Leslie over at the Grafting Process says "no".
What say you and why?
A La Carte (February 24)
4 hours ago
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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John 3:16; Jn 3:16; John 3
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Salvation, Jesus, Gospel
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8 comments:
No if it is used for the sake of using video. There have been some videos which have been awesome, but often these have nothing to do with the sermon such as Houston Project commercial or the video of the dad who does triathalons with his son who is in a wheelchair. I don't have much experience with it outside of HFBC so please take my bias into consideration when looking at my thoughts.
This is what I left on Leslie's blog.....
Leslie -
As someone who is a teacher of God's word I think there are a few things I would like to say. I do not enjoy leaving these sorts of follow up's online because you can't hear tone of voice, so they often come off the wrong way. So please forgive me if it does...
I think it is proper to take things that God has given us the wisdom to invent and use it for the Glory of God. Often times a video clip is great (especially dealing with students) to help get an idea across or to help illustrate a text. Often teachers will share stories or a personal example to do this - but in some cases a video clip of some sort will do. This in turn will help us to get the "point across" so that we may help people to understand as we attempt, through the Holy Spirit, to exegete the text.
I think we should use not only video but any and all means that God has given us the wisdom to invent to help us in His mission. (You mention that Peter and Paul didn't use videos, but they also did not write blogs, read the Bible out of a bound text, read the English Version of The Bible, ride airplanes, ride in cars, listen to podcasts of their fav. pastors on their ipods, have their own facebook pages, and many other things which we have the ability to do today - so the illustration I don't think is appropriate in this context.
With that being said technology isn't the end its self - it is the means to an end. - Making Christ known! I issue I have is that many times the "Christian world" is always steps behind the world. The world has had podcasts for years, but not until recent years has that caught on in Christian context. When's the last time you bought a "Christian" movie on DVD that you and all your friends enjoyed over a bucket of pop-corn? Why not? Because we always fall behind. This is sad because as believers we have the creator of creativity living inside of us, therefore we should be able to come up with MANY creative ways to use what God has given us the wisdom to invent for His glory!
Hope this makes sense!
Ugh... I went to a worship time in CO meant for college students. Unfortunately video was used... I say unfortunate because it wasn't even video but rather audio. I think the concept was cool trying to force people to step out of the room into nature to do something that a lot of the kids had done but the problem was that after 5-7 minutes no point was really made. This is the problem that I have with video... are we too ADD that we cannot listen to someone preach for an hour without involving a video? What do these same kids do when they go to class? I guess I am just continuing to rant, but wanted to use a recent real example and not just a generalized statement.
I don't think it has anything to do with "ADD" - and I'm sorry that it sounds like the place you went to didn't do things with "excellence" - but I think, like all things, there is a time and a place.
It wasn't an issue of excellence but rather relevance. The use of video or in this case audio wasn't relative to the message he was trying to give which in essence causes me to agree with you to an extent, yes there is a time and a place, but that doesn't have to be everytime. The ADD comment isn't meant as an insult, but rather commenting on the lack of focus that seems to be prevalent these days in youth.
I think the both of you make some really good and important points. My take is as follows:
There is no doubt that the sermon is to be a verbal articulation, communication, proclamation, (enter your own “ation” here) of the Scriptures in which the Gospel must always be proclaimed. I would argue that to ever rely on ANYTHING other than the proclamation of the Scriptures would constitute that the activity is no longer a sermon.
That said, I would have no problem with a video clip under the following criteria:
It’s supplementary to the sermon and not the sermon itself.
The content of the clip is a slave to the Gospel.
We wouldn’t just pop in a CD of chorus’s and conduct our time of musically expressed worship sitting down and listening to a CD of some other people singing praises to God, no. There is a biblical pattern for us to follow in which we are lead and we participate in a musical expression of worship. I would argue the same holds true for the sermon. There is biblical mandate for what the sermon is and elements of how to conduct it. That said, just like there isn’t any Scripture that says we should use an organ and not an acoustic guitar, there isn’t an explicit or implicit in the Scriptures that says we can’t use a video clip as long as it holds to the above mentioned points. On the other hand, students need to be taught how to listen to a sermon and taught how to engage the Holy Spirit during the sermon and understand that it is just as worshipful and important as it is to participate in the singing. Life stage and age is overrated in a lot of this “debate”. I would say that laziness is more the culprit than the ability to learn by only hearing a sermon. Again, we must remember that the Holy Spirit is the One who opens the eyes of the heart for true understanding, be it by hearing or seeing.
