I think we need to celebrate when Christians do something good, not just provide analysis of fundamentalist scare tactics. On May 27, Rob Bell interviewed Alan Close, a musician at Mars Hill Bible Church. Close is also an illustrator who has started a Christian comic book series and this isn’t exactly Archie and Veronica. It’s a visually realistic view of various Biblical stories.
One of the fascinating things is that when he drew the Baal priests, he googled Baal artifacts and discovered a mask that they wore. He used this in the costumes he designed.
It’s pretty cool stuff. The first comic is based on Elijah and Mount Carmel.
You can listen to the interview at http://www.marshill.org/teaching/pcast.php
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18 Comments(+Add)
My first article for CRNinfo.
cool! welcome to the team. Thanks for the upbeat article.
Some of the comics are as violent as any Chick tract. I love Chick tracts for their folk arty badness.
Anyone remember PIX? They used to come in children church bulletins. That brings back memories.
Never heard of PIX, but Chick tracts were (understandably and correctly) banned as hate literature and are illegal in Canada, although I remember some churches smuggled them in to line bird cages.
I used to love Jack Chick!… LOL! Then I started reading and others started questioning if his “sources” were even legit.
It seems the era of frauds as Laurna Strafford and Mike Warnke were in full force at this time.
But, I remember getting a handfull of Chick tracts and going downtown and giving them to eveyone I saw… and getting a few JW’s really angry at me over them.
Blessings,
iggy
Matt,
What is cool about these is that they represent very well… in fact I think that the word “dust” could be replaced with emergent and represent what we do think!
Dust is about conversations. Dust is about entertainment that inspires. Dust is about stories that are so relevant they have spoken to thoughtful people for thousands of years. Dust is about generations of people sharing and exploring the meaning and purpose of life. Dust is about where you came from and where you are going. Dust is part of your life.”
People like ken think we are trying to do something “new”… and that is not what we are saying at all… Think about things like Dan Kimball’s “Vintage- Faith”… how is that doing something new… it is saying that the Old “Faith” is relevant… and is better than new faiths like WICCA… When some state things like emergent’s are doing something new… we do even understand what they mean… we are looking at our heritage and sharing the depth of Faith in Christ as relevant and real today as it was in years past…
Blessings.
iggy
Let me share something that the Lord has just recently been dealing with me about and it goes with this article. Am I to completely dismiss everything a brother does if I disagree with the direction of his spiritual journey? Let me illustrate.
Most of you know that I consider Rick Warren a Christian but that I seriously disagree with his methodology and direction. So I also have a burden for the AIDS sufferers in Africa, believing it to be a great mission field. So is it right in my Father’s eyes for me to lack the ability to rejoice in Warren’s attempt to minister to those poor people? Most of you here may not be able to fully understand what I wrestle with because I come from a more intransigent corner of Christianity. I believe we must be aware of the slide.
But I found myself listening to the Holy Spirit a week ago and I wasn’t praying. I was thinking “Does it have to be all or nothing?”. OK, in my eyes Warren is compromising in many areas, but when I see him trying to minister to poor people and I can’t find it in my heart to thank God for that, isn’t there something wrong with my heart? I have often said that some hate Warren (and others) so deeply that if he discovered a cure for AIDS they would criticize him for doing it pridefully.
I am serious, I am allowing the Spirit to teach me that when someone does something good, as you say Matt, that I can rejoice even if it someone with whom I have parted theological company with. Could you guys really rejoice if Ken (or somebody like him) ministered to a homeless man and led him to Christ? You see what I mean, I think that is a level of spiritual maturity that we all need to search for because it would reveal that even is disagreement, our hearts hold no bitterness.
Sounds simple, but doesn’t stand the test sometimes.
The concept of “all or nothing” in many areas of my life is causing me great distress and has been the source of many struggles. I understand very much what you are saying here.
