WILLOW CREEK APOLOGIZES...

As Brad and I hit on in Rebellion of Thought, the Supersize Me mentality of program-oriented Churchianity in America misses the point of what being a follower of Christ is all about.

Apparently research has come out that even Bill Hybels (founder of Willow Creek) finds “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”

Here's a snippet...

Willow Creek Repents?
Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years... So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?

Read the full article on Christianity Today's Out of Ur Blog...

I can't wait until the research comes out that says this is true for the majority of smaller, program oriented, non-mega churches as well.

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In an effort to promote transparency and full-disclosure it should be known that in the 80's (back when I had lots of hair and little discretion) I was very active at Willow Creek. I attended multiple services on a weekly basis and was involved in the "Video Ministry" where we helped "spread the gospel" to needy jumbo screens via closed-circuit television for youth group Rah, Rah, Rah's.

Ironic that today, twenty years later, my "Video Ministry" includes such lovely pieces as Rebellion of Thought which, when it comes to Mega Church mentalities like Willow Creek, I guess would be "biting the hand that fed me"... Ooops!

Rebellion of Thought... In Stores Today!

November 13th, 2007... this just in... Rebellion of Thought officially goes on sale today.

Here are a few links to stores where you can purchase it, rent it, etc.

Amazon = $15.99
Barnes & Noble = $20.69
Borders = $??.??
Christian Cinema = $16.92
Crown Video = $??.??
Family Stores = $??.??
Gospel Direct = $19.99
Netflix = Rental
Midwest Tape (via public library system)

Also, in C'ville you can buy it at Splintered Light. Here's a photo of the Splintered Light Bookshop... doesn't that look like a great place to go and browse the shelves?

They're located at 128 Chancellor St. just off the corner in the Center for Christian Study.

HOLLYWOOD JESUS REVIEW OF ROT

Here are a couple of links to the Hollywood Jesus review of Rebellion of Thought by Mike Furches.

Hollywood Jesus - Rebellion of Thought
Hollywood Jesus - About Rebellion of Thought

Furches says things like "sure to cause waves in the world of Christianity" and "may end up being one of the best documentary films of the year."

Enjoy!

REBELLION OF THOUGHT REVIEW

Here is a review of Rebellion of Thought that appeared in the November issue of the CBA Retailers Magazine...

"Rebellion of Thought is a superbly made, thought-provoking film. It juxtaposes discussion by leading Christian thinkers, people on the street, and filmmakers Brad and Kent Williamson to examine what postmodern thinking is and how the common idea that there's no absolute truth demands a new response from Christians.

The sheer film-craft beats almost anything I've seen in Christian film. The medium often becomes the message with stunning visuals, creative editing, and excellent (mostly indie) music. The explanation of post-modernism and its effect on culture is well-honed, thought overlong.

The Williamson's challenge–that church is irrelevant when it busies itself with traditional activities but never touches those outside–is undeniably true. The problem comes when they equate this irrelevant church with Hitler's state-run church and make the leap that the only way to relevance is ditching the church entirely, rather than recreating it on a biblical pattern.

This film will appeal to an intellectual and somewhat disaffected audience. Nevertheless, it raises questions that should be discussed (perhaps with a group and the corresponding study guide).

–Sue Grise"

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... NOVEMBER 13, 2007

The official launch date for Rebellion of Thought is just days away (November 13th). Here's a list of what you'll find on the DVD...

• Rebellion of Thought... the film (imagine that... the DVD will actually have the film on it!)
• Group Viewing Feature

BONUS MATERIAL
• A (Not So) Simple Response (a pastor responds to seeing the film)
• Anchored in the Harbour (my challenge to the church to move beyond the walls & pews)
• More Rebellious Thoughts (where Brad, myself and the experts discuss things like The Hardwired Church, Life Worship, Merchandising the Gospel, and Embracing the Mystery. This section alone is over 90 minutes of additional material)
• Expert Bios of all the cool philosophers and theologians that appear in the film.
• The Soundtrack - 25 songs from bands like Abby SomeOne, Audrey Hatcher Woodhams, Greg Allen, Hugh Wilson, Inner Surge, JJ Plasencio, Stereovolt, Joniqa, Low In The Sky, Michael Handler, Mixtapes for Girlfriends, Verona, and composer Will Musser (This section also includes bios and photos of the bands).
• Trailers & Credits

I'll try and post a list where the DVD can be purchased. In the mean time, go ask for it wherever you buy your movies.