The “structure” of a sermon can be abused very easily. When topics like the one being discussed arise, I look at Charles Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd-Jones. Both are heroes of mine in the faith, have taught me much, and Lord willing will continue to do so. They had two huge differences though. Spurgeon had a gift to exposit the Scriptures, and often, made you laugh. Lloyd-Jones, on the other hand, would come short of saying that using humor in a sermon is blasphemy. Who is right? As I look through the Scriptures I can’t say that either of them is right or wrong as they both preach the mandatory requirements that Scripture lays out. I would argue that if Lloyd-Jones has a true conviction to not use humor, then by all means he should not! After seeking the Scriptures, if Spurgeon feels its okay since the humor is God-honoring, a slave to the Gospel, and is natural and not a stand up comedy routine, go for it!
Yes, clearly video wasn’t used in the Scriptures, due to a lack of technology, but I would ask which had the bigger impact on people, people seeing and witnessing the miracles that were performed by Jesus and the Apostles, or hearing about the miracles that were performed by Jesus and the Apostles?
As it comes to ADD…..
I for one am a visual and kinesthetic learner with ADHD. These are not diagnosis that I have given myself but rather have been pronounced by both secular and Christian doctors whom I respect and trust. There are many that think ADHD and ADD (yes, they are different) is just our culture’s way of saying that we are lazy and don’t want to pay attention for a long time. While I would agree that there is much truth in that, I can also say that it is absolutely tormenting for me to not have the ability to listen to a sermon, lecture, or have a casual conversation without my brain trying to process more than 5,000 things at the same time. With that said, there is also much value in Paul’s words when he says, “I beat myself and make my body a slave”. Yes, I have been diagnosed with learning disabilities and ADHD that is off the chart, but I also beg Christ that He would help me through these consequences of my fallen state. Through Him I have been put on a medication that helps me with this. I am in no way promoting or implying that medication is the solution, but rather a means that God has provided to help me LEARN the discipline of study. I believe that just popping pills and not working through our struggles, problems, disabilities, etc is offensive and a front to the Almighty. By His grace He has given us these tools in the form of medication to depend on HIM, not the meds, to get us through whatever it is we are going through (in my case, ADHD). I depend on Christ, not the pills, to work IN me. Yes, I use the meds and purposefully have the lowest dosage that they make, but I do this to continually teach myself to depend on Him and to remind myself that even if I didn’t have this disability, that it takes Him to reveal the Truths to my soul anyway. My ADHD has been both a blessing and a curse to me. The blessing is that He has shown me that I need to rely on Him and not medication to focus, and at the same time has given me medication so I can LEARN how to do that. The curse, well, the curse is that this disability is all a result of sin. Sin did this to me, not God. All of our disabilities, chemical imbalances, and whatever other non-perfection we might have is a result of the fall. Because of the fall and the sinful state that I am now in, I deserve so much worse than ADHD, I truly deserve death.
All that to say I will not buy into the “excuse” that people can’t learn a discipline because of a disability. Although some might be able to pay attention and learn better than others, (I know I will always be on the back half of that last statement) if God can purify my wretched heart and soul He can do anything, including helping me to learn through my jacked up state.
D-lux I must say you don't write often, but when you do it is def worth the read!
I thought your humor point brought up a good point because it seems that sometimes a preacher needs to be as good a comedian as interpreter/teacher of the Word. In fact comedic digressions can get to me as much as video when they get the audience so far off track that they forget the point of the sermon. I'm not saying it's sacreligeous to laugh in church nor do I wish all sermons were completely dry and factual, just make sure that jokes are 1. relavent and 2. short... If it takes more than 5 minutes to tell your joke that is too long imho. I guess also to clarify my position as it seems to be a bit misunderstood I don't think that video should be outlawed... I won't be tossing the projector into the bayou, but video for the sake of video is annoying... again imho.
I agree with you that there are people that are truly ADHD and ADD... my nephew is one of them. There are many though that are not or are self diagnosed since it is a good excuse for, as you said, laziness or for boredom. Lord knows I have been known to let my mind wander during a "slow" sermon, but I agree with you... it is symptomatic of my fallen nature. I am sure glad that you have learned how to lean on God in your own struggles with this Dustin. Keep up the strong work... hope to see you soon bro cuz I love the convo's!
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