World Views Are Displayed in Many Ways

Today’s post is prompted in part to Bill’s comments about The Shack. He says “My only fear of books like this is that they can distort our view of God. We must keep in mind that this is fiction.” That is a valid concern. Bill and I agree that a good purpose for this book would be as a conversation starter. I would hope that it would open a door to dialog about issues of faith and to be able to point out where our beliefs differ from the book’s, hopefully in a non-threatening way. Ideologies pervade all communication devices from movies to books to Comedy Central.

Most of us don’t distinguish between fiction and other genres. The Da Vinci Code illustrates this. Many people were looking for something else to believe in. There is a quote in the December 22, 2003 edition of Time magazine that illustrates this. The cover story, “The Lost Gospels”, was prompted by the popularity of the Da Vinci Code book. Marcus Borg, author of The Heart of Christianity, states, “There’s a lot interest in early Christian diversity because many people who have left the church—and some who are still in it—are looking for a new way of becoming Christian.”

I believe this interest is generated for two main reasons. The first is that the majority of the mainstream church is not functioning as Jesus intended. Many churches are barely distinguishable from secular service organizations. Jesus is well hidden in these environments. The second reason could be that when people realize the implications of coming to grips with the real Jesus, God incarnate, they are unwilling to let Him impact their whole lives. If Jesus is the creator God, He created us and desires full access into our lives. This is not just a Sunday morning thing. It is a daily encounter where our beliefs about who Jesus is affect the choices we make in all areas. It should affect how we treat other people, that includes those who are different from us or hold different viewpoints. Most of us are pretty stubborn about giving up control of all areas of our lives. We think that we will be confined by that. The mystery about this is that Jesus promises us freedom as we submit to Him. He says it Himself, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” He is talking about freeing us from being slaves to sin. As Bob Dylan wrote, “You’ve got to serve somebody.” We get to choose who or what we serve.

I believe that Christ followers living out their faith in close relationship to Jesus is the best way to counter error. Living a transformed life is the best apologetic in my opinion.