Posted on 07/10/2007 4:28:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Preacher Dan Smith turned a rap song about babes with booty into a spoof Internet hit, and used it to help create a new church for people who hate church.
Dan Smith thinks Christians take themselves too seriously.
Pastor Dan Smith's 'Baby Got Book' video, a big hit online, helped him start his Momentum Church. "We can be dorks," he says after Sunday service in suburban Cleveland. "We can be Ned Flanders and basically speak jargon that nobody understands."
The 33-year-old pastor has made it his mission to turn the notion of earnest, boring, humorless Christianity on its head — and tickle its feet until it laughs.
He did just that when, as a creative arts minister for a church outside Washington, D.C., he made a video parody of rapper Sir-Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back," an ode to women with generous behinds.
Smith's version was called "Baby Got Book," and its praise was reserved for "Christian sisters" who carry big bibles.
"It's worn and it's torn," go the lyrics, "and I know that girl's reborn."
At the suggestion of parishioners, he posted the video on the Web, and viewers streamed it millions of times.
Smith isn't the only preacher to find success on the Web. One of the hottest names in religion online today is none other than former "Growing Pains" star Kirk Cameron, who spreads the gospel online via wayofthemaster.com.
Smith used the publicity from "Baby Got Book" to help sell his comedy DVDs. Then he used that money and his newfound fame to start a church "for people who don't like church."
He should know. He says he's one of them.
"Some people don't like church because it's boring, full of hypocrites and often led by greedy dudes who only care about cash flow," Smith writes in a promotional flyer for his church, Momentum Christian Church. "And church is really boring, too. Did I mention that a lot of people hate church because it's boring? I usually do."
"People just feel welcome here and they can just be themselves." — church attendee Cindy Lu
Worshippers say you won't be bored at Momentum. You may not even feel like you're in a church — because technically you're not. Momentum holds its services in a multiplex movie theatre in a suburban shopping center. Salvation and Popcorn Buckets On a cool spring Sunday morning, people are filling the lobby of the Cinemark in Valley View, Ohio, warming up with coffee and hot chocolate and munching on donuts and bagels. It is boisterous and full of laughter and excited chat. It feels more like a family holiday gathering than church.
A crowd gathers around television monitors where Smith's "Baby Got Book" video plays on a loop along with other comedy videos he's made, and videotapes of past services.
"I said ladies, yeah, ladies," Smith's voice is heard on the video, "Do you wanna save people from Hades? Yeah!"
The smell of popcorn fills the air and large, framed posters of classic movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne hang on the walls.
Smith is running around with a Starbucks coffee in his hand.
"My salvation," he tells me, motioning to the coffee, after explaining that his wife Shannon just gave birth to their third child yesterday and he was up most of the rest of the night writing today's sermon.
A steady stream of people line up to give him congratulatory hugs and handshakes.
The service is as complex as a Broadway show, with comedy skits, stories and a multi-piece band. Like a professional stage show, the service has its own rundown sheet with lighting, audio and video cues.
And then there is Smith's sermon, "Superhero Parables," in which he encourages attendees to use their own special gifts to serve others and God.
"If one day you wake up and realize you've been bitten by a radioactive spider and you've got something new in your repertoire," he tells them, "there's this unspoken code among superheroes that says, you know what, your life is not your own anymore."
Smith electrifies his services with a blend of music and comedy. At the end of the service, the collection is taken up in popcorn buckets.
"I grew up going to Catholic church, so this is very different for me," says 25-year-old Cindy Lu after the service. "But it's just more relaxed. People just feel welcome here and they can just be themselves." Finding a Way Smith himself didn't grow up in a religious household, but came to the faith, he says, through the help of a neighbor. That outsider attitude, he believes, helps him to round up the "unchurched," just like Jesus did.
He says about 200 people attend each week, but admits his unorthodox approach has also drawn critics.
A posting about his Internet video warns viewers "to beware of false prophets."
Smith shrugs it off.
"We're not trying to reach other Christians," Smith says, "If you love your church, stay at your church. That's awesome. But for people who haven't gone in ten years — or all of their lives — I think there's a lot of people who might need to hear the message of 'maybe this might be the church that I can go to.'"
The same church, Smith says, that welcomes people who cuss, watch R-rated movies and smell like cigarettes; the church where "Baby Got Book" is always in rotation and whose services are available by Podcast if you just happen to sleep in some Sunday.
Huh? Your question is non-sequitur; it doesn't relate to a method by which the love of God might be communicated to people in our modern culture.
Don't stop at rap music — why not Christian strippers, too?
I can't tell whether you're being insulting, childsh, or both, but if I responded with just a sarcastic "Nice", would you mischaracterize that as condoning such activity??
The best way to introduce people to Jesus is by taking them to a mass, then pointing at the Host and Chalice and saying "There He is! Right there in front of you!"
