At New Yankee Stadium with Becky Garrison and Joel Osteen

A couple of years back I met a terrific writer, a nice, if occasionally cranky, person named Becky Garrison. Becky is an accomplished author of such books as Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church and The New Atheist Crusaders and Their Unholy Grail. She is also a contributing editor for Sojourners and has done funny, insightful stuff for The Wittenburg Door among many others. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and talking shop with Becky on my last couple visits to New York City. Most recently, last spring I believe, Becky attended a screening of Lord, Save Us I was hosting at a vibrant church on the Lower East Side. The audience was an eclectic blend of impassioned folks and the spirited conversation after the screening went on for the better part of an hour.

Becky and I only had a short visit afterwards but she was making great progress on her newest book Jesus Died For This? which, incidentally, is being released this week by Zondervan. Turns out I’m mentioned briefly in her new tome. She recounts our chance meeting in the press box at the newly opened Yankee Stadium where Joel and Victoria Osteen were holding their “One Night Of Hope” event in April 2009 (think they just did a similar event in Dodger Stadium). At this point Becky and I had only corresponded, so as I sat casually chatting with this hilarious, fired up and very well informed woman I actually had no idea it was Becky. Apparently, without my Bumpersticker Man suit I was unrecognizable as well, I guess I was in my Clark Kent attire that evening. Hah. Anyway, after fifteen minutes of entertaining conversation that threatened to erupt into spirited debate I introduced myself. Becky’s eyes grew wide and then she laughed, “Oh, Dan, it’s Becky Garrison.” “Becky! Hah. No wonder. Okay, now this conversation makes sense.” We had a good laugh and then really got into the conversation about the fascinating spectacle unfolding on the Yankee infield below.

Here is a brief excerpt from Jesus Died For This?:

Once the praise music faded away, Joel and Victoria took the stage. After Joel rejoiced how he was finally getting to live his dream of playing in a professional baseball stadium, Joel and Victoria regaled the crowd with a replay of their favorite hits. Most of what I’m hearing seems to be eerily similar to Joel’s Madison Square Garden concert that I covered back in 2006. Has their faith not evolved in these ensuing three years? Surely folks as well traveled as the Osteens might have some new stories they can tell, don’t you think?

By sheer coincidence, Dan Merchant, the author and director of the documentary Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, was sitting right next to me. When I complained that I had seen this motivational multimedia show before, this roc-show expert reminded me that “people come to rock shows expecting to see the hits,” citing how the Rolling Stones sing “Satisfaction” at every concert. He added, “Like the Stones, Osteen’s ‘Night of Hope’ hits the same buttons. Charisma, emotion, nostalgia, dramatic staging (gorgeous night, amazing new ballpark), a sense of community – all Osteen is missing are the flash pots and a B-stage in center field.”

I know, I know, I relate every public performance to the Rolling Stones. Hah. Sue me. Think of Osteen what you will, but I guess I didn’t begrudge him “playing the hits”, but Becky was on a deadline and I wasn’t at that moment.

Reading an advance copy of Becky’s book, I was so pleased and impressed with how she refused restraint at times, but how she also illuminated the tender truth. The subtitle to Jesus Died For This? is “A Satirist’s Search For the Risen Christ”, and this compelling collection of thematically linked essays will greatly encourage and, possibly, educate you. Becky’s travels all over America yield some amazing anecdotes about believers who will absolute remind you of Jesus. Please pick up a copy for yourself and someone else you want to talk about faith with. Hard working, uncompromising creatives like Becky deserve our support and encouragement. She has done us all a service by sharing her observations with us in Jesus Died For This?

Prop 8 and Roger’s Story

In light of the landmark judicial decision this week regarding Prop 8 in California we’ve decided to run a clip from Lord Save Us entitled “Roger’s Story.” Keep those conversations going folks!

Odd Bedfellows

One of the coolest, strangest attributes of Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is the diversity and range of the people enjoying it. The film doesn’t speak JUST to Christians or JUST to non-Christians – though, depending on the clique, many feel, “I love it, but I don’t think THEY will get it,” which is funny to me because that’s what everyone says.

I offer as proof a smattering of “opposites” in the media, mainstream and alternative sources, who have praised Lord Save Us From Your Followers. Hollywood insider magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter praised the film for being “Admirably bold” and “Moving and Memorable” while Christian publication Christianity Today wrote “The overarching message is desperately needed and winsomely voiced. Most impressive is that this film manages to speak to two separate audiences at the same time.” The Dove Foundation offered this: “Five out of five…Life changing.” Lord Save Us has also attracted attention from major newspapers: USA Today labeled the film as “Michael Moore-meets-Monty Python. A humorous and heartfelt examination of the culture wars,” while the Los Angeles Times said it is “an effective call for greater understanding.” My media appearances have ranged from The Today Show with Matt Lauer and The Dennis Miller radio show to Praise The Lord on Trinity Broadcasting Network to Barry Lynn’s national radio show (People for the American Way). Can you say “odd bedfellows”?

