What do you think of this?

[Echoside]

Just wanted to add a little balance as well. I found the poem very effective in dealing with a common problem we have today. That is
Chritianity is often hi-jacked and replaced with religious activity. Man centered religion.
Religion, properly defined, isn't a bad thing. I can remember a thread where i slammed religion, and many had a hard time understanding what I was saying because they couldn't seperate how I was using the term. Jesus was religious, but in the purest form. ( James 1:27) Bad religion doesn't negate true religion. Counterfeits are never proof against the genuine. In fact, they actually confirm the real.

Jlay, I agree completely. Some people are definitely taking the video as if religion is being shunned, but in the description of the video the author does say "A poem I wrote to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion." So no I don't think it was the author's intention either, I think saying "false religion" every time would disrupt the actual flow of the poem. It's got more power otherwise I believe.

[Canuckster1127]

The video is so effective, in my opinion, because it's basically surfing on a huge wave that has been building for several years. George Barna touched on a lot of it in his book, Revolution, written back in 1995 (which is before he and Frank Viola came out with the book, "Pagan Christianity") and in it Barna talks about his own personal decision to leave institutional church and move to an organic/home-church, setting. In effect what he said is that he observed, and in some ways led, a lot of the transitions in churches toward mega-churches, seeker-sensitive churches and the Church Growth movement and while it was very successful for those who adopted the methods and thinking of it in terms of building large ministries (butts in seats), he found in his studies that there was very little difference between the world-view and life-styles of people who identified themselves as Christians in these growing ministries and what the norms were in the population at large. Divorce rates were pretty much the same, views of God and the Bible not all that different etc. etc.

Barna back in 1995 predicted that America was on the cusp of a huge cultural transition to a post-christian era and that by the time most churches recognized and responded to it, it would be so well entrenched as to be practically irreversible. Since that time, Church membership and attendance has decreased on average by about 1 million people each year and in addition, many small and medium sized churches are closing at a rate well above any new planting rates and Christian Workers are leaving ministry on average to the tune of about 1,500 per month.

It's now 17 years since that book and to my observation anyway, a lot of this has indeed come to pass and if anything, it's accelerating.

One of the trends Barna foresaw (and he's not a prophet, he's a pollster and analyst) was a move away from "religion" toward "spirituality" and that's indeed a pretty popular thing for people to say in terms of their own beliefs.

I see a lot of these themes captured in this video and it picks up on a lot of things that I've seen and read in other venues with my support and understanding of organic church.

Not everyone leaving traditional churches and fellowships are leaving because they've lost their faith and become apostate (although certainly that element is there too.) Many people are expressing that they're not leaving because they've lost their faith. They're leaving because they've come to the conclusion that they must do so to preserve their faith.

This video I think is very well done and captures a lot of what Barna saw 17 years ago. Only instead of being future looking it's expressing a lot of what the present holds and is resonating with a lot of people.

[wrain62]

One of the trends Barna foresaw (and he's not a prophet, he's a pollster and analyst) was a move away from "religion" toward "spirituality" and that's indeed a pretty popular thing for people to say in terms of their own beliefs.

Yup I am witness to this phenomenon.

[A Dairy Farmer]

Just wanted to add a little balance as well. I found the poem very effective in dealing with a common problem we have today. That is
Chritianity is often hi-jacked and replaced with religious activity. Man centered religion.
Religion, properly defined, isn't a bad thing. I can remember a thread where i slammed religion, and many had a hard time understanding what I was saying because they couldn't seperate how I was using the term. Jesus was religious, but in the purest form. ( James 1:27) Bad religion doesn't negate true religion. Counterfeits are never proof against the genuine. In fact, they actually confirm the real.

This is what I thought after viewing it. I am rather perturbed by modern use of the word "religion". The term desperately needs more clarification when used. Jesus didn't come to abolish "religion", he came to fulfill religion in it's truest sense (Mathew 5:17). The video did do a good job of indicating what it meant though, a socially acceptable, man centered path towards God.

The video is so effective, in my opinion, because it's basically surfing on a huge wave that has been building for several years. George Barna touched on a lot of it in his book, Revolution, written back in 1995 (which is before he and Frank Viola came out with the book, "Pagan Christianity") and in it Barna talks about his own personal decision to leave institutional church and move to an organic/home-church, setting. In effect what he said is that he observed, and in some ways led, a lot of the transitions in churches toward mega-churches, seeker-sensitive churches and the Church Growth movement and while it was very successful for those who adopted the methods and thinking of it in terms of building large ministries (butts in seats), he found in his studies that there was very little difference between the world-view and life-styles of people who identified themselves as Christians in these growing ministries and what the norms were in the population at large. Divorce rates were pretty much the same, views of God and the Bible not all that different etc. etc.

Interesting, I'll have to look into his books. After almost a year of hearing spiritually dry sermons, I've come to the point of almost rejecting institutionalized church as a whole. I've also seen several churches crumble, mostly due to internal issues. There's something seriously wrong with the modern church mentality of creating massive "ministries", and appealing to the masses with substance lacking, feel good messages.

[Bill McEnaney]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm willing to bet we won't find any theological dictionary that defines "religion" as a set of manmade rules." The only people I've met who defined it that way have been fundamentalists.

[RickD]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm willing to bet we won't find any theological dictionary that defines "religion" as a set of manmade rules." The only people I've met who defined it that way have been fundamentalists.

Bill, I see "religion", as man trying to reach up to God. True Christianity, is knowing it's impossible to reach up to God, and accepting what God did to reach out to man. And btw, I'm not a fundamentalist.

[Paul_AK]

I'm not really a fan of this, and I can't state why any better than this article explains.

http://roadsfromemmaus.org/2012/01/12/w ... ove-jesus/

[StMonicaGuideMe]

Like Paul_AK, I wasn't really a fan. He does not critically define "religion" and uses it improperly. What he is speaking of is really hypocrisy in the church, which Jesus definitely spoke out against. There is another great blog that addresses it:

http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2012/01 ... d-you.html

And on the issue of sex, another good one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=IlJ ... =endscreen