Last year, a church put together some videos comparing stereotypical “Christians” and “Christ-Followers” using the Mac/PC ad meme.  We’ve blogged on this particular topic, as well, so I don’t want to re-tread the old ground.  However, it looks like there are now some more of these videos which have been produced.

This round of videos seems to be a bit less snarky (my primary criticism last time around), but still suffer from the limitations of the meme, which creates conflict between ‘traditional’ and ‘emerging’ stereotypes, when both sides need to leard to live and serve together.  With that said, though, I think the videos do paint somewhat of an accurate synopsis of some of the discussions we’ve been having – particularly the ’straw man’ in the second video.

The first one:

The second one:

[HT to VerumSerum from last week - it took me a bit to figure out installation of the new video plugin...]

CRN and Slice have been going nuts with this breaking story about Rick Warren and Rupert Murdoch. Apparently Murdoch is a born again Christian and he considers Rick Warren his pastor. Murdoch’s company has several porn channels that are broadcasted in the US and the UK. CRN has exhausted this story (four articles in two days), calling for public discipline of Murdoch.

CRN and Slice have done this time and time again. They attack godly men for their less godly acquaintances. First it was Rick and Obama, then it was McManus and Jon Gordon, and now it is Rick and Rupert. The list goes on and on. The problem here is that these writers have no idea what type of relationship these men have. Who knows what ongoing spiritual conversation Rick Warren has been having with Rupert Murdoch. For all we know, they could have been working through this issue for the last six months and have made incredible progress. Erwin simply had dinner with Jon Gordon, and their conversations have progressively moved towards a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is.

Do I agree with Murdoch or Gordon’s businesses? No. However, for an outsider to make comments on what someone should or shouldn’t be doing in a personal relationship, without knowing the circumstances, doesn’t help anything. Jesus allowed a filthy whore to wash his feet while dining with the religious. Will we allow a porn producer and a energy coach to do the same? Maybe, just maybe, they will find in one of our churches what their souls are looking for.

And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him that she is a sinner.”