Collide Magazine is a relatively new magazine. They interviewed Cali and me last year and the interview was published in the January edition. The tag line is, “Where Media and the Church Converge.” I’m not sure the tag line is entirely descriptive, but I can’t offer a better alternative.
Rob Thomas, the publisher, gave us a complementary subscription. I’ve read every issue from cover to cover.
Here’s the deal: I have a Christian past that is very church-centric. Growing up, I was so heavenly minded that I was of no earthly good. I carried my Bible to high school and never really talked to any of my fellow students. I spent all my free time hanging out in the sanctuary at church singing and playing the piano.
I also have a Christian present that is very different from my Christian past. As the church in America became more and more politically focused, I backed away. The Focus on the Family/American Family Association kind of Christianity, with it’s focus on sanitizing society from any kind of exposure to sin, just doesn’t look anything like the Jesus approach. He hung with prostitutes, drunkards, and worst of all, tax collectors. If the American Family Association existed in the Garden of Eden, they would have had the Tree of Knowledge chopped down and feed through a chipper.
The Christians who publish and write for Collide don’t seem to be scared of pop culture at all. They don’t print movie guides with warnings about every potential exposure to something impure. They write about movies just like regular, normal people who just also happen to be Christians. It’s such a novel approach that I can hardly adjust to it, but it is overwhelmingly refreshing.
On the Internet, we tend to gravitate toward people with similar ideas and sensibilities…even sometimes without even trying. I’ve gravitated toward a whole bunch of people who grew up loving Jesus, but feel like outsiders from mainstream, American Christianity. For those of you who are like me. Collide is worth a look. It’s caused me to do some deep thinking and it’s inspired some radical ideas that I’ll work on down the road.
8 Comments
Hi Neal, you and Cali are doing a great job. I enjoy all your shows. Based on your comment, you might like what Rev. Dennis Hale (former Baptist minister) has to say about why he can’t give up on Jesus. The link is http://media.libsyn.com/media/vlr/VLR_21_Why_I_Cant_Give_Up_On_Jesus.mp3
@Alex - I listened to the whole presentation, but don’t identify with Hale’s point of view. I’ve never struggled with believing in the Divinity of Jesus. I also don’t accept evolution as a viable explanation for the complexity of life.
It’s the churches embrace of politics that I hate. I hate how James Dobson is seduced by political power on the right and I hate how Tony Campolo is seduced by political power on the left. Tony is a friend, and I’ve had several opportunities to tell him what I think.
If what Christians believe is true, politics is a massive waste of time and a horribly inefficient way to accomplish anything.
Hi Neal,
I think as a UU, what I got out of Hale’s talk was, even people that don’t happen to believe in the divinity of Jesus or salvation, can still live by his teachings. I’m always looking for things that bring people together and look at what someone does rather than what they believe. Also listened to an interesting podcast Speaking of Faith with a guest that discussed who were the leaders/founders that pushed for separation of church and state. I thought it would have been the deists, unitarians or progressives of the time but according to the guest it was the Baptists and Evangelicals. Link to the show is http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/liberating_the_founders/index.shtml
I noticed you didn’t include lawyers…even Jesus had his limits.
Alex, I TOTALLY respect you, and I don’t judge or question you, but I’m in the C.S. Lewis camp. Jesus was either God, a liar or a lunatic.
I love Speaking of Faith on NPR and I heard that episode. I’m really pushing for a breakthrough of faith in Jesus that means, if He is what He says He is and did what I believe He did, politics and our our playing around with shaping outcomes is irrelevant. His deal transcends the rest.
Oh and Alex, I’d love to spend an afternoon with you before an afternoon with a fundie anytime.
Neal, it’s good to know there are Christians on the internet who aren’t over the top.
Recently I joined a small group and have been doing my first Bible study. We started with Romans and when we hit Romans 13 it seemed real appropriate for the time we are in.
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