- Annarc on Adventures in Spell Check
- Danni on In Memory of a Great Dog
- Vera Knapp on Experiencing God (and I don’t mean the workbook - not that there’s anything wrong with it)
- Frances on Serenity now, aka I have control of my blog!
- Lucia on Drama-Trauma
Monsterquest, the Search for Faith, and the North American Church
August 21, 2008
I’m a Monsterquest fan.
I watch it on Wednesday nights (8:00pm EST on The History Channel). I admit that I have serious questions about the scientific rigor of some (okay – most) of their experiments. But I enjoy watching these intense people describe their encounters with the Hairy Beast, The Grass Man of Ohio, or the Super Rats in New York City.
They have something to believe in and - even though it might be scary – they have a peace about it. Their belief has given them a passion, a certitude and a purpose that isn’t possible without faith. Their faith is in Sasquatch, or The Black Beast of Exmoor, and mine is in Jesus Christ, the Hope of the World. But I am sure to Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins, we look pretty much the same.
Most churches in North America could benefit from more passion, more certitude, and more purpose. Churches that have these three characteristics are the ones that thrive. But for churches to change, the people in them have to change first and I think the most churchgoers in North America are afraid that they will end up like the people on Monsterquest facing humiliation on a national TV show as they discover that the tracks they believed were the Black Beast are really those of a neighbor’s Bernese Mountain Dog.
The problem is that we don’t even have the guts of the Monsterquest people who always continue in dedication to their monster even though their experiments don’t bring the certain proof they long for. Most Christians I know are not even willing to tell of their experiences of Jesus Christ – most Christians I know do not even expect experiences of Jesus – so – they don’t know them when they happen. Monsterquest people expect great things, most Christians sigh “Well … what do you expect.”
The first step to change is to expect great things – and the second is to have the guts of a Monsterquest person. After all faith in Jesus Christ brings transformation, and let’s face it, the Grass Man of Ohio doesn’t bring that.
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