Epicenter Conversations

Thanks for posting these links.

I have mixed feelings about "Religulous." First, I love the title, it highlights the point I think they are trying to make with the movie and it makes me smile.

This weekend, we discussed the beginning of Titus at Epicenter. The thing I found fascinating was comparing Paul's quotation from Epimenide's Cretica in Titus to his reported quotation from the same poem in Acts. He quotes from the same poem two lines apart and does two very different things. In Acts his audience is "Pagans" and he meets them where they are at with respect and humility. In Titus his audience is Titus who he encourages to confront dishonest, legalistic Christians by saying "rebuke them sharply." He confronts "insiders" head on and demonstrates concern and empathy for "outsiders". It seems to me, Christians typically do the opposite. We overlook the bad behavior in ourselves and our church membership while fearlessly pointing out the evils in society in an us vs. them mentality. Perhaps a movie like Religulous is good for us, helping to show us areas where we fall short.

On the other hand, the fundamentalism of the new atheists is as distasteful and concerning as the fundamentalist antagonism within our own Christian ranks.

So, I think Religulous might make some good points in an entertaining way that will be good for us to hear. On the other hand, I am afraid it will only serve to widen the secular/sacred dichotomy which Paul attempted to bridge and which many emerging Christians view as false.