Musings: Notes From My Daybook

Two notes on how Christians are faring these days.  First comes from the Martin Marty Center and the email paper that arrives twice a week in my email box.  Mark Pinsky, who wrote The Gospel According to The Simpsons: BIGGER and Possibly Even BETTER! Edition (Westminster John Knox, 2007), and who serves as the religion writer for the Orlando Sentinel, offers a review of Christianity from Hollywood.  You can read his piece here.

Pinsky does not find a lot of strong or positive Christian models out there.  However he does note that at least people are talking about faith and religion--even if it does look a little unorthodox.  A case in point is TNT's Saving Grace!  And, as Pinsky notes, the most likely identifiable Christian on TV today is probably Ned Flanders.  So we can lament it and ignore it--or we can find some way to engage in the various currents and themes that are being raised by a culture that is willing to poke fun at faith in one moment but is also engaged enough to continue to long for answers.

The second note is about a newly released book by David Kinnaman called  unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... and Why it Matters.  Published by the Barna Group, the book offers insight into how a new generation of people who do not have a church background perceive Christians.  It isn't a pretty sight!