Campfire Stories

Santa Claus Theology

Do you ever notice how theology is found in the strangest of places? I watched the movie Elf tonight (great movie - Will Farrell cracks me up) and couldn't help but noticing how much it resembled today's culture.

Towards the end of the movie Santa ends up in NYC flying the sleigh and takes a crash landing. The jet turbine engine beneath the sleigh broke down. In the old days (pre-60's the movie says) the sleigh flew merely by "Christmas Spirit", people believing in Santa. So the sleigh breaks down, Buddy (Will Farrell) the elf who is trapped in New York sees Santa crash and goes to help. Santa explains the situation about a lack of Christmas spirit and buddy says, "Why don't you just go show yourself to everybody so they will believe?" Santa chuckles and says, "No, it's not by seeing that they will believe."

Interesting. Jesus said the same thing.

We are living in a postmodern society where "truth is relative". The idea of a religion or faith that is exclusive is repulsive to many people in today's culture. We as Christians have transplanted this exclusivity to anything that carries a label of "Christian." We often refuse to recognize truth in Buddhism, Mormonism, Existentialism, or any other -ism that we can come up with. But truth is truth regardless of the label. Before you scream, "Heretic!" let me explain.

Some of these thoughts are stolen from Rob Bell and hearing him speak this weekend. This is me citing him.

All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God - 1Cor3:21b-23. Cool. If this is God's world (he made it), then it is full of elements that are reflective of God. CS Lewis uses this argument in Mere Christianity to show the existence of a god. Elements such as a common morality within people, a common desire to explain where we came from, a common search for divinity, etc. Jesus claimed that "I am the truth..." (John 14:6). If the world is God's, and Jesus is God, and Jesus is the truth, and Jesus is in God, then anything that is truth is of God. We don't have to be afraid of truth found outside the tenets of our faith. Rather we need to rise up and claim what is ours - because everything is ours! All things! Rather than saying, "Don't watch Harry Potter," let's use Harry Potter to draw connections to the truth that is in Christ! Let's sift the God born truth that exists in this world from the lies and deception of Satan and claim what is rightfully ours!

"God is raising up a generation of tour guides - who will claim truth wherever they find it - and will show others, helping them to experience the big God. If we keep asking questions we will end up at Jesus! All things are ours! It is time for the Church to leave the intellectual ghetto and claim the world that is ours. We have the freedom to claim the truth no matter who or what it comes from!" - Rob Bell

posted by Devo @ 11:42 PM |