IF the Spirit of God has got it in His mind to have them see the Risen Christ in the sacrament, and you have His direction that that's His plan for that person, then, yeah, that's the best way to introduce Jesus to that person. In general, however, the best way to introduce people to Jesus is to BE living examples of His love and grace and testify to the lost that our lives are what they are because we have a relationship with Jesus. In general, the lost will not see Jesus in the sacrament until they've seen Jesus in our hearts and lives; they will not seek a relationship with Him, until they've seen the fruit of our relationships with Him.
As the song in the video says, "Paul wouldn't use that anyways".
That comment was in reference to paraphrased versions of the bible, not, as you seek to use it, in reference to particular methods of explaining and communicating biblical principles.
But let me get to the bottom of this...
It is a contradiction wrought of sinful flesh that, despite the fact that God chose to supersede Law and legalism with the Ultimate expression of His love and grace by sending Jesus to the cross, so many in The Body are STILL STUCK in the same old legalistic attitudes fostered by the Law.
There's nothing doctrinally wrong with using a comedy bit to teach scriptural principles. There's nothing doctrinally wrong with using contemporary music to convey the love of God. But people here are getting all fired up and crashing this guy's case over his use of those kinds of things; as if using them is, of itself, some grave sin.
It isn't, and that's the end of the matter.
Unfortunately, there's a WHOLE lot of condemnation being lavished upon the ritual forms being employed at that church, accusing them of being empty, or worse, simply because of their outward appearance. To that I strenuously object.
Hopefully you won't be as argumentative and sarcastic as you have been judging from all your lengthly posts, to me and others on this forum.
My arguments, and their length, and even the sarcasm, arise from the fact that people are accusing somebody -- probably a brother in Christ -- of sin, when he isn't demonstrably guilty of any. They've taken issue with his use of skits and comedy bits in church, because that offends their flesh, and they've ranted and railed against the man over it. But, since when is it scriptural to accuse one among the brethren -- or even an unbeliever for that matter -- of sin JUST because he does something that offends our flesh? Besides, are we not more mature in Christ than that?
Still, If some want to go down that road, I can employ sarcasm to great spiritual gain, for does not the cross, itself, offend our flesh? After all, what could be more offensive that someone subjecting his own innocent son to such a horrific and bloody death? Yet, this is our God we're talking about, here! If some would castigate this pastor for his choice of communicative methods, perhaps they ought also rant and rail against God for chosing the method of the cross to communicate His love toward us? Perhaps The Almighty Creator ought to have chosen a less offensive method; one we'd like more. If words can be found to criticize a man -- again, likely a brother in Christ -- for using comedic sketches and contemporary music to communicate the love of God in a church service, surely some verbiage can be dredged up with which to condemn God's choice to to use the tortuous stigma of a criminal's cross to effect our salvation.
I engage this stinging sarcasm -- desparaging the view, mind you, not the ones who espouse it -- because it drives my point to the very hilt: castigating methods as sinful that are not inherently sinful, is, at the very least, scrupturally unsupported, and is, in some cases, wholly infernal.
No believer in his or her right mind can condone what God condemns. I have found the Way, the Truth and the Life. I am a Believer. You don't have to sell to me or bully me into believing exactly as you do.
True, but believers, most all in their right minds, frequently condemn what God condones, because we are yet imperfect in our flesh, and prone to such errors. Still, we must resist doing that, and my exhortations to cut it out are not properly construed as "bullying", although they may be somewhat accurately classifiable as "selling', to the extent I'm trying to get people to buy into the idea of extending the same grace they've received in Christ Jesus instead of making those errors.
Precisely how is this pastor "conforming" the gospel to the culture? As I see it, he's presenting the unaltered gospel using vehicles that are culturally normal to his community; demonstrating love for his neighbors by employing a technique that missionaries to all cultures have been using for hundreds of years.
In it's proper place humor is a wonderful tool to use in preaching the word of God. Verbal communication needs the attention of the audience. Using humor as an introduction to a larger, important point not only gets the listener's attention but also helps in the message being remembered. It need only be brief and not mean spirited. Whatever you think of TV Pastor John Hagee, I think he does use humor very effectively to set up the various parts of his sermons.
Agreed. But I think we've got to be sensitive to context, as well, which is what P_4_TX alludes to.
A dose of humor in an evangelical church service doesn't sound the discordant note that the same humorous experssion would if it came in the middle of a "high church" (formal, liturgical) service.
And that's what I'm hearing among some of those who're objecting to the stuff this guys doing over there at "Momentum". They can't imagine it being "proper" to ever do those things in the context of their usual liturgical worship experience, and they're quite right about that part, but they go too far in extrapolating from their experience to assert an absolute judgment that those things (skits, comedy bits, &c.) are not appropriate to any church service.
