Happy 20th Anniversary!

20 years ago, the Berlin wall began to be torn down. This is considered one of the most influential moments in the 20th century. We all know that division goes against the human nature. When barriers are constructed, the human spirit suffers.

Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel and former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev crossed the former border today. This is a monumental symbol of hope, because when barriers are torn down and people are united, cultures rejoice.

I pray that the Church can be a voice in society that tears down barriers, and avoid rhetoric that cause barriers to be fortified. Jesus preached freedom. I pray we preach the same message.

May we create a culture that refuses to have anything to do with building walls.

Go tear down a wall today.

Tweet Your Scream = Marketing Genius

Paranormal Activity has made almost $98 million in it’s first 5 weeks in theaters. The movie is still doing very well, which is nearly unheard of, with most movies barely hanging on for a few weeks before they die.

There is no secret to the film’s success. They tapped into social networking. Period. The brains behind the distribution (Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks and Blumhouse Production all have their names on the movie) encouraged people to demand the film in their city, Tweet about their experience and engage with others who have seen it on the movie’s Facebook fan page.

Brilliant!

Now that the movie is in pre-DVD production, they are encouraging fans to add their name to a list in order to be mentioned in the credits on the DVD.

This is unprecedented viewer-engagement in the film industry. And when all is said and done, the movie will have made WELL over $100 million.

When we create a culture where reaction and response is not only accepted but encouraged, great things can happen. People will have increased buy-in and buzz will increase dramatically. The folks behind Paranormal can give you 100 million reasons why social networking and embracing response are keys to success.

Church, I hope we learn this lesson, and learn it fast.

Mega Church – Are Facilities Effective?

There was a report released not too long ago that stated mega churches draw more young people than smaller churches. I agree. Sort of. I think with the younger generation, a production is cool. It may get them in the door, but it won’t cause them to stay. Once the production ends, they want to see a tangible difference being made in the community.

Rob Bell’s book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians has this quote on the back cover:

“There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.

This is a book about those two numbers.”

First Baptist Church has recently announced they were building a $130 million facility. Yes, $130 million.

This makes my heart hurt. As for drawing younger people, I feel that with the millennial generation, two things stand out as the most important factors in a church:

1. Authenticity (leaders, read humility)

2. Generosity

These two factors played a heavy role in the life and teachings of Jesus, but they often seem very distant from the American Church. When we build enormous buildings, and place great amounts of money into our facilities, people inevitably see a negative picture.

Although I know there is an argument for massive facilities, I tend to think the money could most often be better used in other ways.

This goes beyond the large facility, however, because I know there are churches who may not have a state of the art facility, but pay excessive amounts on their gathering space (rented or owned). Excessive is relative, but when a church is limited by their mortgage, we need to rethink what it means to be effective and efficient in our approach. Many churches also engage in wasteful spending in other areas of their ministry, facilities are not the only issue at play. $130 million on a building, however, indicates a problem that needs addressed.

If we don’t create a culture in the Church of generosity and authenticity, we will lose the next generation entirely.

One Day’s Wages

I am a believer that with coordinated effort and global participation, we can witness the end of global poverty in our lifetime.

This is an enormous goal, but with new organizations popping up to pitch in, I believe we are making great strides in that direction. One such organization is One Day’s Wages. If you have noticed the new Creating Culture header, you will see their logo has taken over. I believe in this organization.

In my opinion, ODW has all the pieces in place to be super effective: 100% donations going directly to NGOs who are doing it well, a passionate leader and board of directors, an easy way to get involved and the development of a community around the cause.

Check out their (very cool) website and take a look around. I would encourage everyone who reads this blog to calculate your one day’s wage, read the stories and statistics, and take a step to get involved.

onedayswages.org – head over there.

Generation Y(ouTube)

I feel that YouTube is the best example of how Gen Y is changing the rules for the private and public sectors of our culture. YouTube thrives on the concept that anyone can create, edit, publish and distribute their work/ideas/concepts/creations to the world. Generation Y is being raised with the awareness of a global connectedness that is unprecedented.

To Gen Y, or the millennial generation, there are no barriers preventing them from taking an idea from concept to distribution.  There is no more climbing the corporate ladder in order to “arrive” to a certain level of status. There is no more waiting for your idea to get discovered. There are certainly no limits to collaboration. With social media, there is no shortage of audience.

The only thing left to Gen Y to do is tell their story. YouTube allows this to happen through video.

If you are part of Gen Y, I am sure you resonate with what I am saying. Authenticity is mandatory, and creativity is the motor. If you haven’t already, go tell your story.

If you are in a position of leadership, and see Gen Y working in your organization or business, be ready to radically change your leadership style – or lose the most talented and connected generation in history. It is up to you to create a culture where people can make an impact immediately, and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Gen Y doesn’t necessarily want a huge paycheck, but they demand an opportunity to be part of creating change.

