Pop Goes The Church

Indianapolis Interview

Second Printing!

I heard from my publisher this week that they are doing a second printing already. Evidently Pop Goes the Church is moving well since it's been in bookstores less than two weeks.

The initial print run was 5,000 books. I wasn't sure how that compared until I found these stats...

- There will be about 300,000 book titles published this year. That is about 34 per hour every day of the year. Whoa.

- There are over 1.2 million books currently in print.

- In 2004, over 79% of all books sold less than 99 copies.

- In the same year, 17% sold between 100 and 1,000 copies.

- Only 25,000 titles (or 2% of all titles) sold more than 5,000 copies.

You want to know my personal "I-would-be-ecstatic" goal? I'd love to see the book exceed 20,000 in the first two years.

One good thing about a new print run...we get to fix mistakes. Kevin and Zak will be glad!

Did Paul Leverage the Culture? Or Not?

In Pop Goes the Church, I suggest that there is tremendous support in the Bible for finding analogies in the culture to connect people to Jesus. I talk about the way Paul (in Acts 17) leverages his knowledge of the pop culture of his day, and uses that to make a spiritual point.

There is quite a discussion going on about the theology of this concept in the Christian world right now. John MacArthur talked about this in a recent conference, and various people have been responding to his speech. Andrew Jones sums up the discussion very nicely here. I loved his bottom line summary:

I believe that the Apostle Paul listened and conversed and looked for the redemptive analogies that would help him convincingly and prophetically shed light on the good news of Christ. The next generation are finding their own mythologies that will influence how they understand concepts of redemption, salvation, blood sacrifice and other theological concepts. They will need eye openers. They already have stored away a few redemptive analogies from the poets and writers of their own day and will draw on them to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. Some of those stories are helpful and some will need to be corrected. But we do need to be aware of them.

I encourage you to read his entire post.

Thanks to Anne Jackson for bringing this to my attention.

In Stock on Amazon

Interesting. I pulled up Amazon tonight and it says that Pop Goes the Church is now in stock. That's sooner than I expected!

Apollo 13

A few weeks ago during our I Love the 80's series, Mark Beeson showed a video clip from Apollo 13 during his message. This is a great example of pulling analogies from pop culture to make a spiritual point.

Open Letter to Britney Spears

It is way too easy to condemn pop culture and its flawed icons. That's why so many church leaders do it often and with great flair. But what would happen if we represented Christ by showing compassion for the broken people who comprise pop culture? Could we possibly change the world by loving instead of judging? By expressing care instead of condemnation?

One such icon has been in my prayers lately, and it is to her I offer these words (reprinted from my column in the current issue of Collide Magazine)...

Dear Britney,

I wish I had a few minutes to talk to you. I wish it were possible for me to send you a letter and be assured that you would get it. If I had just a few minutes of your time, there are two words I would want you to hear and believe: You matter.

Your life has value. You are not defined by what you do or don’t do. Your value is not determined by what you own. You are more than all of that. You are a precious child of God who has a purpose for living and hope for the future. You matter.

I realize you don’t believe that right now. You feel utter despair and deep loneliness.  As I write this, you are being held against your will at the UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation. I would guess you are feeling as hopeless as you’ve ever felt. You want so much to be a mommy again and hold Sean and Jayden close to your side, but the world around you won’t allow it. I cannot imagine the pressure you are under. You grew into your fame while still a child. You were reduced by the world to nothing more than a product to be touched, squeezed, used and discarded. When you were at your best, everyone wanted to be associated with you. But when your marriage collapsed and your aunt died, your personal life started to fall apart. And many people—including some of your friends—ran away as fast as they could. Others hung around like vultures to see if they could profit from your fall.

Now you probably have a hard time figuring out who your true friends are. You must suspect everyone around you. Do they want something? Perhaps they want your money. Perhaps they want to write a book about you. Perhaps they want to be famous. But where are the people who truly love you? Where are the friends who will be with you and listen to you without expecting anything in return? You thought Dr. Phil might be that person and invited him to the hospital. But he left your room, held a news conference and planned a television special about your demise. That probably felt like a kick in the gut. Britney – I will say it again: You matter.

I’ve never met you. I’ve only seen you through the lens of a camera. But when I look at you, I don’t see what the media sees. I don’t see what many journalists see. I see a little girl who wants so much to be loved. I see a girl who has tried everything to be what the world wants, but hasn’t been able to please anyone. I see eyes that are sometimes bright with passion, but often revealing a girl who is sad and lonely.

And I also see hope in you. I know you can be the woman you want to be. You can be a great mom for your kids. You can be a role model for millions of girls around the world who are troubled but rarely see an example of someone who emerges from a hard place to live with strength. You can be an awesome sister for Jamie Lynn as she goes through her pregnancy and the pressures that come with being a mom at such a young age. You can be a woman whose beauty isn’t based only on her body, but on an inner strength that comes from a strong faith.

Last year I wrote out a prayer for you, and it remains my prayer today:

Oh God, bring someone into Britney's life that will speak truth into her; someone that will love her for who she is, not for what she has or how she looks; someone who will lift her up toward you; someone who will give her hope and purpose for living. I pray this not so that Christians' around the world can claim her as their most recent poster-child (oh God, please no!), but so that she will understand how precious she is to You and how her life matters.

I wish I could somehow sneak you past the paparazzi and across state lines to a community of faith where you would be loved; where you could heal; and where you would find true acceptance and freedom to be who God has made you to be.

