Britain's Christian Reality Show

On the surface, the U.K.'s latest reality show, Make Me A Christian, sounds like it could be a good thing. Christian leaders take a bunch of unlikely candidates for conversion—such as a lesbian, a lap dancer, a militant atheist and a lapsed Christian—and attempt to bring them to the faith over a period of three weeks. The show's stated premise is to find out if Christianity can repair Britain's moral decline.

In a perfect world, that kind of show could expose the Christian faith to millions who don't know much about it and, at the very least, start many good conversations. But when I first heard about it, I didn't cheer, I cringed. That's because it seems like the media can never quite get Christianity right. I don't know if it's because we don't make for good TV ratings or because the liberal media is out to get us or what, but whenever there are Christians being portrayed on TV, it's rarely accurate and its rarely good.

That's the case in Britain, as well, because many believers are crying foul at the new reality show.

"The program says little about relationship and a great deal about regulation," Melvyn Cooke, minister of Gillingham Methodist Church, said in a Christianity Today article. "While there is a slim chance it may promote conversation, by and large my view is that it is damaging to the gospel."

Joanna Jepson, a chaplain that took part in the show, told the Daily Telegraph that the program was designed to make Christians look like they were imposing their standards on everyone else. "Christian behavior is only possible after a spiritual transformation," she said.

As cynical as I'd like to be about an evil TV agenda here, I suspect the answer is a little simpler. Christianity is almost impossible to understand unless you've experienced it. There's no way to understand what it feels like to have the Holy Spirit inside of you, guiding your life. Non-Christians often look to our external behaviors to explain us, and in doing so completely miss the point of the Christian life. I guess that's why the Bible tells us that we will be aliens in this world.

(Interesting side note: last Christmas the same British channel ran a show called Make Me A Muslim, and found similar complaints from Muslim groups who said the show focused too much on the rules and not enough on faith.)

Rick Warren’s Politics

Last week Time magazine put Rick Warren on its cover, calling him “unquestionably the U.S.’s most influential and highest-profile churchman.” If that’s true (and it almost surely is), then the face of American Christianity is changing, and I think for the better. Check out The Purpose-Driven Life author’s comments on politics from the article:

“I have never been considered a part of the religious right, because I don’t believe politics is the most effective way to change the world. Although public service can be a noble profession, and I believe it is our responsibility to vote, I don’t have much faith in government solutions, given the track record. It’s why I am a pastor, not a politician.”

The mainstream press tends to look at Christianity through a political viewpoint, which is why many of them have been saying during this election season that the evangelical movement is splitting, or (even more offensive to some of us) turning more “liberal.” And who could blame them, with books releasing such as Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw or A New Kind of Conservative by Joel Hunter?

But that’s not my read on the current situation. I think Warren spoke for many when he said that he doesn’t believe politics is the most effective way to change the world. These “New Evangelicals,” if you want to call them that, aren’t concerned with a move toward political liberalism; they’re concerned with a move away from the political sphere as a whole. They’re not as concerned about the issues we choose to defend as much as the way we defend them, because they don’t want Christianity’s public face to be a negative, condemning one that turns people off to Jesus’ good news (check out this issue’s cover story with Ken Wilson for a particularly articulate viewpoint on this).

A lot of people in this camp are young evangelicals like me who have grown up with horrendous reactions from our non-Christian friends when we tell them about our faith because the main things they know about Christians are what they are against. Though we are against things like abortion, homosexuality and other sins, we want them to also know what we’re for. Specifically, we are for them and the changing power that Christ can have on their lives.

I always thought that Billy Graham handled the political thing well. When he expressed his views on issues, he never compromised the truth, but at the same time he was primarily a loving, inviting figure. Here’s hoping Warren and other public Christian leaders can find that same balance.

Male Camaraderie and Marriage

Last night I was shocked to see the most unlikeliest of movies deal with a subject that almost every guy can relate to but one that we rarely deal with. My wife and I were watching Knocked Up, and in between the F-bombs and inappropriate sex stuff (I recommend waiting for the edited version on TV), there was a great message about finding a balance between your marriage and your need for male camaraderie.The secondary story in the movie deals with a married couple who is having real problems in their marriage. The wife, Debbie, is nagging and controlling, the husband, Pete, seems like he doesn’t care about anything, and their kids take up all their time and energy. At one point Debbie thinks Pete is cheating on her and she tries to catch him, but instead of lying to her and sleeping with another woman, Pete has been lying to her and doing guy things, like going to fantasy baseball drafts and watching Spider-Man 3.

That’s a temptation that I’m sure a lot of men can relate to because it hits on a significant truth. God designed men to be in relationships with one another, not just with our wives and our children. Sadly, that’s less and less the case these days. An article last year from Best Life magazine stated that “in the last two decades, men have shed nearly half their male friendships.” Between working long hours and spending time with their families, men today are often just too busy to make time for their buddies.

But, as Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We need our time with the guys. We need time to crack jokes, watch sports and eat meat together so we don’t lose that masculine edge God placed in our hearts. We also need time to get past the surface details and share our lives and struggles with one another, keeping one another accountable and encouraging one another in our Christian walks.

Balancing that time with your family and work time is a challenge, but it’s one that’s worth fighting for. In the end, it will benefit all the walks of your life.

Meet the new man in the editor's chair

Hi, my name is Chris and I’m a young, evangelical Christian. I know that’s hard for some of you to believe, as it seems there’s more guitars than 20-something men in a lot of churches these days. But we do exist.

I’m also the new editor of New Man. So before you start to hear from me every week I figured you might want to know a little bit about me. Even if you don’t, here goes.

I’m newly married (just got back from the honeymoon, actually). I love sports (go Gators), movies (go Batman), books (go C.S. Lewis) and video games (yes, video games).

I also love writing and have wanted to be a journalist for about as long as I can remember. And the most rewarding thing to write about for me is the all the work that the Lord is doing in the world. There’s nothing more encouraging than to hear about how He is changing lives, healing the broken and spreading His kingdom.

That’s why I’m so excited to take over New Man. I’ve actually been involved with the magazine off and on since 2002 (that’s the Rob Andrescik years for you longtime New Man readers). There’s an exciting and important dynamic that happens when Christian men fellowship with one another, and it’s something this world needs more of. New Man is here to encourage, equip and entertain you with an eclectic combination of news, features, reviews, videos and commentary.

If you enjoy it or hate it, let me know either by posting to the blog or send an e-mail at chrisglazier@yahoo.com. I’d love to hear from you.