In church we're doing a series on how screwy the church can get. Very enlightening.
One of the things I dig about the church we're now attending, Emergence, is that they don't push the ideas that the Bible is silent about. They play rock music but are respectful of choirs and pipe organs. They don't push Republican over Democrat, or Wall Street tycoon over bohemian. They understand that, while there ARE absolute truths in life as outlined scripturally, there is room for the Holy Spirit to lead different people to different passions.
Megazeen has received its share of judgmental hate mail from those who say it's irreverent or distracting, but you know what? That's their preference. We also don't like the preachy tone that other Chrisitan comics take, and would prefer some more entertaining comics, whether deep from within a painful soul or just a good ole fart joke. That's OUR preference.
The danger comes in when we take our preference and decide that it is a principle that others should live by. There are principles we should all live by for sure. But the trick is in understanding the difference.
For example, my wife doesn't like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or Stephen King's "The Stand", two emotionally charged works of art I thoroughly enjoy. But she shouldn't think less of me for listening to it myself. Just as I can't stand the morning DJ's or the music selection on the local Christian radio station- but I don't think they make my wife cheesier for her listening to them. These are preferences. In the end, we still go to church together on Sunday. That's a principle.
So, whether you like the new Transformers movie or are a cartoon loyalist, whether you get something out of Benny Hinn or you find him silly, whether you read Ghost Rider or Owly, or like Clinton or Giuliani, or Kirk or Picard, Disney World or Universal, Coke or Pepsi, etc or etc, they're all just preferences. It's when we decide that others need to feel MY way about the subject that we get into trouble.
Read I Corinthians if you doubt it.
A wise man once told me. "Being right ain't all it's cracked up to be." Changed my life.
I have my preferences on all the above, by the way. But that's not your problem.
One of the things I dig about the church we're now attending, Emergence, is that they don't push the ideas that the Bible is silent about. They play rock music but are respectful of choirs and pipe organs. They don't push Republican over Democrat, or Wall Street tycoon over bohemian. They understand that, while there ARE absolute truths in life as outlined scripturally, there is room for the Holy Spirit to lead different people to different passions.
Megazeen has received its share of judgmental hate mail from those who say it's irreverent or distracting, but you know what? That's their preference. We also don't like the preachy tone that other Chrisitan comics take, and would prefer some more entertaining comics, whether deep from within a painful soul or just a good ole fart joke. That's OUR preference.
The danger comes in when we take our preference and decide that it is a principle that others should live by. There are principles we should all live by for sure. But the trick is in understanding the difference.
For example, my wife doesn't like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or Stephen King's "The Stand", two emotionally charged works of art I thoroughly enjoy. But she shouldn't think less of me for listening to it myself. Just as I can't stand the morning DJ's or the music selection on the local Christian radio station- but I don't think they make my wife cheesier for her listening to them. These are preferences. In the end, we still go to church together on Sunday. That's a principle.
So, whether you like the new Transformers movie or are a cartoon loyalist, whether you get something out of Benny Hinn or you find him silly, whether you read Ghost Rider or Owly, or like Clinton or Giuliani, or Kirk or Picard, Disney World or Universal, Coke or Pepsi, etc or etc, they're all just preferences. It's when we decide that others need to feel MY way about the subject that we get into trouble.
Read I Corinthians if you doubt it.
A wise man once told me. "Being right ain't all it's cracked up to be." Changed my life.
I have my preferences on all the above, by the way. But that's not your problem.
2 comments:
Joe -
You've said in this one blog post what I've been trying to say for YEARS.
Thanks for clearing it up for me.
AMEN JOEY AMEN!
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