VIRTUAL PEW RADIO INTERVIEW

Today Brad and I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Virtual Pew Live, a BlogTalkRadio show hosted by Mike Furches. It was an interesting discussion about Rebellion of Thought and our journey through the making of the film.

Listen to the archived webstream or download the mp3.

Here's a quote about Rebellion of Thought from Mike's Blog and MySpace page...

"This is one of the most important, thought provoking documentaries to come about in years. It should shake the very foundation of Christianity and the Church as to the direction society is taking, and the direction of how we reach that society."

Just a reminder to watch for Rebellion of Thought on store shelves November 13th.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... DOVE SEAL OF APPROVAL

We just learned that Rebellion of Thought has been awarded the Dove Foundations Seal of Approval. Read the review.

RELEASE DATE... 13 NOV 2007

Just a quick note to let folks know that Rebellion of Thought is scheduled to hit store shelves on the 13 of November, 2007. Please help us spread the word.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... THE DVD

A quick update on the status of Rebellion of Thought...

First, we signed a distribution agreement back in May with Exploration Films to handle north American and international sales for dvd, broadcast, etc.

Second, we've been working like mad to finish all the bonus material, soundtrack, programming, etc. of the DVD. I'm happy to say that it shipped to the kind folks at Exploration last night. I'm sure there will be a few tweaks here and there, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Third, the film is currently set for a fall release. When we receive a firm date, we will post it here.

In the mean time... here's a shot of the Scene Selection page from the upcoming Rebellion of Thought dvd...

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... THE DISTRIBUTION DEAL

For those interested... we are nearing a distribution deal for Rebellion of Thought. We've spent the last couple of months sending out screeners, having conversations and taking meetings.

We've had interest from traditional distribution houses, video-on-demand sources, as well as broadcast opportunities.

I'll post more as we get closer to the deal being announced.

LIGHT AND SALT IN A DARK AND TASTELESS PLACE

Have you ever been to Lowe's or Home Depot and tried to buy a light fixture? It's not an easy task, because EVERY light in the lighting department is turned on and as a result it makes seeing the light very difficult.

Light was meant for darkness! It's really that simple. Turn on a light in a dark room and the darkness is overcome. You can't help but see the impact of light.

Salt was meant for seasoning and preserving. The very simple act of adding salt to something mysteriously accomplishes both of these things. Salt was never meant to stay inside the shaker.

Can it get more simple than for us to attempt to be salt and light in the world around us?

FILMS MADE BY GOD

I am continually amazed at how the "pieces of the puzzle" often come together. Take this morning for instance...

When I awoke I checked my email to see if anything work-related developed overnight. A meeting was confirmed, but nothing more, so I took a moment to read my Wordsmith email. I admit that I don't often get the chance to enjoy the "word of the day" and that many times when I do I will skip the word and go straight to the quote at the bottom of the email that has absolutely nothing to do with the word of the day. That's exactly what I did today and here's the quote I found...

Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything -- anything -- be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in. -Sam Harris, author (1967- )

Now obviously Sam Harris has never had to use Windows 98. I have!... and I can see how it's continual use would lead people to murder! It's not too far fetched (he says as he joyfully types away on his Mac keyboard!).

Seriously though, Mr. Harris' quote is a very interesting glimpse at what a non-believer might think about people of faith. He comments on this ridiculous world we live in... a world where a good number of people believe that a "story" was given to man by God. A simple story in many ways about a God that loves his wayward creation and desires to have communication with them. And a very complicated story about the punishment of sin being death and the shedding of blood being required to satisfy the debt. And a very mystical story about a man dying a physical death and being resurrected on the third day.

