I was talking about a broad range of Christians having their theology shaped (perhaps unconsciously) by popular culture in the form of media including books that are apocalyptic or conspiracist or both such as the Left Behind Series or the DaVinci Code (and Brown's earlier Angels and Demons). I was a panel respondent at an international conference on this subject:
“Millennial Texts and Apocalyptic Contexts: Implications for Congregational Life”
Boston University Center for Millennial Studies Boston University School of Theology Boston Theological Institute Co-sponsors - two-day symposium held at Andover Newton Theological School, November 2003
So the Southern Baptists denounce what mainline denominational Christians are reading, yet these mainline denominational Christians are showing up and asking their ministers about the secret Satanic societies and what to do about them. Both conservative evangelicals and mainline denominational Christians are reading the Left Behind series. It puts a Presbyterian minister in a tough spot when a congregant asks about the End Times and when to expect the Rapture--when this is not sound theology for a Presbyterian.
:-)
-Chip
-----Original Message----- From: Chuck0 <chuck at mutualaid.org> Sent: Jun 15, 2004 5:03 PM To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Biblical Literalism
cberlet at igc.org wrote:
> More Christians are getting their "theology" from pop sources such as TV televangelism
of the Left Behind apocalyptic book series, or the book The DaVinci Code
(the author of the latter had a prior book about the Illuminati conspiracy).
They are getting their theology from the book The DaVinci Code?
Chip, you are just wrong on this one. The Southern Baptists and others of their ilk are up in arms about this book. I've been studying this phenomenon, because it looks like this book has turned into an anti-evangelical tome. I got a whiff of this from several sources. One was a wire article about religious opposition to this book. Another was a flyer a sister brough home from one of those mega-churches, this one being one where MC Hammer makes occasional visits. I looked at the church listings in the paper to see which churches were doing counter-DaVinci Code programming. Many of the local Southern Baptist churches were advertising programs contra The Da Vinci Code.
Chuck0
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