I am fascinated by the documentaries about church and biblical history that have been running on the History Channel.  Now, don’t be too critical of me for enjoying these shows.  I understand that they are entertainment, full of inaccuracies and biases, but I’m addicted.  In fact, there are four or five episodes that recorded to my DVR today.  It’s after 1AM and I’m still awake watching a fascinating “Cities of the Underworld” about the churches in Ethiopia. 

What is it about these shows that make them so interesting?  I know that I’m not the only one watching or they wouldn’t be putting the money into producing these shows.  I can’t speak for everyone else, but I think I’ve pinpointed the source of my fascination.  They give me a sense of connection with the historical church and the Christian communities of other peoples and cultures.  This is something that has been lacking in the worship in the churches with which I’ve been involved.  If one were to judge by my experiences, they would think that Christianity started with Jesus, stopped with Paul and true worship and practice was lost until sometime around the 1950s and has been going downhill since women started wearing pants and listening to Elvis. Of course, this isn’t the case, but many of the kids coming up in our churches now wouldn’t know it because we’ve failed to educate them. 

Thank you History Channel for reminding me of my own passion for history and for inspiring me continue to incorporate historical context into my preaching and teaching.

Technorati Tags: History, Culture, Worship, Christian Community

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