:: St. Stephen's Musings ::

:: Friday, July 18, 2003 ::

The Good, the Bad, the Interesting

Last week, I received (from different readers) two very interesting links about Evangelicalism. Keep 'em coming!

Link One:
What did the church do before television?
The money quote: "Martoia believed that the traditional church service didn't draw newcomers. 'So we said, Let�s take a cue from MTV [and] from TV commercials and what�s capturing people�s attention.'"

Taking a large swig from the postmodern trough of greed, lust, and rampant consumerism doesn't seem to be where one is likely to find the "hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

My grandfather's Master's thesis explored the idea of the church as primarily an advertiser. Of course, back in the 40's advertising was very different than the "shock & awe" kind we are now accustomed. Either way, molding your evangelistic vision on Britney Spears, Jackass and Coors Light seems...well....oh, nevermind.

Link Two:
After I posted the second part of my critique of the Baptist handbook, a reader emailed me a fairly decent analysis of Orthodox theology from an Evangelical apologetics site. On the whole it is a very fair and informed essay, and a nice example of someone doing it right. Well done.

The author concludes, saying "while we [Evangelicals] might have serious questions about certain doctrines and practices of Orthodoxy, we can't help but be enriched by others:

"The centrality of corporate worship as contrasted with our primary focus on the individual; the importance of beauty grounded in Christian beliefs contrasted with either the austerity of Protestant worship in the past or our present focus on personal tastes in aesthetics; the way fundamental doctrines such as that of the Trinity and the Incarnation weave their way throughout Christian belief and life in contrast to our more pragmatic way of thinking and living; these things and more make a study of the Orthodox Church an enriching experience. Even if one is simply challenged to rethink one's own beliefs, the effort is worthwhile."

While I'm at it, here is one more interesting Protestant link:

Pastor Brad Boydston posts a powerful quote from
this critique and analysis by Michael Horton of postmodernism's influence on contemporary Evangelical praxis. The concluding statement sure sounds like a description one might give of the Divine Liturgy:

Mr. Horton states "The agenda of the church in postmodernity is its task in every age: to tell the story, be written into it ourselves through Word and Sacrament, and to live that story in the power of the Spirit who incorporates us into its unfolding plot."

:: Karl :: 9:26:00 AM [Link] ::