And that brings us to the next "piece of the puzzle", for you see, after I read the quote I went and sat in the early morning quiet of my living room (which is only quiet when my herd of kids are sleeping) and I finished my slow reading of a book written by a man named Mark. Of which the last couple of chapters contain the hard to believe, mystical part of the story.

In many ways the gospel story is much more far-fetched than Star Wars. A film like that is so much easier to understand and grasp. The foreshadowing it contains is paid off within 2 hours, whereas the foreshadowing within gospel hasn't been fulfilled in 2 millennia. A piece of fiction is so easy for our world to believe as just that... fiction. But to a culture raised on post-modernism that doesn't believe in Truth, how can a story over two thousand years old be seen as anything but fiction?

How do we cling to that which we believe? In one sense I'm glad modernism is on the way out, because the modern believers felt the need to convince non-believers that the gospel is truth. Whereas believers in the post-modern age are much more willing to leave that job of convincing others up to the Holy Spirit (where it belongs) and instead just live out the elements of gospel.

If we took truth out of the equation and we're left with just a story about a God reaching out to mankind in an effort to be known by them and compared that to a story about some primordial ooze that evolved into walking and talking blobs of goo, I have to tell you, I'd still choose the first story. Simply because its a far more beautiful story!

Factor Truth back in and it becomes all the more compelling. The foreshadowing of the old testament to the new, and the new to the next, and the crazy, hard to understand parables, and the simple sayings like "love your neighbor", and the mystic nature of a bodily resurrection and the hard to believe future of a second-coming... these are pieces of the puzzle and pieces of an amazingly beautiful story that's worth trying to believe in.

CHILDREN AT RISK - CONFERENCE

A good friend of mine, Keith Giles, is busy promoting a new conference and asked that I help spread the word...

Here's what he says...

"I wanted to let you know about an important conference coming up that I'm a part of called "CHILDREN AT RISK" featuring author Os Guinness, pastor Tri Robinson, worship leader David Ruis, Bert Waggoner (National Director of Vineyard USA), Rick Muchow (Worship leader at Saddleback), and many others.

Please attend if you possibly can, and even if you can't, please help me to spread the word and let others know about this important event to help children who are at risk here in America and around the world.

Basic information-
Arms Of Love International Presents:
CHILDREN AT RISK-(Strategies for Global and Local Impact)
March 9 & 10, 2007 - Anaheim Vineyard

MORE DETAILS & REGISTRATION ONLINE AT
www.children-at-risk.com

FEATURING OS GUINNESS AND INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE UNITED NATIONS, WORLD VISION, VIVA NETWORK AND DOZENS MORE.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
*Os Guinness- (Author of more than 20 books including Unspeakable)
*Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn- (President of Crisis Care Training International)
*Olara Otunnu- (Former UN Special Representative for Children & Armed Conflict and former Chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights)
*Bryant Myers- (Professor of International Development at Fuller Seminary and former VP of International Program Strategy at World Vision)
*Johan Lukasse- (Founder and Director of Rescue & Restore Urban Missions and YWAMs Children At Risk School in Brazil)
*Bert Waggoner- (National Director of Vineyard Churches)
*Tri Robinson- (Pastor and author of Revolutionary Leadership)

WORSHIP LEADERS:
*DAVID RUIS (Vineyard Music)
*RICK MUCHOW (Saddleback Church)
*JOHN THOMAS (Soul Survivor)

Join leaders from 12 nations and a variety of international ministries. Choose between 28 different breakout sessions and workshops.

FIND OUT MORE AND REGISTER ONLINE AT:
www.children-at-risk.com."

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD

One of my favorite passages of late is in a book called Mark where Jesus responds to the religious scholars who asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

He tells us the top two... to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

To me there is amazing beauty in these words, but recently I read them in a version by a different translator where they jumped off the page at me. Jesus replies "love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy" and to "love others as well as you love yourself."

Do the people you gather with help you accomplish this? Do you see it in their lives? Do you help bring it out in them and do they help bring it out in you? If not, why not?