The Conversation: In the Beginning

This post will get The Conversation rolling. In case you haven’t read what The Conversation is, click here.

Let me begin by stating the obvious. I am one who believes that Jesus came to live, suffer, die and be resurrected to set things right between God and His creation. So my end of conversation will always be grounded in this belief. However, I would love to have an open dialogue with those who believe differently than I believe.

Let’s begin the conversation with Creation. Genesis 1:26, in the Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation:

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”

Scripture says that we (humans) are made in the image and likeness of God. This means a couple things. First of all, when mankind was created, God was creating beings that would reflect Himself. When we look at the words image and likeness, two different concepts are at work. Image is something we would equate to a stamp – a direct replica. Likeness is more like an aura or personality, or as it Peterson renders it “reflecting our nature.” However, in the Hebrew language, even though the two words “image” and “likeness” have different basic meanings, they are used synonymously. Some scholars believe that the words compliment each other, rather than compete in meaning.

Either way, it is clear that God has created mankind to reflect his divinity. There are many creation stories in different religions, many with gods who are either bored or mad or vengeful, who create humans as their play things. In the creation story found in Genesis, however, God is creating humans to reflect His very nature.

Let’s remember that in the Genesis account of creation, the audience of this text would have been the Israelite nation. This nation was ruled under the heavy fist of the Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh would have been said to be the incarnate of Ra, the sun god. It would have been said of Pharaoh that he was the direct image of God.

The text is saying to a nation that was under the boot of the Egyptian empire that they are created in the image of God, the creator of heaven and earth. This understanding would completely hijack the value system of an empire, and turn it on its head.

-Sam

RESPONSE

Let me begin by stating the obvious. I am an athiest, and I will always respond from that perspective. I, too, enjoy engaging in a meaningful dialogue with those who believe differently than myself.

I’m glad that you picked this topic, because I have had questions concerning this particular issue in the past that have gone unanswered. If humans are supposed to reflect God’s divinity, then I wonder to what end? Humans are not meant to have the same knowledge or power as God, are they? What is meant by divinity? The discussion of “likeness” and “image” is interesting, but in the translation that you included (which may very well be the same as others with regards to my point), I am more interested in the use of the words “our” and “us.” “Let us make human beings in our image.” Is there more than one god? If not, does this deity frequently refer to himself in the plural? Why? Is this deity addressing an audience of other divine beings?

I understand what you’re saying about the impact this kind of text would have on a nation like the Israelites, but I wonder if you may have considered how this text may have been used to control and manipulate the same people that you are asserting would have gained power or inspiration. As Seneca said, “To the common man, religion is true. To the philosopher, religion is false. To the politician, religion is useful.”You say, “There are many creation stories in different religions, many with gods who are either bored or mad or vengeful, who create humans as their play things.” I can think of several examples where the god you are speaking of is awfully mad or vengeful, and to me a fair amount of the old testament stories seem as if God is having a bit of fun. “You really like me? Then sacrifice your son!….No, really, you don’t have to do that. I was just joshing.” I know that often times people dismiss examples of a mad or vengeful God with a flick the wrist and a little “That was the old testament!” But since we are talking specifically about the old testament, and I don’t quite understand how believers just dismiss half of their sacred text, I don’t feel as if this is an appropriate response (Not to say that would be your personal response).

I’ve always found it odd that a deity would create beings in his own image or likeness to take care of his other creations, and that on top of caring for other creations these beings should also worship the deity that created them in his image. Not to be overly offensive, but this has always seemed tremendously self-serving if not masturbatory.

-Nikèl Bussolati

To the readers of Creating Culture: please continue the conversation. Get your comment on.

Elohim

Did you know the word the Israelite nation used for God in Scripture is “Elohim” which carries a plural ending?

So what?

Glad you asked.

I had a rabbi say to me, “it’s as if by proclaiming the name of elohim, the Israelites would have been saying, ‘all of your gods are contained in our one.’”

Beautiful.

In a college religion class we studied the cultural background of the Jesus movement.

Did you know?

• There were many religions that claimed to center around the son of God
• The Roman Caesar called himself the Son of God – and came up with the phrase, Caesar is Lord.
• There were religions that believed their god was raised from the dead on the third day.
• There were religions that used wine as a foundational element.
• There were religions that believed their god went into the underworld and came out with all power.

My roommate asked me one day after class if all these things made me question my faith. You see, there were many kids in the class who had grown up in Christian homes, but never learned these things in Sunday School (I hadn’t either). It made them uncomfortable, to say the least. They saw these facts as threats to the validity of their faith. I saw it differently, thanks to that rabbi who explained Elohim.

