This is not what it means to be "the sheep of his hand"...

I sometimes wonder why Christians, in America, seem content with following. When it comes to matters of culture and art, for the most part, we're sheep.

Greg, at Areopagitica, has posted on the nonsense showing up at Conservapedia (the Wikipedia copycat), such as The Law of Mass Conversation or the historical fact that Germany's Afrika Korps was defeated in North Africa in 1973. He's also posted about the site GodTube (the YouTube copycat). I've also heard that there's a Christian version of American Idol.

Are we really that insecure? Do we really lack the confidence, in what we say we believe to be truth, to the point of having to look to the world for guidance? As Greg notes, "sometimes we are our own worst enemy."

I wonder, though, could it be we copy the world so... because we admire it?

Comments

[David M. Smith]

Sheep, yes. Of HIS hand, no!

[David M. Smith]

I’m really looking forward to Ave Maria Pro Wrestling. I hear all of the wrestlers have made a pledge to only use steroids produced in eco-friendly countries by fair trade workers covered by government health care. See Rusty, we really can make a positive difference in the world.

[David M. Smith]

Hi again Rusty,

I keep thinking about this piece of yours and the issues it raises.

Ideally, believers should be in the world, but not of the world. Somehow the concept of “in but not of” has been reversed by the copycat mentality of Ichthus marketing. Nowadays, most Christians want to be of the world, but not in the world.

This is another example of how good intentions can go terribly wrong. If would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

[Rusty Lopez]

Yes, David, the issue is not only complex, but the effects are far-reaching. Consider how we've structured our "worship" services to cater to the needs of both Christians and non-Christians by striving to make the sermons "relevant". Consider how we structure youth services to cater to making the marginalized feel comfortable and welcomed. While it certainly is a good thing to let the non-Christian know they are welcome, I think that the gospel message ends up getting diluted into being, essentially, a high-tech pacifier. It makes them feel good, and that ends up being how they define "faith" - how they feel.