I have been evangelizing on College Campuses for the past fourteen years. It’s an environment that provides a wonderful opportunity to employ Christian apologetic. I must admit though that the older I get the less frequent apologetics comes up compared to my younger days of being a rabid cage stage Presuppositionalist. When apologetics conversations do occur I notice that most of the time I’m not necessarily dealing with the nitty gritty detail of some obscure historical point of Christianity or area of science. What I have found instead is that practically most of my discussion often occur at the level of worldviews. Apologetics’ discussion concerning worldviews seems to pay greater dividends at the end of the day because: (1) everyone has a worldview, (2) most people’s rejection of Christianity is driven more by their ultimate commitments rather than serious, rigorous research in a specialized field of study (3) and of course, lest we forget, one’s presuppositions shapes how one determine and dismiss what are evidences.
While discussion of worldviews can easily become abstract sometimes illustrations are helpful to get the point across. Movies are often invoked by those whom I am witnessing towards. For some reason when I talk about metaethical issues the person of Joker gets brought up more than anyone else from Popular Culture. I have taught apologetics in Christian setting where believers have also brought up Joker. Somehow he pop up during worldview apologetics’ discussion! Perhaps the allusion to Joker has something to do with young Millennials with their Graphic Novels and Netflix and how the Joker appears to be an ungodly incarnation of certain non-Christian ethical systems.
Given the fact that nonbelievers sometime allude to certain films and entertainment characters does that necessarily mean we must watch every movie and read every comic book to fulfill some kind of prerequisite in order to effectively evangelize the unbeliever? My answer to that would be no. In an earlier post, “Is it ever appropriate for Christians to view sexual sins in film?” I argued that Christians shouldn’t compromise their sanctification in the area of entertainment. With the instance of Joker, I haven’t read enough comic books to know first hand but I think I can say not all of those movies and comic books are sanctifying; even if theoretically they are not all bad, it might not be the best use of time to become an expert on Joker in order to evangelize and speak to our age. The same concern applies to other Pop Cultural figures.
Nor do I believe we should be ignorant about Pop cultural references such as Joker. I think there is a way where we can be biblical, engaging, and informed in our cultural apologetics while achieving that without sacrificing our sanctification on the altar. How can we hold on to these four highlighted aspects without compromise?
- First, to be biblical means one must know the Scripture well–and know it well in its application as one’s worldview. The Bible should shape one’s outlook of life–for instance, the Word of God should shape one’s view of ethics, sin, man, God and Salvation, etc. The Word of God should dictate our norms. It should also dictate what we should and shoudn’t do in terms of entertainment.
- Secondly, to be engaging means practically loving the person you are witnessing to. You must love them enough to be concerned for their salvation. This is the existential aspect we can’t neglect; after all, no Christian wants to be labeled as the guy who only wants to argue but not care about people’s soul. To love them also mean you want to know where they are coming from; it means listening to them. As you listen to them you will hear what “their own prophets” and poets might say.
- Thirdly, our engagement with the lost and our desire to see them get saved compels us to be informed. We want to handle our unbelieving friend’s perspective accurately and not misrepresent them. This might require further understanding of the situational context of their cultural allusion.
- Fourthly, one way to not compromise our norms while also being informed is to see what other informed social critics have to say about a particular pop figure or cultural phenomenon. I think one doesn’t have to experience every form of media and entertainment to critically reflect upon it as a Christian. An example of how a Christian can be informed and reflect critically without “seeing” something is with the current crisis with ISIS. You do not have to watch the beheading of 21 Egyptians or the burning of a Jordanian pilot to be informed about it; one can find detailed written analysis of the videos, scholarly evaluation of it’s meaning, purpose, etc. If one put the effort one might find in-depth evaluation of ISIS militarily, geo-politically, economically and theologically. I can’t imagine many people looking down on someone who is informed about ISIS while making the deliberate choice of not watching ISIS’ sick videos. To demand that one can only intelligently talk about something through the experience of watching it it is really a form of audio-visual Gnosticism.
Be on the lookout for reviews, critical essays, editorials and documentaries as aides. Even when a film or comic is appropriate for a Christian to enjoy I still find interacting with such resources from a Christian worldview can at times be insightful.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging and commented:
Excellent article, Thanks SlimJim!
Thanks Vincent!
You’re welcome Jim!
Jim my dear brother? I love ya. THIS is brilliant!!! Tremendously biblical piece.
Allow me to touch a couple points.
Firstly, yes. Accurate and practical knowledge of the scriptures is number one. Shouldn’t have to be said, but alas, today it does.
SlimJim says: ” To love them also mean you want to know where they are coming from; it means listening to them. As you listen to them you will hear what “their own prophets” and poets might say.”
THAT, is the key in practice. I don’t need to participate in their cultural idols. THEY can tell me about them. And they will.
If one had never seen even a single television show or movie in their entire lives, their witness is not hampered at all. In fact, I say, and so does 1st Corinthians 1, that It’s greatly enhanced.
