A certain youth pastor screened a particular YS (Youth Specialties) video for all of us youth. You see, we watch videos and we need em' to be made by folks specializing in us because, well, we are a hard, special crowd to please.
So it's a vid called "Avoiding God" (if I'm not mistaken), showing two caucasians, one wearing a cap with the word GOD on it going about. As I could tell, it's a short clip filmed on a zero budget (being a no budget occasional "filmmaker" myself, I can tell) or at least, looks like one. But, ah, the moral of the story (which is the most important thing) is that well, God wants to hang out with us.
I have no qualms with that. But it is misleading, to say the least. It presents God as a scrawny, dorky dude (no offense to that actor) who, well, follows us desperately around, wanting our attention. Perhaps I ought not to take it so literally. But as I can attest, a large portion of the Youtube generation will.
You see, God while in a sense, does wish to fellowship with us (c.f. Genesis 2-4), it would be mistaken to present him as a person who, well, just wants to "hang out with us."
Ah, far from it. He is the Almighty God, as repeatedly emphasized in the OT. Moses wasn't even allowed to see his face. Some buddy, God is. He is beyond us, and we below him, to say the least. He is, most assuredly, not just another friendly guy who wants to yum cha with us. To treat him as such would be idolatry at best, blasphemy at worst.
But alas, if we have to descend to such levels to reach our youth, then woe indeed. What would be the better way, you may ask? Truth be told, I don't have much of an issue with instructional videos. Some people still do learn something, I would reckon. But if such videos are to be made, I would rather have us sit through DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" than be shown a video of a "God" that has been dumbed down.
Because if any youth with a cerebellum compares what he sees in that video to the God that he reads of in the Old Testament (and indeed, the New Testament as well) then most certainly he will see not the one same God, but two different ones.
So it's a vid called "Avoiding God" (if I'm not mistaken), showing two caucasians, one wearing a cap with the word GOD on it going about. As I could tell, it's a short clip filmed on a zero budget (being a no budget occasional "filmmaker" myself, I can tell) or at least, looks like one. But, ah, the moral of the story (which is the most important thing) is that well, God wants to hang out with us.
I have no qualms with that. But it is misleading, to say the least. It presents God as a scrawny, dorky dude (no offense to that actor) who, well, follows us desperately around, wanting our attention. Perhaps I ought not to take it so literally. But as I can attest, a large portion of the Youtube generation will.
You see, God while in a sense, does wish to fellowship with us (c.f. Genesis 2-4), it would be mistaken to present him as a person who, well, just wants to "hang out with us."
Ah, far from it. He is the Almighty God, as repeatedly emphasized in the OT. Moses wasn't even allowed to see his face. Some buddy, God is. He is beyond us, and we below him, to say the least. He is, most assuredly, not just another friendly guy who wants to yum cha with us. To treat him as such would be idolatry at best, blasphemy at worst.
But alas, if we have to descend to such levels to reach our youth, then woe indeed. What would be the better way, you may ask? Truth be told, I don't have much of an issue with instructional videos. Some people still do learn something, I would reckon. But if such videos are to be made, I would rather have us sit through DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" than be shown a video of a "God" that has been dumbed down.
Because if any youth with a cerebellum compares what he sees in that video to the God that he reads of in the Old Testament (and indeed, the New Testament as well) then most certainly he will see not the one same God, but two different ones.
"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"
2 comments:
Then again, God may indeed look like that dorky kid that no one wants to hang out with... "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me."
that aside, your observations n thoughts are sharp n valid. keep thinking, n keep writing. =)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)
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