Jesus Camp: A Fascinating Parallel

I was quite amused to see the launch of the "must see" Jesus Camp documentary being launched in national cinema.

Naturally I tense up when seeing something that challenges my Christian faith, but these kinds of documentaries are really beyond my control, and if Christianity is as strong as I believe, then it should have the strength to survive these kinds of characters attacks.

What strikes me in particular about the documentary is how mainstream society (if you can call it that in majority-Christian countries) and Christianity run parallel alongside each other and yet are increasingly different. The reason is simple: Christianity is based on an absolute standard that doesn't change over time, and mainstream society is based on humanism, which believes that we are fundamentally good and that we only need follow the natural inclincations of what we feel.

Those two worldviews inevitably lead down two different paths. Arguments can be made on both sides: the mainstream can argue that Christians have based their absolute values on a questionable authority. The Christians can argue that history has shown that the natural inclination of people's heart is towards evil and selfishness.

Based on my earlier post, "The Battle of Ideas", this is a good chance to take stock of what kinds of values the Bible teaches. That humankind regularly fails in its moral sense is undisputable. But how reliable is the Bible? What kind of authority is it? Does it make sense? And if not in the short run or immediate sense, does it make sense in the long-term? This is a good chance for you to reflect on the different issues, such as the benefit to society of homosexual marriage. I'll begin tackling topical issues like this in more detail over the coming months. Watch this space and don't be scared to post a comment or two yourself.