So, we've all got a little bit of accommodating to do. As a person hailing from non-liturgical roots, I have to understand the nature of the church services of my liturgical brothers and sisters and agree with them that, "Yes", it really would NOT be appropriate to crack a joke in the middle of mass. They, in turn, have to understand the church services of us non-liturgical types and recognize that, "Yes", in fact a relevant joke in the middle of the sermon might work quite well to drive home a biblical precept. IOW, nothing's changed since the apostle wrote I John 4; we Christians still have to love one another. ;-)
What's key is to note that this assessment of appropriateness bears upon the environemental context, not the joke, itself (assuming, or course, that it's a "clean" joke).
Absolutely - everything in its season. Just as you wouldn't tell jokes at a funeral, nor would you dress in black and act somber at a summer Church picnic.
The hard part is that we all use the same language to describe vastly different experiences. Both liturgical and non-liturgical strands of the faith refer to their gatherings as “church services”.
So, I can say a joke is appropriate in a “church service” — thinking non-liturgical in my head — and someone from a liturgical strand of the faith reads “church service” and — thinking liturgical in their head — marvels that I could possibly consider a joke to be proper in that context.
All because the same two words “church service” communicate widely disparate things to each of us.
Maybe, in Heaven, we’ll be able to think directly to each other so as to communicate 100% of what we mean without the inherent vagaries of the spoken word.
Actually, I am a she but thats OK.
I am a member of our church’s creative arts ministry and I am the executive producer for our Sunday service and am so honored and humbled that I was chosen to help the Lord bring the gospel to the unsaved. I can’t wait to go to church each Sunday to see what God does through the Creative Arts team.
I just wished the rest of our saved brothers and sisters could understand what we understand.
The link below is a sampling of some of our service — the best is the “Confessions of an Ex-Pharisee”.
http://www.gracecommunity.com/messages/
I wonder if the Sovereign Holy God, Creator of the universe, is honored by that church........sounds like Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey to me!
[chagrined] D'oh! Sorry.
Thanks for the link; looks like a great place to worship.
I recently ran across this video interview with one of the grand oldtimers in the faith, Leonard Ravenhill. It's well worth hearing the perspective of a man who met and spoke with people who were preaching at the turn of the last century. A Man of God
The video is from www.sermonindex.net which I trust you'll find a treasure trove of archived messages.
Also, do not miss this Revival Hymn compilation.
All of the above is easily accessible from the "Top 25 Downloads" list in the lower portion of the left sidebar on the sermonindex.net homepage
While filling a church is great; saving souls is even greater. Pastor Hagee had some pretty uncompromising things to say about apostate churches in the last days.
The Lord warned that we can tell by the results (fruit) whether something is rotten or not. It is God, not man, who should be honored. If worship is lifted up with joy and gladness, since the news of our redemption is The Good News(!) that's terrific--just as long as the fruit is not really deception in disguise.
The Devil is a real sneak, and it's been said he paves the road to Hell with good intentions. His whole purpose is to deceive. There are some who even deny his existence...the greatest deception of them all. These are the days in which good will be called evil and evil will be made to look good.
KJV: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24-24
And this is the theme of the entire books of Collossians, 1 John and Jude. We can't say we weren't warned.
Are you the Pastor in the story? You seem to be spending a lot of time and words justifying him.
Thank you for articulating that so beautifully. That's exactly right.
He-heh, no. I am his brother in the LORD, and I am a tired saint; tired of people who say they love my Jesus running down my brothers and sisters who love Jesus. I'm tired of seeing the Body of Christ beat on itself; we got the left hand sockin' it to the right eye, and the right hand tearing at the left ear, and the left heel kickin' at the right knee, and all the time the mouth is proclaiming "Oh, how I love Jesus!" It's just too much.
And it's GOT to STOP!
Or do we think Jesus was just blowing smoke when he said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34) NASB
Now. You go back to all the posts rippin' this pastor a new one over the ways he's goin' about providing a culturally relevant context for folks to hear the Good News of The Kingdom, and you answer me this:
Where's the 'love one another' part? Where's the post where we love the man in Christ Jesus, instead of taking opportunity to surmise and invent all kinds of evil intent and spiritual vacancy just because his particular strategies don't meet with our fleshly approval or mesh with our preferred kind of church service?
Yeah, there are some who've given him the grace from God he's due because of the cross. But it shouldn't just be some; it should be ALL of us who name the NAME of Jesus as savior and LORD. Why? Because of Jesus' commandment to us that we love one another.
Even if we have solid biblical grounds for disagreement, that doesn't give us a pass to not love, it only necessitates that we communicate that disagreement in a gracious and loving way. In no way does it allow for some of the desparaging things that have appeared on this thread.
I tell you: it's shameful. Shameful behavior on the part of God's people who oughta know -- and DO -- better.
So, if I spend a lot of time on this thread defending the man, then -- fine. It is for the love of Christ that I do it, that His NAME would not be profaned because of a few unwise members of The Body.
I imagine you must be referring to me. Thanks for the Judgment.
I just saw that now for the first time. Thanks for the link.
Minas Flint, indeed.
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