I actually see this as an opportunity. People used to be much more biblically aware, but that didn’t necessarily mean they understood the stories. Now we have a chance to tell them anew, and infuse them with more meaning.
— Ernie P. On Nov 1, 2013, at 9:44 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > > American Baptist Press > > October 30, 2013 > Sermons stretch as biblical literacy wanes > > Religious literacy is declining as "nones" rise, forcing changes in how > churches — and even comedians and filmmakers — relate to their intended > audiences > > > By Jeff Brumley > > Religious literacy has declined to the point where modern audiences would be > baffled at films like Monty Python’s 1979 The Life of Brian, A British > Broadcasting Corp. official said recently. > > Comedians are also affected, Aaquil Ahmed told The Independent newspaper in > England, because audiences don’t have the basic biblical knowledge required > to get certain jokes. “They can’t go into specific stories anymore because no > one knows what the stories are.” > > Some Christian leaders on this side of the Atlantic agree with Ahmed’s > observation, adding that a drop in religious literacy is a natural result > from the rise of the “nones” — that growing population of church-averse > Americans. > > And it’s more than an academic issue for the nation’s churches as those > trends are changing how newcomers learn the Bible and the way preachers > preach. > > ‘Insiders vs. outsiders’ > > “One of the results of biblical illiteracy is that sermons are, for the first > time in centuries, getting longer,” said Brett Younger, associate professor > of preaching at the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. > > “Precisely because people have not grown up with the stories, many preachers > see their job as explaining the text rather than helping worshippers > experience the hope of the story,” he told ABPnews in an e-mail. > > Brandon Hudson said his preaching has changed to accommodate visitors and > newcomers who grew up without church. > > “That’s a very different audience than people who have been in Sunday school > for 20 years,” said Hudson, pastor at Crosscreek Baptist Church in Pelham, > Ala. “They don’t know the general narrative.” > > Church members must also make room for worshippers who aren’t steeped in > biblical stories and the traditional teachings about them. It calls for > patience for longer sermons and a willingness to avoid church-speak around > those who are learning, he said. > > “One of the real challenges for those of us who grew up in the church — and > now work in the church — is to now realize what kind of translation is > necessary in this insider vs. outsider language,” Hudson said. > > Baptists in particular are experiencing these shifts, especially outside the > Bible belt where they are still relatively known, said Bruce Gourley, > moderator of CBF West and executive director of the Baptist History and > Heritage Society. > > “Out here in the West, the general concept is that all Baptists are Southern > Baptists or Westboro Baptists,” he said. > > > > Baptist, Christian and religious literacy in general has been in rapid > decline in the Western states well before the concept of the “nones” gained > national headlines in 2012. > > “We moved to Montana 20 years ago and I immediately realized that some of the > stories of the Bible that I took for granted ... were not known by many > people,” Gourley said. “Even the Christmas story was not known by many > children.” > > The South is headed in the same direction “if the trend of the ‘nones’ > continues,” he said. > > ‘Not carrying that stigma’ > > The rise in religious illiteracy doesn’t bother Susan Sparks — either as a > pastor or a standup comedian. > > It’s true that Sparks has had to get more basic with her preaching at Madison > Avenue Baptist Church in New York City. > > “I have to lay more of a foundation before I can spin off of it,” she said. > > Bible studies tailored to previously un-churched adults also have been > introduced, she added. > > In her standup routines, when she makes religious references, she keeps them > broad, like: “The Bible says to love your neighbor, but what if your neighbor > is a telemarketer?” > > But Sparks disagrees with the BBC’s Ahmed that younger audiences wouldn’t > laugh at humor presented in The Life of Brian. They might miss the specific > references, but they would get that authority, judgment and hypocrisy are > being lampooned. > > That’s because, while unchurched, young people have a strong sense of right > and wrong and a yearning for ethical living, Sparks said. > > Plus, in some ways they are more comfortable in church than many who grew up > there. > > “They are walking in not carrying that stigma against laughing in church,” > Sparks said. > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
