This was the video that got Steve and Kathy banned from GodTube. The senior pastors of World Revival Church of Kansas City (formerly The Smithton Outpouring) have cut out a niche in spoofing the excesses or potential hypocrisies of the Christian churches in the United States. Of course, now that their work is booming on YouTube, the couple themselves are vulnerable to the same ego-related excesses faced by any high profile speakers and writers.
Rob Bell is author of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality And Spirituality. He’s known for his tours of the United States: Everything is Spiritual, and The God’s Aren’t Angry.
I spent yesterday wandering through the Supanova pop culture expo in Brisbane, my third year there. It was an interesting exercise in anthropology.
First thing I noticed was the groups of people heading towards the venue, many of whom were dressed as characters from comics, movies, games and television series. Jack Sparrow, Batman, Ty3 the Tasmanian Tiger, and Star Wars storm troopers and rebels.
Major shopping chains EB Games and JB Hi Fi were there in force, supplemented by a range of comic shops and gaming studios. There’s a thriving gaming industry in Brisbane, fueled by the local QUT and Griffith courses on animation, computing, sound and music.
For the dull moments we had entertainment laid on by the Australian Wrestling Federation Pro Wrestling, the vocal skills of Michael Winslow of Police Academy, and of course table games for the dedicated.
The Supanova crowd came in all shapes and sizes - with more variety than you’ll ever see in the beautiful people collections found on the ski fields and beaches. Symmetrical faces with tanned and toned bodies count for nothing in a culture that revels in the fantastic.
Brian McLaren’s new book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Change and Revolution of Hope, is coming out in October. He’s provided a few samples from the book on YouTube.
The first video comes from the introduction. Be aware that the last 50 seconds of the video allow you time to reflect on what you’ve just heard…
A reading from chapter 24, reflecting on materialistic culture and the pressure to keep up with the latest.
An explanation of the title of the new book…
Brian talks about some of the examples of deep shift he’s been looking for…
From Brian McLaren’s Deep Shift site, he explains the background to the book and the speaking tour he’s doing around its publication…
We Are In Deep Shift.
A time of transition, rethinking, re-imagining, and re-envisioning. A time for asking new questions
and seeking answers that are both new and old, fresh and seasoned, surprising and familiar.
What does it mean, in today’s world, to be a follower of God in the way of Jesus?
What does it mean to be a faith community engaged in the holistic, integral mission of God in our world today?
How do we, as individuals and faith communities, respond faithfully to the crises facing our world?
What is our duty to God, ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our enemies, and our planet in light of Jesus’ radical message of the kingdom of God?
How can we engage in personal formation and theological reformulation for global transformation?
