Provocation!

I just found out today that the church I attend, Rivertree, has created some controversy recently through media, and media has exacerbated the scandal.

To the best of my knowledge, the church put up a billboard that had a picture of feet underneath some sheets, and the phrase "puresex." This was done to promote a new series the church will be launching this Sunday.

The Billboard sparked interest from television stations in Cleveland, and this further created a buzz on the national level - so much so that the "Today Show" will be at church tomorrow filming and interviewing people.

I happen to know someone who will be interviewed tomorrow, and she asked me to pray for her that she might present the message that the church is truly trying to convey. The gimmick is not what the message is about. The message is about the healthy sex life God designed humans to have.

It is my personal opinion that this could be a very true instance of Christians using media in an effective and ethical manner. This provocative billboard does not represent entertainment in the sense of a manipulative or mindless transmission of ideas, but rather represents a creative and startling image that will compel people to know more about the message Rivertree is trying to communicate.

Christ was constantly using images to convey his messages. Trees, mountains, fish and wheat, images the common people were familiar with all became part of his teaching. He wasn't using actual images, because technology prevented him from doing so, but I believe that if he were in the 21st century, he would be using various media to communicate his messages.

He was relevant in his ministry, so the Church ought to be relevant as well.

We need to use images to draw people unto Christ.

I commend Rivertree in their efforts at doing so.

Now, it will be interesting to see what the sermon says tomorrow...

Control

This Thursday, I attended a concert at the House of Blues in Cleveland featuring the band Jars of Clay. The music was amazing, the ambiance was groovy, and I saw technological determinism right before my eyes.

Yes, that is what I said - technological determinism.

There was a girl close to the stage who was watching the band, and at the same time she was either taping the band on her digital camera or she was taking pictures. It struck me that the way she conducted herself in regard to this technology shaped her experience. She couldn't flail both her arms about or clap to the beat, because she was preoccupied with capturing the experience digitally.

This would never have happened 60 years ago at an Elvis concert. No digital camera got in the way of the girls becoming completely engrossed in the experience of watching Elvis. I don't know, maybe this whole idea of being able to "capture" the experience makes the encounter with our most cherished stars a little more manageable.

We all want control, right?