"Christian" Music, Movies, and Credibility

Sometimes I listen to Christian music and I think to myself “this sounds just like secular music but it’s seriously lacking talent.” It’s no secret that it’s easier to get into the Christian entertainment industry than it is getting into the secular entertainment industry. Here are some cases where “Christian” Musicians and Actors have shown themselves to be frauds:

 Katie Perry who kissed a girl and liked it started off as a Christian singer under the name Katie Hudson. She dyed her hair black and restarted her career where she would become a spokesperson for the LGBT community. The band Quiet Company started off as a Christian Band, but now releases songs that attack the existence of God and faith in Jesus. They played at the Christian Music Festival Cornerstone.

 Underoath lead singer Spencer Chamberlain said in an interview “If there is a God I hope we didn't piss him off to much.” What type of assurance does that person have in the word of God or in the gospel? I’m sure he’s a great guy but a Christian should have bold assurance that not only is there a God but his name is Jesus. And if you think that is disturbing you should check out what Ray Boltz has been up to these last couple years.

 Christian movies can be lame. From a dialogue standpoint they are horrible. The best Christian movie to date is “Chariots of Fire” which was produced by Dodi Fayed a Muslim. I’m not expecting computer generated images in movies, I’m not expecting explosions, but please have characters that are convincing, develop those characters, and tell a story that is believable. Be artistic.

 Several years ago I went to a youth pastors conference called the Youth Pastors Summit. This is a great conference where there are a lot of great resources provided to youth pastors for free. I’ve learned so much from the speakers at the Youth Pastors Summit. With that said several years ago they heavily pushed the movie “To Save A Life” (2009). I’ve watched this movie and it’s okay; they brought up some good things, but again it lacked convincing characters.

 Here is what is disturbing about this movie: the lead actor is Randy Wayne. He also starred in the Dukes of Hazzard (2007) where the unrated version contains topless women. In 2009 he also starred in a American Pie styled movie called Frat Party that is essentially soft core pornography. In my research for writing this post I discovered something that made me lose my mind. There was another Christian movie called Hard Flip (2012) that stars Randy Wayne as well. So this guy was in a movie with nudity, then a Christian movie, then a movie with nudity, then another Christian movie. WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE?!?!

 If you believe thats okay I seriously doubt your judgement, and I have some swampland I’d like to sell you (don’t worry it’s Christian swampland). We as Christians are not to be blind consumers. We are to think, analyze, and seek the truth out in our lives. For instances some of the most damaging foods today are marketed as being “Heart Healthy.” Many Americans are ignorant. They cannot think for themselves and are blind sheep. Consequently many Christians are ignorant as well. In my opinion Christians lose credibility when they blindly buy and endorse music and movies regardless of their quality. I love Christians and I want us to be able to question things in church culture just as much as we do secular culture to make sure that we are as the Apostle Paul would say "in the Faith."

Protect Yourself

Gospel Meme, Zondervan NIV2011

So I personally think that the "ESV" translation of the bible is literally the best translation of modern times. With that said I am not emotionally tied to the "NIV(New International Version)" or Zondervan Publishing. I do teach from the "NIV" in my youth group and in bible classes at the Christian private school I teach at. So many people already own the "NIV" so it's easier for me to adjust to their translation of choice and focus on other issues. I prefer the ESV but I chose my battles carefully.

So the "TNIV" has been known as being the gender-neutral translation of the bible for some time. This means that every time Jesus or the Apostle Paul writes "brothers" or "men" in the Greek the TNIV translates those verses into "brothers and sisters" or "men and women." I understand the arguments of having bibles gender-neutral and non-gender-neutral and I am not upset about how the TNIV does that. But here is what upsets me:

The "NIV1984"(which we've all used for the last 20 years) has been known by the abbreviation "NIV." Zondervan in 2011 changed the name of the "TNIV" to the "NIV." That means that if you own a bible that says NIV on the spine of the book from 3 years ago, and your friend owns a NIV they bought last week, you are using 2 different translations of the bible. Most people do not realize this and they are being misled. So for that Zondervan you are silly and I don't like that you did that. I do prefer Crossway as a publisher because they publish less fluff, but you are still a legitimate publisher that God has used in my life to discipline me. If you are interested in voicing your opinion you can go to zondervan.com and click on the feedback button and tell them you don't like that the TNIV is now called the NIV because it is confusing.

Scumbag Youth Pastor Steve Gospel Meme

Don't put together a youth event and then not mention Jesus. That's stupid. As a Youth Pastor you are a minister of the Gospel, not the coordinator of happy-fun-time-chucky-cheese youth events. If you do something cutesy or fun fine, but make sure there is some spiritual lesson behind it.

Monday Gospel Meme: ALL THE THINGS

Long Over Do Post... Man-up you Intern!

Well a lot has changed in the last 3 years. My girl friend Erika is now my wife. I am no longer an intern but a youth minister. I'm no longer at Christ Fellowship West Kendall I am at Christ Fellowship Homestead serving as the Director of Students for both Middle School and High School Ministries. Being an intern at Christ Fellowship really helped me man up. It was the hardest and must grueling time of my entire life because of the work weekly work load... but the sense of urgency I gained and my passion to attempt great things for God will stick with me forever. I know I've said it a lot of times in real life but I should say it here now. Christ Fellowship Miami is a great church, with great leadership. It's not a perfect church but there is no such thing as a perfect church. This was where I was saved, discipled, and raised up to be a minister. If you are a young person thinking about joining vocational ministry I would suggest doing an internship before attending bible college/seminary. It'll let you get a feel for the ministry lifestyle and help you confirm your calling. And if during your internship it starts getting difficult and you start being challenged. I would say "suck it up" and finish your internship whether it be for 3 months, 6 months, or 2 years (most internships tell you how long they are going to be and you make a commitment to be there for that long). I've met far to many people who vow to be in an internship for a year and after 3 to 6 months they feel "called" to go serve in another ministry "right away!" It's funny how that "calling" usually comes when things are getting difficult in the internship, like when they've just been rebuked for something, or when there is a high expectation for them to preform. I did a 2 year internship at Christ Fellowship under Todd Breiner and Anthony Spallone at Eric Geigers church and my experience there is worth more than a 4 years BA in Christian Ministry. Just some food for thought for future interns. And if you are currently and intern I would suggest reminding yourself of the Gospel, and how Jesus suffered for the sake of the minister. That he was beaten and bruised and crucified to do the work of God. If Jesus could die for you, you as an unmarried man can die to yourself and fulfill your word and finish your internship.

No knows what I’m feeling no one knows what I think.
I keep my own counsel, because the whole body is weak.