The name of the column is Pop Christianity — about the relationship between Christianity and the popular culture. It has always been my contention that my faith, Christianity, and the church, cannot be a gated community. I think sometimes that I am singular in that opinion — especially when I witness denominational bureaucracies failing to provide leadership, failing to listen to their members and instead creating mandates that largely revolve around money.
Of course, I’m not alone in this. Rev. Joseph McLelland often reminds me that his first book (written in 1959!) was called The Other Six Days — The Christian Meaning of Work and Property. It’s a great title for a column and every now and then I think, maybe I’ll change the name of my column and steal Joe’s.
That is the challenge for all of us in the pews — we don’t live church 24/7, we can’t; we live in the culture, at work, on which we spend over 50 hours a week, commuting, at the grocery store, making meals, washing clothes, doing dishes. These are our other six days — our faith is in these moments, whether we know it or not. We are used to getting sermoned on the failures but rarely do we get direction on how to manage the six days.
This is a long way of introducing the list on this page. It is prepared by Bradley Childs, who was a pastoral associate at Dayspring, Edmonton, until last summer. He is now in Montreal at Presbyterian College working towards getting his Presbyterian collar. You may recall Brad’s byline over the course of this year. He has been poring through Internet sites to find useful resources we can use.
The list is about the other six days — how folks work faith into their lives. Some of the items are light-hearted (it is good to laugh and as you’ll note, Brad has a killer sense of humour), some are entertaining (it is good to relax), some are critical (it is good to question). The first item may be a bit shocking for some, but God bless those who take the best the world has to offer (Jesus) to help one of the worst situations (the sex trade).
Brad will prepare a similar list throughout 2010. I think maybe we will call it the Other Six Days List. Look for it in these pages.
- Website: Hookers For Jesus
This South Las Vegas church is dedicated to the ministry of Jesus Christ with a special interest in reaching out to street workers and those abused though the sex trade industry.
hookersforjesus.net - Album: Matthew West – You Are Everything
Contemporary Christian music out of Nashville Tennessee.
matthewwest.com - Video: Hurt
This Johnny Cash video made not long before his death is a powerful remake of Nine Inch Nails’ late ’90’s hit by the same name. youtube.com - Book: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN
By Brian McLaren
I think the title says it all.
brianmclaren.net - Movie: Jesus Camp
This disturbing documentary reveals a time in the lives of several conservative Christian kids at summer camp in the southern United States.
imdb.com/title/tt0486358 - Biblical passage: Genesis 10:8-9
“Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”
Kitsch product: Full armour of God Stuffed Teddy Bear
Yep, this is just what it sounds like. It’s a teddy bear based on Ephesians
6:13-17
christiandollarstore.com/fularofgodst.html - Clothes: T-Shirt
“I worship better than you do.”
cafepress.com/larknews/3958822