Rick,
I thank God if Christ is Preached… And someone finds new Life in Christ… Even if it be Ken… Or Rick Warren, or dare I say… A Mormon… As I think Russ N stated a story of a tribe that had Mormon missionaries come to them teach about Jesus.. And then talked about some of their other teachings…
The missionary asked them what they believed… They stated that they believed in this Jesus but the rest was a bit confusing so they did not believe that… The missionary then was able to teach them truth concerning Jesus…
It is amazing that God will preserve people from lies and that if a heart is ready the TRUTH can enter them.
Blessings,
iggy
“Mormon missionaries come to them teach about Jesus.” And then you say: “The missionary then was able to teach them truth concerning Jesus…”
You think this is good? They were taught then Jesus is the spirit son born first to a resurrected man named Elohim who became god and that Lucifer is his brother born next to one of Elohim’s wives. Lovely.
Ken,
The firt missionalries were Morman the second was not… the people rejected the error and accepted the Son of God… then the missionary came and taught them truth and more about the real Jesus…without even knowing the real Jesus they accepted Him.. maybe that was not clear in what I stated…
The reference is here…
http://russ-ramblings.blogspot.com/2007/05/we-serve-amazing-god-or-my-adventures.html
Be Blessed,
iggy
And Ken,
No do not think the teachings of Mormonism are good… but superficially they do teach Jesus… that does not mean they were saved… any more than the tribe was… as evident that He sent the other missionary to them… the point was that when people hear of Jesus they respond to Him… God is often been to where we think we need to go before we are even there.
I am speaking of the great salvation works of God… and that it is He Who saves us.
Thanks for giving me the benefit of doubt there friend. = )
Be blessed,
iggy
Iggy,
don’t you know that MOST people hate God and would not respond to even a Mormon’s call? The second missionary had to have presented a false doctrine for them to come to Christ like that.
for those of you just tuning in, that was sarcasm.
Iggy – the Mormon’s don’t teach Jesus, they teach another Jesus. If you are saying that God can even use the deeds of the wicked to praise Him, OK, but we cannot ever be thankful that Mormons attempted to deceive.
Back to the post, I think these comics are great! If people start buying them it might help him find a store to sell them!! Right now he is trying to get them out in comic stores. If anyone knows of anyone that would want to help get these marketed I am sure he would love your input!
Welcome Matt!
Rick,
I can be thankful that God is faithful… and thwarts Satan’s plans…
I think you are missing the point.
But that is ok…
Again… MORMONISM IS A LIE!!!!!!!!!!!
Yet, they preach Jesus… and on the surface it is the same gospel… meaning Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead…. and I totally agree almost everything else is redefined and reinterpreted… they will say we are saved by grace through faith, then justify works righteousness… I DO KNOW A BIT ABOUT MORMONS I USED TO GO TO THE TEMPLE IN UTAH AND WITHNESS RIGHT THERE AT THE INFO CENTER!!!!!
Yet, what I keep hearing is that some think God cannot thwart the devils plans… and bring salvation out of the initial witnessing of JW’s and Mormons…
I think that rather sad and a sign of a lack of faith in God and His faithfulness to those who seek him with a genuine heart.
Blessings,
iggy
Maybe Iggy’s point is, God can use anybody.
I believe Jack Van Impe has very faulty beliefs, yet he was used to bring me back to Christ.
I think Benny Hinn is heretical, yet God used him to bring my wife to Christ.
As we grow in Christ we need to learn to reject the bad and learn what is good.
Like now, The past couple of years I followed Ingrid, Ken and company and believed everything they said about Bell, McLaren and etc. I have since learned what a strawman argument is and how they take quotes out of books without providing the rest of the story.
Does that mean that I am emergent, now that I disagree with some of what they(CRN/slice) write? I wonder how they would label me, but absolutly not. I don’t care for the worldly marketing prinicples used but Church growth, I am concerned with the acceptance of historically pagan practices that the Em Church seems to be embracing, and I am appalled at the occultic confess it and get it stuff that we see on most Christian TV now adays. All that said to say that yes, God can use anyone, Rob Bell, Brian McClaren, Rick Warren, Benny Hinn, of course, God can use a sinner to say something to someone to touch their heart to make them realize that we are nothing without his mercy and grace in our lives.