The Problems of the Christian Ghetto

There are different types of CCM,

• Praise & worship,
• Teaching,
• Encouragement &
• Outreach

to name a few.

The last type is compatible with worldly styles to a certain degree.

True enough. However regardless of mention, making the words of Jesus known is always a plus... even if those words are twisted to suit the secular world of man rather than the Kingdom. He becomes known. Nothing however, like finding out how Christianity has become a con while at the same time the personal teachings of Jesus alone ring true. Redirects personal interest towards Him rather than religion, providing loving all as self is appealing even at the expense of being rejected as a result by the secular world of man (which of course can be the only end result). If the world doesn't like us not playing by it's rules, we're on the right but narrow path. The mainstream media's heads of all affiliations, the political systems and of course Corporatism, will explode at the concept.

Lord of the Rings movie did more to advance Christian ideas as far as evangelism - sounds like that statement is saying at least that new age idea worked to advance Christian ideas.
The modern day youth live a totally different lifestyle than youths of the 60s and prior. Some in Christianity (the younger sect) has taken to using Christian rock bands - Christian rap groups - praise dancing - etc to attract the youth. In reaching them, they reach others of their age group. And there are devoted youths to Christ.
To be perfectly honest, the culture of Christianity that has been practiced throughout the decades has seen problems reflecting the different denominations, the sins reported even inside the churches, and the twofold lifestyles of many of those who profess to be Christians. Spread the word of our Lord and savior and let those who hear make their choice.

Pavel Mosko said:

Yeah and you are the kind of reason I wrote / made articles and videos like this, or more specifically I think Christians, especially those running parochial schools, have probably done more to advance atheism than anything I have personally seen. Some Christians really love to talk about stuff like Agape, but so rarely is that actually practiced, and "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"! I have also seen my share of Christian misanthropes that are on par with the Pharisees who persecuted Jesus.

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Honesty inspires atheism and I try to be as honest as I possibly can.
You made a statement directly at me by saying I am the type of person that inspired you to write etc etc.
So I will reply with this
The Bible says that the righteous scarcely be saved (which means even the righteous don't have it perfectly right) the Bible continues to say but where will the ungodly and sinners appear. If we had it right we wouldn't need a savior.
Christianity as a whole has not done more to advance atheism - if so as atheist say - prove it.
It is already in their hearts there is no God - why would scripture say that only a fool will say there is no God - why else would the Bible speak about those who don't believe in our Lord and this was thousands of years before Christianity.
Atheism has been around since the fall of Man - it's just a modern-day word.

Sheila Davis said:

Christianity as a whole has not done more to advance atheism

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I would agree. People are more interested in anti-Christ behaviour as a result.

Pavel Mosko said:

This something I have talked about online, blogged on, and video blogged on.


My Christian Forums Blog synopsis
I define the Christian Ghetto as being the phenomenon where Christians (At least in the US, especially Evangelicals) want to create their own sub culture that is parallel to secular pop culture. So they create a kind of cheap Hong Kong style knock off of things like mainstream rock bands, video games etc. only with a more blatant Christian twist.

I see this as a problem in 4 ways

1) Largely misunderstanding Holiness (often very superficial)

2) Creating Barriers that actually prevent people from witnessing to people (our personal relationships are often our best means of Evangelism).

3) It is a bad witness (because people have a captive audience they get lazy artistically and produce cheaper unimaginative works)

4) It keeps us from Reclaiming the Culture by having popular works that carry Christian themes and content in the mainstream. By Personal experience I saw how the Lord of the rings movies did more to advance Christian ideas as far as evangelism than I did with a group of friends who tended to see Christianity in negative "Moral Majority" stereotypical ways. etc.

https://www.facebook.com/profile/100010669021378/search/?q=Ghetto

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I think having the Christian rock etc isn't a bad thing, nor is having Christian movies etc. So long as the message is a solid Christian message.

The problem comes in when, to appease a wider Christian audience, the message itself is watered down to the point where the Hallmark Channel is similarly "Christian".

But if you can't appease enough people, you're not going to turn a profit or even break even - you'll be operating at a loss.

People, Christians included, don't always want the Truth. Itching ears and all that. Change that, and any problem, real or imagined, would be solved, because it's not that in some ways these things resemble the world - we do live in the world and not every aspect is negative - it's that it doesn't resemble enough of our actual faith.

Pavel Mosko said:

I define the Christian Ghetto as being the phenomenon where Christians (At least in the US, especially Evangelicals) want to create their own sub culture that is parallel to secular pop culture. So they create a kind of cheap Hong Kong style knock off of things like mainstream rock bands, video games etc. only with a more blatant Christian twist.

4) It keeps us from Reclaiming the Culture by having popular works that carry Christian themes and content in the mainstream. By Personal experience I saw how the Lord of the rings movies did more to advance Christian ideas as far as evangelism than I did with a group of friends who tended to see Christianity in negative "Moral Majority" stereotypical ways. etc.

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A few things here:

1) Christians should be encouraged to be creative so they can create God-honoring works, but the encouragement to do that is primarily motivated by wanting to see Christian entertainment out there in the first place. Without that, you wouldn't see nearly as many musical acts that publicly keep a Christian identity and a semblance of a decent witness themselves. The church essentially serves as an incubator for these musical acts until they are ready to go mainstream. One example is P.O.D. They started out as one of those bands that only Christians listened to because their faith was important enough to them to not sing about sex and drugs, and the "Christian ghetto" market was the only market that was left for them. They did that for a few years, then they signed with Atlantic Records and gave their mainstream releases while maintaining a Christian witness through their lyrics and their interactions with secular musicians, and also paving the way for other Christian bands that they had worked with over the years. There was a real stigma against Christian music before that happened. So, even though they had broken the rules of the "Christian ghetto" by going secular and being a bit less militant in their lyrics, they still benefited from it.

2) I enjoy the LOTR movies, and I get the parallel themes with Christianity in them, but how did they bring people to Christ? Please tell me how it did, I'd like some good news today.

3) I would also call LOTR an exception, because Tolkien was so smart that he taught at Oxford and made up entire languages as a hobby. He didn't even intend for these to be Christian works, but he was so thoroughly Catholic that it leaked through anyway.

timothyu said:

I would agree. People are more interested in anti-Christ behaviour as a result.

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And who is the real proponent of that? Certainly not the churches. Rather, it is the churches that have been usurped by the powers of this earthly domain.
Not only the churches, but the whole of mankind, except for a remnant.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you call your last sheep unto you, and that they are found; that they may Glorify the Body of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen

David's Harp said:

Rather, it is the churches that have been usurped by the powers of this earthly domain.

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Of course, and almost right from the beginning those who had turned towards the Kingdom were led back into the world as the Church itself teamed up with the governments of man.

timothyu said:

Of course, and almost right from the beginning those who had turned towards the Kingdom were led back into the world as the Church itself teamed up with the governments of man.

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A remnant will be saved. Those not fooled by the politics, but giving respect to the authorities which govern us.