News-Record.com

Here's a reality show that would not be for the faint-hearted: "Doorknockers." Follow the exploits of 10 Jehovah's Witnesses, Southern Baptists and/or Mormons with concealed cameras. The first one to win a convert by pestering someone at their front door at dinner time wins an all-expense 1-week visit to Heaven.

How facile and condescending, Eric. I bet Michael Moore would give his right whatever to have an army of malcontented lefties crisscrossing America on the scale of the Mormons and JW’s. I, personally, don’t agree with them theologically, but one has to admire their tenacity and commitment. But who knows, I might open my door some evening around dinner time and behold a couple of wide-eyed youths with little red books in their hands imploring me to hear their gospel of socialistic atheism.

Biblical Christianity hasn’t fared well in the last hundred years or so when it comes to portrayal of everyday life. Art in the modern era seems to have evolved an increasing preoccupation with the bizarre and prurient. Christianity, by definition, is concerned about the redemption of the whole life of man, whereby the ordinary becomes the extraordinary by exploring the beauties of spiritual relationships and of love and truth as they apply to husband and wife, children and friends, as well as the larger human community. For modern dramatists, of all genres, creating interest by exploring the depths of human depravity and criminality seems to dominate, if not consume their creative endeavors.

It is understandable to some degree that the canvass and the proscenium arch demand extraordinariness, rather than the mundane and predictable. I thought the Billy Graham movies were dramatically pedestrian and rather preachy – but not as bad as Fahrenheit 911. On the other hand, Shadowlands and Lord of the Rings were spiritually intriguing without being preachy at all.

The fact is that ordinary Christian life is real and exciting (not that all of life isn’t) as Christians seek to live out the Spirit’s urgings and biblical principles. But this can be quite blah and pedestrian in comparison to today’s twisted artistic offerings, which seem to be all too preoccupied with wallowing in existential pain and meaninglessness. The attempt to honestly and realistically insert real Christian issues and struggles into reality TV may not be utterly impossible, but close to it, if Seventh Heaven is any measure. Normally, artistic license trumps biblical integrity. But, maybe it’s a step in the right direction in not marginalizing and excluding genuine spiritual issues from the public forum and editing room.

"How facile and condescending, Eric. "

Aw, now you done it! You made me feel bad.
[me slaps self]

Bad atheist! Boo hoo!

Look, bucko. Nancy posted a thread on a story about religion based "reality shows." Now I don't know very many people who can hear the words "reality show" and not crack a grin. So I posted a few thoughts in the same spirit of light-hearted banter. If you can't take a couple of fun little quips without trying to make them into some serious case about the eminently ridiculous practice of door-knocking, I think you have some more serious emotional issues than most.

Sheesh. Lighten up, sucka.

“The first one to win a convert by PESTERING someone at their front door at dinner time wins an all-expense, one-week visit to heaven.”

Yea, O.K; I admit I got a bit serious. But your track record of nasty, prejudicial comments about Christians and their faith belied your true intent. Humor may have been the medium, but your message was as pointedly anti-Christian as ever. Humor, in the context of weighty dialog is merely a Trojan Horse for seriousness too biting to say otherwise - or, perhaps an exercise in mercy.

I’m not so much concerned about the Mormons and the JW’s, though I respect their ardor and commitment, because I consider their beliefs unbiblical and cultish; but the SB’s are orthodox Christians who love Jesus Christ and the Gospel of grace, whatever their shortcomings – and, God knows, we all have them.

Humor was a thin veil for what you have established in past entries as your very negative view of the Christian Faith, its God and its message. It is no frivolous game we play, but a serious debate that portends the future of our nation and our world. I make no apologies for seriousness (my tendency) even though I may have been a bit caustic in some of my comments, for which you have a right to complain. And, if you were only jesting, and do, in fact, honor conversion to Christ and God’s promise of eternal life with Him in heaven, then I do most certainly retract my criticism, (as you were just kidding).

It’s easy to descend into intellectual jousting and put-down banter in blogs, especially if one is to any extent adept at it. But of course, a bit of it is almost irresistible at times. And who wants irrelevant, boring blogs anyway? However, my true desire, far beyond winning any joust, is that “all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth;”
(I Tim. 2.4) and then, ”being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that” they “may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3. 17-19) Why else would anyone be willing to be burnt alive, beheaded or thrown to hungry lions (or bloggers)?