I’m guessing that won’t happen. So I’ll keep praying for you. Because you matter. You matter to me. You matter to thousands of people of faith just like me who are cheering for your return to health. And you matter to God.

Review: "I'm Buying a Copy for my Whole Team"

Ben Dubow from St. Paul's Collegiate Church offers his thoughts about Pop Goes the Church...

The book is a strong apologetic for why the church must fully engage with popular culture.

Tim is not writing mere theory here. He is on the front lines of this kind of thing as Granger Community Church, where Tim is the executive pastor, has pretty much mastered this area.

Like many, I can be skeptical of the church's over-use of pop culture. But Tim makes a strong case--both theologically and historically, as well as practically and from a missiological perspective.

While I can't quote the book directly until it is published, I can say that the book combines theological reflection with spot-on practical advice on a topic every church needs to take seriously if they are interested in reaching their community: how to leverage and connect with popular culture.

St. Paul's Collegiate Church is a very different church than Granger stylistically. But our goal and commitment to helping people encounter God and take their next steps towards Christ is 100% in line with Tim and Granger. There are a number of practical suggestions and ideas he talks about that I am really chewing on and I think the whole issue of how the church engages and leverages pop culture is unavoidable.

I also love Tim's passion for the Christ, for the church, and for people far from God. Even in the few places I might disagree with him, I never doubt his passion, compassion, and commitment to Christ and the Kingdom.

Tim's book will challenge, stretch, inspire and maybe even offend at times--but he makes you think and he makes a strong case for why the church needs to take pop culture seriously. I'm buying a copy for my whole team when it comes out!

Review: "It is both engaging and provocative"

Jason Salamun at ThinkingInProgress.com gives his review...

"Churches now have a guidebook that explains why and how to leverage pop culture, engage people, and point them to Jesus in the book 'Pop Goes the Culture.'

"As an early reviewer of the book, I can’t give away many details of it, but I can tell you that it is both engaging and provocative. The stories Tim weaves in throughout the book are a great touch with some surprising tales about his own life.

"Tim comes across as a nice guy (I’m sure he is)- but he makes no bones that this book will offend lots of churchy people. After reading it, I would definitely agree. If you read it you will either dig it or disdain. I, for one, dug it.

"There are aspects of the book that may be fodder for the “attack dog” “watchdog” bloggers out there. But I hope the message of the book will rise above all of that and provoke thought, discussion, prayer, and action instead. People need Jesus. Pop culture practically screams it out. Why not use it in a timely way to connect people to the timeless truth?

"I think this should be required reading for every church planter, Christian leader, and Christ follower. I’m thankful for the opportunity to review this book and look forward to seeing the impact it’s bound to have on ministries, and ultimately people, everywhere."

Review: "This book is going to burst some bubbles"

Tim Schraeder from Creative Chaos reviewed Pop Goes the Church.  Here it is in his words...

"Bottom line: I LOVED this book. Here’s why…

It’s a solid argument for why the church needs to must engage with culture.

Beyond theory and ideas, you’ll get to hear about how churches (and not just Granger) are leveraging pop culture – and the results it has brought.

Tim presents a strong Biblical foundation.

It is well-researched. You can tell a lot was put into it.

Tim is a great storyteller. I never got bored. I’m pretty ADD, so that was an accomplishment.

I was challenged. Like woah.

I cried. Once. I laughed. A lot.

That’s pretty much all I can say without getting in trouble.

"Having recently read unChristian which told us how bad we (Christians and the church) are being perceived by the ‘outside world’ – Pop Goes the Church really speaks to how we can right that wrong and meet people where they are, speak in a language they understand, use things they are already familiar with (movies, TV, music, books) to bring Biblical truth, and in the end help them find their way to relationship with Christ. That’s what it’s all about!

"Of all of the books I’ve read in the last couple of years about the church and culture, Pop Goes the Church, in my humble opinion, is one of the best.

"It is going to really influence church leaders to take a hard look at what they are doing, and how they can more effectively reach people by engaging with pop culture… and not by watering down the Gospel, preaching on sex, having smoke, lights and big video screens, singing U2 songs, or wearing Diesel jeans!

"This book is going to burst some bubbles, but I pray that it helps people pop out of some old mindsets and see how we, as the church, can be more effective in helping people find their way to Christ and make a greater impact in our communities."

Review: "It Made Me Rethink My Convictions"

A review on Pop Goes the Church from Jack at Camel Crossing...

"To be honest at first I was hesitant to read the book.  I thought it was going to be just another book about how to use cheesy tie-ins to try to get non-Christians to think we’re cool.  This book is so not about this.  It’s very much about looking for redemptive ananlogies in culture to create atmospheres for redemptive conversations..."

"Tim does a great job showing how this method (previously used by Jesus and Paul and currently used by missionaries) can be used to effectively reach the US culture.  The book is well researched and written in an easy to read thought provoking manner.  As a former worship leader it made me rethink many of my previously held convictions about the seperation between sacred and secular.  I previously saw a vast difference between the two and was opposed to their presence in a “sacred” service.  One of the reasons I felt this way was that I felt like we were trying to trick the world by being “controversial” and “cheesy” and hoping they would be impressed.  Tim does a great job of grounding this approach in the need to be missional. It also confirmed my beliefs that we are called to embrace the world not run from it..."