Remarks from the Fray:
I don't think it's all that accurate to compare the pagan roots of Christian holidays to the hip refashioning of the church as we're seeing it today. Those pagan holidays had very ancient roots; observing the natural cycles is so embedded in the human psyche, Christianity probably needed to take on some of those embellishments instead of fighting them.
But the trends churches are embracing now are considerably more fleeting. One has to wonder how many of these congregations are going to change things up in the future, just to stay on top of the trends.
I wonder, though, how the church expects to remain a steadfast mainstay in the human experience if it is so willing to drift with the winds of change. The central message may be the same, but the atmosphere sends a different kind of message: you don't have to change for us, because your church will change for you. What kind of religion is that?
Christianity is going to be around for a long, long time, but pop culture is going to dilute it to such an extent that I doubt it's going to have the kind of personal impact it once did. Consider the study recently publicized that found teenagers who take oaths of abstinence rarely honor that commitment. Despite promises to God and family that they will remain celibate until marriage, they almost always surrender their virginity before their wedding night anyway. And why not? God will forgive them, after all.
Pop culture is going to win the war. It's already winning. Divorce is hardly noteworthy these days; how long before homosexual unions become tolerated and even accepted? I often quote a Flaming Lips song on this board: "With loving hands/and the arms are stretched so wide you can't even take a breath/knowing evil will prevail..." It's not "evil" today, though it was before...and it will prevail, always.
--Anse
(To reply, click here.)
(12/25)
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Remarks from the Fray:
I don't think it's all that accurate to compare the pagan roots of Christian holidays to the hip refashioning of the church as we're seeing it today. Those pagan holidays had very ancient roots; observing the natural cycles is so embedded in the human psyche, Christianity probably needed to take on some of those embellishments instead of fighting them.
But the trends churches are embracing now are considerably more fleeting. One has to wonder how many of these congregations are going to change things up in the future, just to stay on top of the trends.
I wonder, though, how the church expects to remain a steadfast mainstay in the human experience if it is so willing to drift with the winds of change. The central message may be the same, but the atmosphere sends a different kind of message: you don't have to change for us, because your church will change for you. What kind of religion is that?
Christianity is going to be around for a long, long time, but pop culture is going to dilute it to such an extent that I doubt it's going to have the kind of personal impact it once did. Consider the study recently publicized that found teenagers who take oaths of abstinence rarely honor that commitment. Despite promises to God and family that they will remain celibate until marriage, they almost always surrender their virginity before their wedding night anyway. And why not? God will forgive them, after all.
Pop culture is going to win the war. It's already winning. Divorce is hardly noteworthy these days; how long before homosexual unions become tolerated and even accepted? I often quote a Flaming Lips song on this board: "With loving hands/and the arms are stretched so wide you can't even take a breath/knowing evil will prevail..." It's not "evil" today, though it was before...and it will prevail, always.
--Anse
(To reply, click here.)
(12/25)