I suppose this evidence further drives home the point we all have more in common than we think, we all are tired of our inability to understand and cooperate with each other to tackle some of the big problems facing our world. If you are a Christian invite a non-church person over to your house to watch the Lord Save Us DVD – if you are an atheist, invite a Christian friend…and enjoy a conversation together. Change must start somewhere. Why not with you? Why not now?

Anne Rice Denounces Christianity in the Name of Christ?

Last week acclaimed author Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire, Christ the Lord) publicly denounced Christianity on her Facebook page. While few people might be surprised by this revelation, the reasoning behind it may start valuable conversations:

“For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten …years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

Dang, Anne, I’m feeling you. I wish I could give you a hug right now. I understand exactly what she’s saying, but I also would love to introduce her to the thousands of followers I’ve met who WOULD remind her of Jesus. Meeting these folks and seeing their beautiful work would no doubt encourage Anne as much as it encouraged me. I also agree there is no reason to get hung up on the label: Christianity. I know lots of folks who prefer “Follower of Jesus” – fine, I don’t care, but there is something cool about people who love boldly in Christ’s name and seem determined to reclaim the title from those who have lost the plot or hijacked the term “Christian”.

Check out more timely updates from Anne at http://www.facebook.com/#!/annericefanpage

Creative Togetherness Over Easy Conflict

For today’s blog we’re running a 4-star review from Simon Augustine at guru.greencine.com. In his verbose critique Augustine compares me to “a Michael Moore crusading for purer humanism rather than a political agenda.” I like it!

This DIY documentary is a humorous and humane attempt by filmmaker Dan Merchant to address the increasingly vitriolic and seemingly unbridgeable divide between Red and Blue state mentalities – those on the religious Right who favor traditionalism vs. the leftist/secularist community who has grown hostile and turned off to Christianity because of what they perceive to be close-mindedness and hypocrisy stemming from Fundamentalist approaches. The film claims a certain uniqueness in that it is presented by a progressive Christian, deeply critiquing his own faith. He rightly recognizes that the current bombast, volume, and pre-conceptions on both sides actually drowns out meaningful dialogue and winds up serving neither those leftists who may have religious curiosity and/or passion, nor those on the right who are open to more modern viewpoints. Not to mention how the trend of hyperbole and sensationalism often wastes time and denigrates our common humanness.
He aims to show how the combative structure of the debate itself often precludes real conversation and understanding in the current “culture wars” of America, and for the most part he is successful.
What begins as a seemingly glib satire of the rhetoric in the battle between traditional Christians and more secularized progressives actually develops into a surprisingly moving and compassionate “non-sermon” on the way the essential Christian message is lost in the foibles and egos of human communication – susceptible as it is to hyperbole and sensationalism. Merchant takes some brief but effective looks at the issues of poverty, consumerism, war, gay marriage, and abortion. He interviews a series of talking heads including comedian-turned-Senator Al Franken, and produces segments on the good works of Christians as diverse as Bono and Rick Warren.
And like a Michael Moore crusading for a purer humanism rather than a specific political agenda, Merchant also walks around the streets of NYC and Texas, his suit covered in bumper stickers and buttons running the gamut of the most extreme fundamentalist and atheistic slogans, attempting to elicit and provoke conversation with people from varied perspectives. What this stunt lacks in the satiric acumen, bite, or political intensity found in Moore’s best set-pieces, it more than makes up for it in the way that Merchant exposes the self-fascination and rancor of right vs. left political clashes to find a common practicality of the gospel of love hidden underneath all the sound and fury.
One particularly innovative and striking experiment has Merchant, as a Christian, setting up a confessional booth at a gay community event to personally apologize to gays and lesbians for the shortcomings of the Church in terms of acceptance and understanding, evoking fascinating reactions and aptly demonstrating what inroads are possible. And the film ends with an emotional encounter between Christian social workers and homeless men and women whom they serve at a mobile facility that elegantly summarizes its message.
With a charming homemade quality (that unfortunately sometimes devolves into tacky, annoying graphics and a distracting amateurism), Lord Save Us From Our Followers does not have the cinematic power of something like Fahrenheit 9/11, but it is still a minor revelation in terms of emphasizing creative togetherness over easy conflict.