Friday, April 17, 2009

Thoughts

It is so interesting to me that people preach sermons that are little more than stories. Often it is a stretch to connect the story to scripture. At some churches the story incorporates contemporary culture, at others not so much. I have visited what may be called seeker friendly churches that incorporate current film clips and popular songs, and do have high attendance. Many of the churches that I have visited are a little short on biblical teaching.

I attended a spoken word performance by the former lead singer of Black Flag, Henry Rollins. For more than two hours he captivated the audience. Many sermons last thirty minutes or less with the reason that people can't listen for longer.

I want to see churches engaging contemporary culture with solid, interesting, and deep biblical teaching. I don't think that it is enough to merely tell a story that is intended to illustrate a biblical principle. I don't think it is enough to merely bring popular culture into church to make it feel relevant.
What might be as alluring as Henry Rollins is a deep teaching blended with interesting culture.

2 comments:

The Kemp said...

I understand where you're coming from. That's one of the reasons I appreciate Mark Driscoll's teaching style. He unabashedly speaks for at least an hour - straight from Scripture. Naturally, he illustrates, but he gets deep. Good stuff.

Braden said...

That sounds like a good example of what I'm talking about. I haven't hear Mark Driscoll before. Thanks for the comment and for reading.