don't tell me what i don't want to hear
Today, we had a unique, interactive, and entertaining "chapel", where a troupe of "Covenant Players" performed a couple of skits, and played an interactive game of trust. It was fun to see some of our friends up there playing the game, stepping on little children, and coming up with brilliant out-of-the-box strategies (e.g. Mariah's "innovative" approach to getting her team mate across the finish line). But what was the point?
Trust in God. Pray to God and He'll help you. Don't try to pretend to be something you're not. These were the basic principles we learned today, and we've been hearing them since our days in Sunday school.
Now, I completely understand the difficulty of combining the 5th-8th graders with the High School, but perhaps that should be the very reason we don't hold events like this. The last time this happened was when the talented but strange man came and recited and acted out the entire book of Jonah from memory. I admire him for his passion, talent, and commitment, but I'm afraid the most he did for the High School was weird us out.
We need to stick to speakers. I hate to be so dogmatic about it, and perhaps I'm sounding like some kind of stingy adult who can't stand to have fun. But these strange speakers and troupes that perform for us aren't even fun. They grow wearisome, and we feel like we're being treated like babies who are incapable of a sophisticated, intelligent presentation. The girls may go "aww" when something cute happens, but unfortunately the profundity stops there.
Why should I believe this? How do I know what you're telling me is true? What makes the Bible a reliable source of authority?
We need some answers to these questions, and something other than the idea that reading the Scriptures invokes some kind of emotional feeling that convinces us of the truth--the Latter-Day Saints do that. And we can't say the Bible is true because it is airtight both literally and historically--the fundamentalists say that. There are plenty of religious books which cause the reader to feel emotion and conviction, along with accurate descriptions of the human condition (the Bible is not the only religious writing that talks about Sin). There are also plenty of other religions that make claims for the historical accuracy of their own sacred writings (the Latter-Day Saints actually argue that Native Americans did NOT come from Northern Asia--contrary to factual evidence--but that they were early descendants of the Israelites). Certainly, the Bible does move me when I read it, and I am often amazed at the accuracy of its description of the human condition and how it speaks to me on a personal level. But that's not a sufficient condition for the Bible to be as true as it claims to be. There is one reason and one reason alone that completely validates the Bible as God-breathed and authoritative: Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus rose from the dead, which means all of his claims were true. Numerous times, Jesus described the scriptures as God-breathed. Because he rose from the dead, we know that he was, indeed, the Son of God. The resurrection was either the grandest, most elaborate hoax in history, or the most groundbreaking truth ever revealed to mankind.
Now, to return to the original topic of this post--the people who performed today were wonderful, entertaining, and passionate people. I didn't disagree with anything they said, and sometimes they even made me laugh. But it just didn't work. The man who came about a month ago was equally passionate about his work, but the the effect he produced was not what was intended.
I'd like to also add a side note about altar calls. The other day in Bible class, we were talking about impatience, and I used speakers who insist on seeing a show of hands as an example. Mrs. Travis mostly disagreed with me, saying that sometimes people need that kind of opportunity in order to express their faith. My question is: if someone is fully ready to come into a relationship with Christ, why do they need emotional or peer pressure from someone else to fully make the commitment? It seems that altar calls, rather than giving an opportunity for a full, decisive commitment, are actually damaging; the people who respond to them are still struggling with the idea themselves, and would not have come up of their own will in front of all the masses of the people had they not been pressured to do so.
If someone is TRULY changed and committed, they WILL come to faith and confess that faith to their pastor or close friend. Emotional pressure on a person to come to faith is the best way to make the conversion experience shallow and short-lived. Often, those who respond to altar calls start new lives of genuine change and purpose. But almost always, altar call responders will eventually have to re-dedicate (get an emotional boost, often several times) or pray seriously with a friend sometime afterward.
