Michael Jackson’s Funeral and the Church
I was reading over at Ed Stetzer’s blog and saw an article he made reference to by a fellow named Tim Wade. He spoke of Michael Jackson’s funeral and how in light of the clear way things were communicated during the service, the church needs to wake up and see that the world is finding faith apart from the great commission. You can get the full article here. Here’s an excerpt:
Several members of the media commented that Jackson’s memorial service contained a spiritual tone- the gospel choir, the golden casket, the cross of light…
While the theme of Michael Jackson’s memorial service was indeed spiritual, it certainly could in no way be mistaken for a Christian funeral. During the performance of We are the World which was sung by a Who’s Who of musical icons, symbols of every major religion were displayed on a giant screen behind the stage including a larger than life picture of Jesus. The message could not have been clearer.
From Raleigh, North Carolina to Los Angeles, California, London, England to Tokyo, Japan, we are one world. However, we are not the children of one God as the song We are the World clearly implies: “We are all a part of God’s great big family. And the truth, you know love is all we need.” I beg to differ.
Clearly it is time for the Protestant Church to wake up and realize that the world is finding faith apart from the fulfillment of the Great Commission. While I am no fan of the Southern Baptist Convention, I applaud Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, for his call for a Great Commission Resurgence that recognizes “the lordship of Christ and the centrality of the Gospel in Christian ministry.”
I admire the work of Michael Jackson and mourn his passing. Truly the legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable. But holding hands and singing to the glory of a dead pop star will never replace the spiritual needs of the human condition. The world needs to hear the truth of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ for only under the blood of Jesus will we be part of God’s great big family.
If someone were teleported from ancient Egypt to the funeral they would have thought Michael Jackson was a god like Pharoh claimed to be. There are so many people in the darkness. Men, stand up and act like you’ve got a pair and rebuke this politically correct religion crap that has permeated our culture when ever you get the chance (as gracefully as possible) and just tell the truth of Jesus. Pray that God would move and bring awakening to us.
On another note you seminary boys need to stick this in yo pipe and smoke it. Check it out.
That circus was symptomatic of sooo much that is wrong in society. That so many people at that affected by by something like that, its insane.
You hit the nail on the head though. We as Christians have to step it up. We have got to be unabashedly unapologetic in our witness. We’ve been doormat believers too long. We’ve let PC society convience us that not offiending folks by not fully living our faith and principles to the fullest in their presense is the best way to be the good little Jesus freak.
The net result of that is a default backslide, and that is the “witness” that the world sees. Its washed out our credibility with society. If we have faith in Christ as our Savior, we need to act like it, and we need to live the principles that proceed from that faith and live it fully, unapologeticly and without fear.
If we do that, the world will respond to our witness and, I believe, the Lord will use it in ways we cannot imagine.
But maybe thats just me.