I responded to my roommate, “I think it’s a beautiful thing. It’s as if God said, ‘Look, you see all these gods, all these beliefs? I am going to send my son in order to show you who I am. I will encompass them all.’”

ND Wilson Q&A

I was able to catch ND Wilson, author of Note From The Tilt-A-Whirl, which I reviewed recently, for a quick interview.

The writing was often very lyrical when dealing with creation, did the content dictate the style?

Yes it did. But it wasn’t the only factor. I would say that the content combined with our default view of said content dictated the style. As western Christians we have some real mental callouses developed in certain areas (defenses against seeing things as they are). I tried to write around those callouses (or rip right through them when I could). So, when dealing with some of the things we would normally dismiss as humdrum or dull or tacky, you can expect me to wax poetic. When dealing with some rather more transcendent and metaphysical issues, you’ll find clipped and blunt communication. The goal is always to get the reader to blink and then see what has often been hidden in plain sight.

You make several references to mythology and philosophy, how much of a role have these each had in shaping the way you view your faith?

There’s a lot to navigate here. Mythology and philosophy (as they are typically understood) are to my faith what sogged and floppy green beans are to an otherwise excellent meal–less than unnecessary. The smell of Fall has shaped my faith more than they have. But the story of Christianity isn’t just mythology, it’s The Mythology–the story bones upon which all else hangs. And the Christian life isn’t meant to be dotted with the occasionally philosophical (and ponderous) moment. The Christian life is meant to be Philosophia–a true love for and pursuit of wisdom. Even understood this way, they don’t really shape how I view my faith–my faith shapes how I view them. Faith provides new eyes. New eyes see a new world (and all the strange creatures therein, including philosophy).

How was the writing process different for writing this book than the children’s material you have written?

Pretty much in every way. The most notable difference was in how personal it was. Writing kid lit is terrific. You get to be a cook in a kitchen, well hidden behind swinging doors, but listening to the woops and hollers as the dishes make their way to the table. Writing Tilt was mechanically similar (sitting at a desk, typing), but much different in delivery. My own life, thoughts, and personality were far more directly part of the product. I hadn’t stayed back in the kitchen. Sending the book out into the great, wide, Christian world felt a little bit like streaking through a megachurch. A very new and not altogether pleasant sensation.

If you could bring back one dead philosopher to have a one-on-one conversation with, who would it be?

Don’t bring any of them back. Let sleeping dogs and philosophers lie. But if I could chat with anyone where they are now, it would be Camus. Primarily for narrative reasons. Since I believe his life of despair ended in faith, it would be a startling privilege to see true joy and peace in a French Existentialist–like looking up at the moon to see it suddenly lush with forests and warm seas.

Thank you to N.D. Wilson for taking the time out to field my questions! If you haven’t checked out his book, I promise it is worth the read! Go read and enjoy.

Zach Williams

I went to the Catalyst Conference this past week, and had an incredible time. Plenty of great speakers, leaders, and musicians made for several beautiful moments. One of my favorites, that has stuck with me everyday since has been the performance by a guy I had never heard of before, named Zach Williams. You can find him at zachwilliams.com.

Here is a video of his performance at Catalyst. The video is shaky and the sound isn’t great, but you can get an idea of how great the guy is.

Here is the same song with great video and sound, recorded at the House of Blues in Orlando: Names that Fell from Zach Williams on Vimeo.

Go buy his new album, Story Time, on iTunes – there is a link on his website.

Enjoy!

Your Kingdom Come

Jesus was pretty radical. I think most would agree on this regardless of your personal belief in Jesus as the messiah. I think we often times miss how radical his thinking was and is when we read or hear one of the most famous passages of scripture in our culture.

When the dudes who followed Jesus asked him how to pray, he responded with what we now refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. If you can recite it without thinking, clear your mind and read it again. If you have never heard it, check it out in Matthew 6:9.

It starts, as many know; Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

I would like to stop there for a moment. Read the beginning of the prayer again.

Read it one more time.

Often times, we measure the success of Christianity and the success of the local church on how many people recite a prayer that confesses Jesus as their savior. Still others measure success on how many people show up on Sunday morning. Neither of these things are wrong or vain ambitions, but I think we have missed the point, at least partially.

The reason so many people stay away from Christianity, away from the church, and away from a relationship with Jesus is because we have short-changed the Gospel. It’s good news not only because of an eternal relationship with God the Creator, but also because it means bringing God’s kingdom to earth. Right now.

When you have a packed out auditorium on Sundays, or get thousands to profess Christ as the messiah, but don’t do anything to advance the kingdom of God on earth, you are missing out on the breadth of the Gospel. Call it social justice, call it missional living, call it what you will, but if we aren’t living out the Gospel we aren’t maximizing our impact.