Deliver us from Branson
With the summer coming on, I'm getting press releases from all sorts of vacation destinations and their public relations representatives. Because were in the Christian media, I guess some of these places feel an obligation to tell me how faith-friendly these places are.
Here's one example. A lady named Cindy Shorey recently wrote a story that was distributed to the Christian media about Branson, Missouri. She said that what sets Branson apart is its higher purpose for the area.
She said Branson is a town where God, flag, and country take center stage.
Entertainers such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Wayne Newton put on shows in Branson. There are also many others who are explicitly Christian and "family friendly." Some of these shows are, Ms. Shorey suggests, ones that you wouldnt be embarrassed to take your family to.
You know, I like Willie Nelson well enough. But I would be embarrassed to take my family to a Wayne Newton show, I dont care how clean it was.
And among the "Christian acts" now plying their trade in Branson are Jim Bakker. We're still cleaning up the mess he left here in Charlotte!
I should probably mention at this point that Cindy Shorey, who wrote this press release, also happens to be the daughter of country music star Mel Tillis. Mel Tillis built a 110,000-square-foot theatre in Branson and later sold it to the Assemblies of God denomination for use as a conference center. Ms. Shorey now manages this conference center and is actively promoting the town.
I'm not opposed to a relaxing vacation from time to time. And I'm sure that Branson is better than most towns. I know, for example, that the town worked hard to keep casino gambling out, and that many of the hotels are run by Christian businessmen who keep porn off the in-room TV channels. Good for them.
But am I the only one who finds it a bit distasteful that even with all that were now ready to call Branson an entertainment oasis for Christians? Just because Wayne Newton takes a break from his Las Vegas casino hopping to sing God Bless America in Branson, I dont see that as much of a cause to celebrate. Have our expectations been lowered so much that what we would once have called "barely acceptable" is now being presented to us as the highest and best?
There was an old Saturday Night Live mock commercial about a dating service. The dating service ad asked the viewer if he was having trouble having meaningful, high-quality relationships. If so, the dating service advised, they had just the answer: Lower your expectations.
It seems to me that this is what the Christian community has done at every turn. In worship services, we hide scripture, creeds, hymns, and public confession of sin, and responsive readings in order to make our services friendlier for the unchurched. Weve lowered our expectations of government. There used to be a time when government did for its citizens what the citizens could not do for themselves. Now, those things that the government is supposed to do, such as keep our borders secure, it does badly. And things that others can do better and therefore shouldnt do, such as educate our children, it does badly. And, of course, there are all manner of things such as pay for pornographic art and abortions -- that it does but shouldnt be doing at all, whether well or badly.
Churches used to uphold marriage as between one man and one woman for life. Now, divorce and remarriage in the church is so common that we have lost our credibility when we speak out about other even more bizarre forms of marriage.
And now, even in our entertainment, weve lowered our expectations as if the expectations there were not already low enough.
The Bible says that whatever is good and excellent, these are things we should pursue. Weve chosen instead to pursue the base and the crass.
We take the most vulgar and banal aspects of society and say, If Christians take these things over, that will make them good. It wont; it will just make Christians ridiculous. It just shows how low our expectations have become that we now no longer attempt to be agents of true transformation in the culture. Instead, we seem to be happy make a few superficial adjustments to that part of the culture that even most unbelievers say is beneath them, that they scoff at.
And, ironically, we often say that we go to this trouble so that the world will take notice. Oh, theyve noticed, all right. One day, I guess well get a chance to see how our lowered expectations measure up against Gods standards for us. Well get a chance to see how far short we fell from Gods highest and best for us.
In the meantime, I pray as Jesus commanded me -- that God will deliver me from evil, including places like Branson, Missouri.
---
Warren Smith is the publisher of The Charlotte World and the editor of EP News. He can be reached at warren.smith@thecharlotteworld.com
Here's one example. A lady named Cindy Shorey recently wrote a story that was distributed to the Christian media about Branson, Missouri. She said that what sets Branson apart is its higher purpose for the area.
She said Branson is a town where God, flag, and country take center stage.
Entertainers such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Wayne Newton put on shows in Branson. There are also many others who are explicitly Christian and "family friendly." Some of these shows are, Ms. Shorey suggests, ones that you wouldnt be embarrassed to take your family to.
You know, I like Willie Nelson well enough. But I would be embarrassed to take my family to a Wayne Newton show, I dont care how clean it was.
And among the "Christian acts" now plying their trade in Branson are Jim Bakker. We're still cleaning up the mess he left here in Charlotte!
I should probably mention at this point that Cindy Shorey, who wrote this press release, also happens to be the daughter of country music star Mel Tillis. Mel Tillis built a 110,000-square-foot theatre in Branson and later sold it to the Assemblies of God denomination for use as a conference center. Ms. Shorey now manages this conference center and is actively promoting the town.
I'm not opposed to a relaxing vacation from time to time. And I'm sure that Branson is better than most towns. I know, for example, that the town worked hard to keep casino gambling out, and that many of the hotels are run by Christian businessmen who keep porn off the in-room TV channels. Good for them.
But am I the only one who finds it a bit distasteful that even with all that were now ready to call Branson an entertainment oasis for Christians? Just because Wayne Newton takes a break from his Las Vegas casino hopping to sing God Bless America in Branson, I dont see that as much of a cause to celebrate. Have our expectations been lowered so much that what we would once have called "barely acceptable" is now being presented to us as the highest and best?
There was an old Saturday Night Live mock commercial about a dating service. The dating service ad asked the viewer if he was having trouble having meaningful, high-quality relationships. If so, the dating service advised, they had just the answer: Lower your expectations.
It seems to me that this is what the Christian community has done at every turn. In worship services, we hide scripture, creeds, hymns, and public confession of sin, and responsive readings in order to make our services friendlier for the unchurched. Weve lowered our expectations of government. There used to be a time when government did for its citizens what the citizens could not do for themselves. Now, those things that the government is supposed to do, such as keep our borders secure, it does badly. And things that others can do better and therefore shouldnt do, such as educate our children, it does badly. And, of course, there are all manner of things such as pay for pornographic art and abortions -- that it does but shouldnt be doing at all, whether well or badly.
Churches used to uphold marriage as between one man and one woman for life. Now, divorce and remarriage in the church is so common that we have lost our credibility when we speak out about other even more bizarre forms of marriage.
And now, even in our entertainment, weve lowered our expectations as if the expectations there were not already low enough.
The Bible says that whatever is good and excellent, these are things we should pursue. Weve chosen instead to pursue the base and the crass.
We take the most vulgar and banal aspects of society and say, If Christians take these things over, that will make them good. It wont; it will just make Christians ridiculous. It just shows how low our expectations have become that we now no longer attempt to be agents of true transformation in the culture. Instead, we seem to be happy make a few superficial adjustments to that part of the culture that even most unbelievers say is beneath them, that they scoff at.
And, ironically, we often say that we go to this trouble so that the world will take notice. Oh, theyve noticed, all right. One day, I guess well get a chance to see how our lowered expectations measure up against Gods standards for us. Well get a chance to see how far short we fell from Gods highest and best for us.
In the meantime, I pray as Jesus commanded me -- that God will deliver me from evil, including places like Branson, Missouri.
---
Warren Smith is the publisher of The Charlotte World and the editor of EP News. He can be reached at warren.smith@thecharlotteworld.com
posted by Warren Smith at 9:45 AM
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