impacting scene, such as one from Titanic, intended to leave the congregation deeply moved. When the lights go up he simply says, "Let’s pray."
Taylor, who enjoys reading Variety to see what movies he might use as spiritual illustrations, has already planned his preaching schedule through 2012 based on future DVD releases.
"Spiderman 4 comes out in 2010," he says. "That should make for a great Sunday."
Of all the people in the church, the youth are the most supportive of the new direction.
"It’s Sermon Mash-up every Sunday," says one young man. "It’s awesome."

i concur

My good friend Martha Wood recently posted a link or her facebook profile to a blog by Cameron Conant. I have no idea who Cam (if I may be so bold) is or how Martha is connected to him, but I really liked what he had to say about being pro-life.

read his thoughts here.

Being pro-life is not a isolated political checkmark, it's a worldview and perspective that values people... all people.

boom goes the dynamite

This afternoon I was driving south on Telegraph Road (a major city street) when traffic came to a dead stop. It was 5:00 and I thought that perhaps it was just rush hour congestion, but then i noticed that we were all sitting still for several minutes. Through some strategic lane changes i was able to take a nearby exit, but there were many cars that were past the exit with nowhere to move. I called Becky to tell her i would be a few minutes late when she told me that they had shut a large section of telegraph to all traffic.

It turns out some guy reeled in a WWII era bomb from the detroit river on wednesday. He then took it home as the ultimate conversation piece, but was convinced to turn it over to the authorities. He brought it to a Dearborn Heights fire station (which is a couple blocks from our church). The fire station evacuated several homes and closed down a large section of telegraph. They safely disposed of it in a municipal incinerator.

He had this bomb sitting in his house for over a day. Dumbest guy ever.

[Here's the story]

bad boy, bad boy, whachha gonna do..

You've gotsta check this story out. A wallet thief in Lewiston, Idaho was quickly apprehended with the accidental help of a local newspaper.

On Tuesday morning a woman absent-mindedly forgot her wallet at the counter of a local convenience store. Surveillance video captured the image of a man taking the wallet and the Lewiston Tribune included the photo on the front page of it's Thursday paper. Immediately above the surveillance photo there is another picture inserted as a "local man prepares for the holidays" picture. Now here's the best part...

...the two pictures are of the same guy in the same clothes!!! [see the newspaper here]

Not only are the pictures of the same guy, but the top photo includes his name. Someone from the police noticed it and they went to his house and arrested him. [read a full explanation of the story here]

If only the Mitchell Report had the same editors...

it took alot of hard work and dedication

Detroit has finally reclaimed it's title as "America's Most Dangerous City". Hooray!!

We're number one! we're number one!...



read the details here