Bullhorn Smackdown.
While I'm not really a person who jumps into the fray of some so called "discussions", when something of this level of lunacy comes along... well here goes...
It appears that the folks over at The Way of the Master have set their sights on Rob Bell and specifically the NOOMA Bullhorn [which I will go on record as saying is brilliant]. Well, to quote fellow blogger [and all around good guy] Zach Lind, The Way of the Master people have produced what is "quite possibly the lamest ten minutes in the history of film." [Quite a statement, but sadly not much of an exaggeration.]
Apparently this ten minute video clip [attempting to be shot NOOMA-esque] is a crtique, or rebuttal of sorts I guess, to an ongoing ax to grind with "Bullhorn" - which they have taken as a personal attack on them and their "way" of approaching evangelism. I find this all distubring, since not only they have completely missed the whole message of Bullhorn, but have chosen to produce this "video rebuttal".
[Note to self... If you are going to critique someone, at least get your facts straight, so that you do not read into something that is not there and make a "video rebuttal" that is a mockery in and of itself.]
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
Check out the video and the discussion on Zach's blog and judge for yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Couple o' observations:
1) Was that Bill Nye the Science Guy? Methinks it was.
2) "Christian Malpractice" simultaneously makes both the Christian and lawyer in me feel ill.
Posted by: Alex | October 27, 2006 at 04:02 PM
That was so bad I barely made it through the first 5 minutes. I couldn't bear to watch him talk to anybody. It was so terrible on so many levels that I don't know whether to laugh of cry or shoot someone. Theses are exactly the kind of idiots that I spend 90% of my conversations with non-christians about Jesus cleaning up after. Do they know how much damage they do?
"Dr. Reason"? Are you kidding me? The dude has probably never even cracked open anything more intelligent than a Ray Comfort track and he wants to talk about Reason?! I would love to have him talk to the people I've talked to. I would love to just show him how "effective" and "loving" what they do really is. Honestly, I haven't agreed with everything Bell has said about this kind of thing, but I guarantee you way more people have fallen in love with Jesus at Mars Hill than by all of The Way of Master ministry people combined have converted.
Whew! Sorry. I just get a little riled sometimes when these guys start condemning the rest of us for not turning people off to Jesus in the same way they do.
Posted by: Derek Rishmawy | October 27, 2006 at 04:35 PM
By the way, just to be clear, I do love Rob Bell.
Posted by: Derek Rishmawy | October 27, 2006 at 04:36 PM
I've been mulling over this piece all day long and I keep hearing this voice in my head that says this... "if you're going to call yourself The Way of the Master, it might be essential that you live and treat others in line with the way of the master."
I don't know... maybe it's just me, but...
[As a side note, if you haven't read the comments on Zach's blog, they're a must read... I laughed so hard I snorted!]
Posted by: Mike | October 27, 2006 at 05:06 PM
I Dont know...
I thought some of the parody is funny, mostly because much of the group I lead makes fun of NOOMAs little environmental things and segways. They think the teaching is good, but the cinematography is a little contrived and lame in NOOMA. So I kind of got a kick out of the whole bus stop distraction thing.
I thought the whole Dr. Reason and Dr. Love thing totally missed the point really.
The biggest disagreement that I found was that there is often this emphasis with Ray Comfort and company that you really have to hit the sinfullness thing hard right off the bat to be a good evangelist. I think many people are well aware of their own sinfulness and need to hear the good news of God's grace and the Kingdom.
I also disagree because Way of the Master seems to assume that it is preferable not to have a relationship with someone when sharing the faith with them.
Posted by: Friar_Tuck | October 27, 2006 at 06:20 PM
A few other comments.
I think part of the difference between Comfort and Bell in this case also has to do with their eschatology. If you believe Jesus very well might be coming back in the next month or two then you tend to have more of a sense of urgency to share with as many people as possible. If you have a more amillenial view of future things, than you have time to build a relationship.
Also I think Bell sees faith more as a calling and a process, where as Comfort sees faith as a decision and intellectual assent.
By the way, as for the cinematography thing, most of our group have some sort of military connection and do things like accounting and archetecture or work at Home Depot or Lowes. So sometimes they can look at "trees" and say "Why is he not unwrapping the tree he is planting? and "He must be in a lot better shape than he looks not to be breathing hard?" They also feel that new flicks like rhythym and matthew are done a lot better than the first few.
Anywhoo...look forward to maybe catching up to you in the OC next week.
Posted by: Friar_Tuck | October 27, 2006 at 06:27 PM
I can totally see your eschatalogical point. In fact I was kinda taken back when he said that Jesus didn't come the first time to save people, but to warn them about his second coming when he would come as judge.
Say what?
Let me get this straight. Jesus came not to alter the present for people, but just to warn people. Hhhmm. I guess so much for Matthew 4.17 and the whole "repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near" 'eh?!?
I just can't buy into the philosophy nor the theology.
Posted by: Mike | October 27, 2006 at 08:08 PM
truly, truly sad. will we ever learn?
mike, are you by any chance (i know this is a long time away) going to the "origins" conference at mosaic in may?
Posted by: jon | October 28, 2006 at 12:11 PM