Say somebody brings up some famous cultural figure assuming you’ll know what they’re talking about.
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Them: – “well, you know like [the guy in the movie] was saying in the scene when they were in the strip club discussing business”
You – “I haven’t seen that one, sorry”
Them – “ok, then another illustration might be where [in the some tv show] the women is lamenting her past talking about all the pain she has suffered”
You – “I haven’t seen that either. Actually I don’t have a tv.”
Them – “you don’t have a tv” (watch the SHOCKED look on their face)
You – “no sir, I don’t.”
Them – “Why not” (shocked look turns to genuine curiosity)
You – “well, it got to the point where I couldn’t tell God how my walk and service to Him was being helped by having one. I rarely go to the movies either. Same reason.”
Them – (they usually won’t know what exactly to say to that)
You – “but that ok. You can tell me about it and how it speaks to you about life and why it discredits Christianity”
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They will.
Not only do you NOT have to participate in their worldly carnal media culture to converse with them, but THEY themselves will tell you what it personally means to them. It’s all about THEM. Not YOU being a culture savvy hipster. 1st Corinthians 9 is usually mangled to support the view that we must be discerning and wise partakers of entertainment in order to be an affective witness. Scheaffer is most directly responsible for this with his undue exaltation of Art, but that’s another story. Gotta go for now.
I wold commend to you THIS piece by Phil Johnson. Excellent corollary to what you’re saying here.
Greg,
Thank you for the comment. I appreciated how you described and gave a concrete example of an evangelistic conversation that is engaging while not partaking in their worldly pleasure. This might sound left field but the other day I was talking to someone about the biblical view of sex and marriage in contrast to the self destructiveness of certain “alternative life style.” We agreed that God’s design is best and that led my friend to say the movie Eye’s Wide Shut powerfully convinced him of the importance of monogamy; hearing him talk about the movie and later reading on Wikipedia what the movie was about made me realized that I was never going to watch the film for eternity though I can somewhat see my friend’s point. I think being consistent is a powerful testimony. I think you also made a good point about the witness not having a TV has in an evangelistic discussion. We must not downplay holy separation. We must not elevate too highly ungodly consumption of worldly entertainment to achieve some kind of status of cultural exegete.
Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
Thanks!
SlimJim says: Greg,
Thank you for the comment.
My blessing sir.
SlimJim says:”… my friend to say the movie Eye’s Wide Shut powerfully convinced him of the importance of monogamy…”
Yeah because the New Testament doesn’t teach monogamy with it’s exalted view of the marriage covenant now raised with Christ, nearly as well as Stanley Kubrick (a pandeistic agnostic) and a half hour sex orgy that barely escaped the NC-17 rating. (this film comes up alot) Today’s’ church is so sick.
SlimJim says:”I think you also made a good point about the witness not having a TV has in an evangelistic discussion. We must not downplay holy separation and elevate too highly for ungodly consumption of worldly entertainment to achieve some kind of status of cultural exegete.”
Using godly separation must be done with the right attitude though too. It can’t be a sneering self righteous spirit. You know.
“WELL!!! I would never pollute MYself with that filth!! Why the very idea!! Hmmff!”
No sir. It must be done with a view to giving the credit and honor to the progress of the work of the Holy spirit in our heart. It’s not that I am too good for that. Truth be told I love all that stuff too, but it’s not good for my walk and service to the Lord. I put it outta my life because HE doesn’t like it.
I defy any Christian to describe for me the indispensable role that media entertainment plays in their life and ministry. If there is some piece of entertainment that was not sinful to produce and therefore not sinful to watch, then go ahead.
It might EVEN have a nice common grace message. Like UP for instance. Fine. Praise God!! But please spare me the tortured, contorted view that somehow GREAT PROFOUND otherwise unavailable edification and evangelism tools are found there in the world that were unavailable to the church for a few thousand years until the invention of tv and movies.
Portraying sin is a lot trickier, but it CAN be done. (another story)
In 1st Corinthians 1 Paul specifically tells us that God intentionally chooses people and therefore methods that are of NO account and despised in the world to accomplish His purposes among them. This is so HE gets the glory!! Not our groovadelic worldly wisdom and ingenuity. The cross of Christ has been made of no effect because of it’s contamination with worldliness and carnality. That’s why this society is gasping and gurgling out it’s last dying moral breaths. Our insolent attempts to help God out by dressing Jesus up in the trappings of pop culture has neutralized the power of the cross. Just like He said it would.
I’m not very hopeful that most of the American church will ever get this. She is deep under the covers in a sordid slobbering love affair with world and the things therein.
Sorry man. I’m a preacher at heart 🙂
Amen, Amen. Very nuanced! I think your comment has more weight than some of the popular superficial cultural apologetics stuff out there.
Very well explained SJ. Being culturally informed and standing for Biblical principles is very important indeed, It is so sad to see many no longer understanding the importance of all of this.
Amen. May we discern the culture without sacrifice godliness.
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Thoughtful. We gotta do whatever it takes not to sin.