I continue to pray for the advancement of the ministry at Alma Heights. It's time to migrate away from emotional manipulation, and move in a direction of genuine truth and clarity for believers and non-believers alike. We are constantly in a mission field, whether it be roaming through the jungles of Africa or standing in line for lunch.
Trust in God. Pray to God and He'll help you. Don't try to pretend to be something you're not. These were the basic principles we learned today, and we've been hearing them since our days in Sunday school.
Now, I completely understand the difficulty of combining the 5th-8th graders with the High School, but perhaps that should be the very reason we don't hold events like this. The last time this happened was when the talented but strange man came and recited and acted out the entire book of Jonah from memory. I admire him for his passion, talent, and commitment, but I'm afraid the most he did for the High School was weird us out.
We need to stick to speakers. I hate to be so dogmatic about it, and perhaps I'm sounding like some kind of stingy adult who can't stand to have fun. But these strange speakers and troupes that perform for us aren't even fun. They grow wearisome, and we feel like we're being treated like babies who are incapable of a sophisticated, intelligent presentation. The girls may go "aww" when something cute happens, but unfortunately the profundity stops there.
Why should I believe this? How do I know what you're telling me is true? What makes the Bible a reliable source of authority?
We need some answers to these questions, and something other than the idea that reading the Scriptures invokes some kind of emotional feeling that convinces us of the truth--the Latter-Day Saints do that. And we can't say the Bible is true because it is airtight both literally and historically--the fundamentalists say that. There are plenty of religious books which cause the reader to feel emotion and conviction, along with accurate descriptions of the human condition (the Bible is not the only religious writing that talks about Sin). There are also plenty of other religions that make claims for the historical accuracy of their own sacred writings (the Latter-Day Saints actually argue that Native Americans did NOT come from Northern Asia--contrary to factual evidence--but that they were early descendants of the Israelites). Certainly, the Bible does move me when I read it, and I am often amazed at the accuracy of its description of the human condition and how it speaks to me on a personal level. But that's not a sufficient condition for the Bible to be as true as it claims to be. There is one reason and one reason alone that completely validates the Bible as God-breathed and authoritative: Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus rose from the dead, which means all of his claims were true. Numerous times, Jesus described the scriptures as God-breathed. Because he rose from the dead, we know that he was, indeed, the Son of God. The resurrection was either the grandest, most elaborate hoax in history, or the most groundbreaking truth ever revealed to mankind.
Now, to return to the original topic of this post--the people who performed today were wonderful, entertaining, and passionate people. I didn't disagree with anything they said, and sometimes they even made me laugh. But it just didn't work. The man who came about a month ago was equally passionate about his work, but the the effect he produced was not what was intended.
I'd like to also add a side note about altar calls. The other day in Bible class, we were talking about impatience, and I used speakers who insist on seeing a show of hands as an example. Mrs. Travis mostly disagreed with me, saying that sometimes people need that kind of opportunity in order to express their faith. My question is: if someone is fully ready to come into a relationship with Christ, why do they need emotional or peer pressure from someone else to fully make the commitment? It seems that altar calls, rather than giving an opportunity for a full, decisive commitment, are actually damaging; the people who respond to them are still struggling with the idea themselves, and would not have come up of their own will in front of all the masses of the people had they not been pressured to do so.
If someone is TRULY changed and committed, they WILL come to faith and confess that faith to their pastor or close friend. Emotional pressure on a person to come to faith is the best way to make the conversion experience shallow and short-lived. Often, those who respond to altar calls start new lives of genuine change and purpose. But almost always, altar call responders will eventually have to re-dedicate (get an emotional boost, often several times) or pray seriously with a friend sometime afterward.
I continue to pray for the advancement of the ministry at Alma Heights. It's time to migrate away from emotional manipulation, and move in a direction of genuine truth and clarity for believers and non-believers alike. We are constantly in a mission field, whether it be roaming through the jungles of Africa or standing in line for lunch.
posted by John Mark at 10:29 PM
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