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roadsign
Member



Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re:

Quote:
I do sometimes enjoy Christian symbolism and allegories



I’m not sure if you are responding to my post per se, K_day, but I decided to make a clarification anyway. I was on a different tangent. I was not speaking about enjoying a symbol or picture – but of SEEING something within a cultural practise or event that contains an integral hint of divine truth - as warped as that may be.

A missionary, for instance, would never find it enjoyable to watch a tribal mother throw her child over a cliff to appease the spirits. This is horrible sin, after all – whether it’s in reality or in a movie. Yet that very event may be of utmost value in bringing divine truth to light. It would be such a shame if the missionary merely analyzed the practise, or tried to explain its wickedness.

Do you see where I’m going? We are not here to be entertained – even by the most delightful of allegories. We are here to bring the Good News of salvation to the hell-bound - those whom God has placed in our lives.

Jesus could see all kinds of pictures in the lives of the people he encountered, and he used them brilliantly to help people “get it”. In fact, he rarely used spiritual words in themselves without attaching them FIRST to life pictures. If he were here today, he would have capitalized on the movie industry because THAT is where the minds of so many people are.


I don’t watch movies, but I know those who are clever at using them to enlighten truth. Some of them are pastors.

Of course, we know that this effort, like any, would be quite vain if one is not accustomed to hearing the Spirit's promptings. After all, none of us really knows what works best. But God does. Now, to cooperate with him………. that is our challenge.

What the devil means for evil, the Lord uses for good. How might God use Superman?

Diane


_________________
Diane

 2006/9/9 16:09Profile









 Re:

Quote:

I’m not sure if you are responding to my post per se, K_day, but I decided to make a clarification anyway.



Nope, my post was pretty much completely unrelated to yours, roadsign :-) . I agree with your thoughts though, that these things can be powerful ways to shed some light on the truth.

When I said I sometimes enjoy Christian symbolism and allegories, it is for a pretty similar reason as you mentioned. For example, I went with my younger brother to see Chronicles of Narnia. He loved the movie, but had no idea about the underlying theme. It was cool to be able use that to point out different parts of the gospel.

Quote:
I don’t watch movies, but I know those who are clever at using them to enlighten truth. Some of them are pastors.



I know a lot of pastors like this as well, and I am not sure how I feel about it. It may be appropriate in witnessing, but I sometimes feel uncomfortable seeing movie clips played to teach the Church, especially considering some of the movies that the clips are taken from.

To put it more clearly, maybe it is OK to use wordly examples to teach and relate to the world, but not the Church.

 2006/9/9 17:15
allhavsinned
Member



Joined: 2005/8/1
Posts: 201
North West England

 Re:

While I do agree with you Diane, I am wary that people will use what you are saying to say that we should be going to films and suchlike so that we can 'interact' better with the world. This, as I am sure you know and is not your intention, brings us into carnality and compromises our aim at Holiness. I will stick to my original post that I don't like the suggestions put forward in the trailer (who knows what else is in the film), and choose to leave it alone.
However I value the point you made and if sometime Superman comes up in conversation, or other super hero's, then I will try to use the analogy to give the Gospel.

Ste


_________________
Ste

 2006/9/9 17:20Profile
roadsign
Member



Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re: our offensive God

Quote:
I am wary that people will use what you are saying to say that we should be going to films and suchlike so that we can 'interact' better with the world.


Of course carnal Christians including carnal pastors are always looking for ways to justify living the best of both worlds. But we don’t fix them by making precautionary rules. Leave them be. The carnal pastor will use Superman (or whatever) to make an entertaining sermon. The Spirit-led pastor will use Superman to stir powerful conviction. It’s not what’s in the film, it’s what’s in the man.

Quote:
I’m not sure how I feel about it

I doubt that it really matters how you feel. If Jesus where around, he would employ all kinds of offending (and worldly) tools. He can be terribly offensive to the ones who need a good shaking – esp those in the church.

Quote:
maybe it is OK to use worldly examples to teach and relate to the world, but not the Church.



I would challenge this. To those who are very churched, spiritual phrases, terms, and scriptures can lose their potency through familiarity. So the Lord drives a point home through something totally outside anything Christian. He did that for me several times! And if I were to share some of them to Christians, they would be quite appalled, I’m sure. Our God is not concerned about being tidy. He’s concerned about our eternal destiny.

God has often led me in ways that made absolutely no sense, and seemed unreasonable. In fact, that's sometimes how I could tell it was HIS leading. It sure wasnt' mine. The outcome proved that God knew what he was doing.

Diane


_________________
Diane

 2006/9/9 23:25Profile





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