Matt Steen and I talk about Rick Warren’s recent tweet about his phone’s ring town being ‘Gangham Style’ and how it has infuriated some bloggers.
This is just one more reason that I’m glad I’m not Rick Warren. Can you imagine people writing blog posts every time you tweet? Oh my.
CBS News even posted this:
Well… here’s our take… Sorry for the ‘not great’ video quality. My internet connection is bad here in rural Ohio. :)
The reaction to Warren’s phone ringtone points to a continuing problem in Western Christianity, and by extension, Evangelicalism. Rick embraces what within culture is embraceable while remaining at heart conservative. The Church has always been influenced by its surrounding culture to one degree or another — consciously, or unconsciously. Have we canonized the American culture of the 40′s and 50′s? The Church, with its great blindspot, does not realize it is promoting another merely cultural perspective that is grounded in a theological misunderstanding stemming from ongoing residual watered-down forms of gnosticism with its attendant focus on “separation”, “holiness”, etc. Holiness in the model is defined by what we avoid rather than by what we positively do. Like the Pharisees, we have built additional fences around the truth in order to “protect” it. But many of the fences are as unbiblical as the issue we are trying to protect people from. There is a monster difference between avoiding the sin of our culture (as clearly defined in Scripture) and confusing culture in general with that sin — and in so doing enshrining our own cultural peculiarities. Just sayin’.
That’ll preach.
It may get you burned in the stake in some circles, but you will be in good company.
Another sign that he is, indeed, the antichrist… (JK… love ya, Rick…)
Hmmm….Not crazy about Warren or the purpose driven ideology. Don’t really care what his ringtone is.
World in turmoil and we’re concerned about a ringtone. A ringtone! You want a ringtone to talk about? Here’s one, compliments from the world we live in with the cries of………..HELP! (wait a minute…another controversy….. that word is connected to a Beatle’s song)