The Bible

So, I watched "The Bible" last night on the history channel (I got started about 30 minutes into it), and I'll have to say I was disappointed...in my colleagues.  During a commercial break I thumbed through my News Feed to see what was going on in Facebook world.  There was a lot of chatter about The Bible, which I thought was cool.  However, every negative comment I read was from a fellow clergy person, while generally the laypersons I'm friends with commented positively, or at least with intrigue.

That breaks my heart.  There is something terribly wrong when pastors with academic theological training can't see opportunities for ministry when they are so blatantly laid out for us.  Moreover, I fear that pastors don't understand the power of their words (even a random Facebook post).  The message was loud and clear:  "Don't watch this, don't get to thinking about the Bible.  By all means, turn it back to The Walking Dead or the Heat vs. Pacers game.  I am."  What if the message sent was different:  "Wow, interesting stuff in this Bible special.  It raises some questions.  Let's talk about them."  Furthermore, it makes pastors seem snooty.  Most pastors I know aren't snooty, but when we make snide remarks about instances when culture steps into the world of theology it makes us seem snooty.  Then, why would a parishioner even dare ask us a genuine question about faith or the Bible if we're snooty when people get things wrong about Scripture?

Look, it's a TV show, but it's on TV.  One of the most powerful persuasive forces in our culture is showing 10 hours called 'The Bible'.  It was made by believers who wanted to portray it the best they could for the culture.  It's an opportunity for dialogue.  It's an opportunity to get people in our communities and churches talking, thinking, and (gasp) actually reading the Bible.  That's where the power is unlocked.  We believe that all things necessary for salvation are revealed in the Scriptures, so why in the world would we want to downgrade an honest attempt to turn people to them?  It just bugged me.  I'm blessed to serve alongside some great pastors who lead their churches with integrity, and we can do better.  Society doesn't need snooty signals about all things theological.  Society needs us to lead the conversation.  Watch the show, ask questions, and read the Book.