Darrell Bock has an excellent editorial on the Christianity Today web site musing about when the media became a nuisance. His thesis is “how to respond to the next blockbuster book/documentary/movie that questions traditional Christianity.”

He effectively argues that the way information is released on our information age is changing, making it increasingly difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction. Every Christmas and Easter season, there is an unending plethora of new “blockbuster” movies/books, tv specials, etc, proclaiming the need to redefine Christianity. He’s right that there is ’often there is a great deal of money to be made in breaking the “news” ’.

As he wisely points out …

Media today pour forth speech at a nonstop rate. All it takes to make an exposé of biblical history is the money to film someone with a Dr. before his or her name, a few “experts” on ancient Near Eastern history, footage of exotic locales, and pan shots of the history of biblical paintings. Voilà. You have a special that fills the “black holes” of public knowledge about the Bible. It can make for compelling TV viewing, as facts and interpretations are mixed and matched in a way sure to generate water-cooler discussions around the country—quite a change from times when religion was a matter of hushed, private discussion.

This new media reality has introduced what I call “conversation stoppers” for Christians. Conversation stoppers are those questions that nearly everyone on the street knows to ask when the sensitive subject of Jesus comes up. They might say, “Well, what about all those other Gospels that never made it into the Bible?” Or, “Don’t you know that history is written by the winners, and now that we can hear the losers, we need to revise the Bible’s story?”

Most importantly, he argues the church is not prepared for the opportunities created by these flash firestorms …

We need to understand that public discussion of the Christian faith has changed—permanently. So the next time you hear an earth-shattering announcement about Jesus from the media, don’t get angry. Rather, take three deep breaths, sit down with your Starbucks coffee, and watch how the announcement is treated on blogs and other media. Above all, prepare yourself for the opportunities it presents.

Amen. May we be bold and wise enough to step up to the plate.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
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Bob Pratico
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
(my Sojourn blog)