Do you align yourself behind a certain way of thinking or belief system? Do you claim Calvinism, Arminianism, Pre-trib, Post-trib, Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, non-denominational, and the list can go on. Is your identity held in one of these labels? Does this self-labeling determine who you read or listen too?
A friend showed up unannounced this evening with his two daughters. I met him at one of our Fight the Fade shows. He loves to talk. I love to hear him talk. Most of society would see him as very unconventional. Many people probably would not listen to him to begin with. The show that I met him at, I listened to what he had to say. God has really worked in his life. He came from a rough partying background. Our concert and music made a real impression on him. He then proceeded to come to many of our shows. Every time he would tell us how much our music and its message had spoken to and ministered to him.
Recently I finished the book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. At the same time I have also been listening to the audio version of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship. It is impossible to hear the story and read the writings of a man like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and not be moved. The world I currently live in was nowhere near as turbulent as the time Bonhoeffer lived. I think of all the times that I have complained about life being ungrateful and feel conviction after learning of this life lived so courageously. The subject of security rolls off our tongues like it is something we deserve and must have. Dietrich has helped me to settle some things in my heart when it comes to that subject.
Like all cultures, we have a celebrity culture. The time is gone when the majority of celebrities were role models. People are becoming infamous more than famous. A popular way to gain attention is to do something extreme, no matter what it cost you personally. To continue to get noticed, you have to one up what you did last time. The unreality of reality TV has to push the drama a step higher every season. This has social consequences.