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Should Christians Care
What Madonna Thinks of Us?
From the Editor
Spring Edition, Campus CrossWalk, 2008
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ORGANIZED RELIGION:
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“I don’t think there is anything wrong with the teachings of Jesus, but I am suspicious of organized religion.” ~ Madonna.
A modern-minded rationalist who follows Jesus might take umbrage with such a statement. She would argue the point.
Many in the Emerging Church movement, however, would begin by taking hope in the fact that she likes Jesus. Build on that!
To argue the point, the rationalist might ask why is it that those who complain about organized religion are often quite supportive of organized education? The human body is organized. So are family dinners. Why is it controversial for religion to be organized?
A member of the emerging generation might hold off with such questions. First, they would try to find out where and why her suspicions began before arguing the point. We might get farther by listening before arguing.
ALL PATHS LEAD TO GOD:
According to Dan Kimball, our 2007 “Connect Conference” speaker, Madonna also believes that “all paths lead to God.” She is not alone in this perspective. How would your respond to this claim?
The rationalist might find a way to explain that human slavery to sin is more like a disease than a road, and we would never go to a doctor who claimed that all medicines lead to the same cure. When a snake bites us, we are not comforted by the claim that all snakes are basically alike. We want to identify that snake rationally and without delay. Once identified, we don’t want just any medicine off of the shelf. We want the right stuff! Rationalists often preach this way when calling for an invitation.
Some Emerging Church teachers simply agree with Madonna. I think Dan Kimball is a refreshing exception to this, and he is not alone. Thus, I respect his call to extend the hand of friendship before extending the fist of rebuttal.
SHOULD WE CARE?
The only time I ever heard Madonna share her thoughts about life was on the only Oprah show I ever saw, about ten years ago. I was in a Connecticut Laundromat and Oprah and Madonna were on TV trashing the idea marriage to beat the band. I was not impressed. But that is no reason not to care what they think of Christians. My disagreement with Madonna's comments above do not diminish my care for what she thinks. After all, her thinking represents that of countless Gen Xers (but not all).
According to the apostle Paul, our “daily life” should be lived in such a way as to “win the respect of outsiders.” (1 Thessalonians 4:12). That means we should care what they think enough to live right by them and converse with them respectfully.
Joel Mark Solliday, B.A., M.Div., is the editor of Campus CrossWalk and the pulpit minister of the Northern Light Church of Christ in Minnesota . He earned his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary and has worked at Pepperdine and ACU. His wife Katie is a junior high school teacher.
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