While I know that this blog is titled “Jeff’s view through a lens” I have been playing a lot with after effects lately. The reality is that in today’s day in age the virtual camera can and often is used just as much as a real camera. In fact one can’t watch TV today without seeing virtual 3d work in every commercial break or in ever station affiliation tag. The above video is an example of a project I did in after effects that is close to one used by ABC or TNT for their logos revealed often in commercial breaks or as they leave commercial breaks and head back into their shows.
While nothing in the video was captured by camera and it is all generated in after effects, it still can be used to communicate in just as lively a way as video or photography. My personal opinion is that many of us video or photography aficionados would use more computer generated tools if we weren’t so lazy in not wanting to take the time to learn new techniques. Sure there are those who would say use lose some of the art form but I say you are just tapping into a new one.
The same could be said about the church today!
In today’s day and age as a minister it is ever increasingly difficult to remain relevant with today’s culture, and yet at the same time not change the truths of God in such an attempt. Just today I listened as my pastor preached on the subject of eternal judgment. He began his sermon by proposing that most of the people in the congregation had never heard a true sermon on Gods judgment. In today’s Americanized Christian Culture I didn’t have much of a problem believing that his statements were probably true.
The reality is that in our ever changing world and with technology changing ever so rapidly, it is hard to find ways to communicate the Biblical truths without compromising their integrity or changing them in the process. Or is it?
Paul writes in I Corinthians 10 and on about such a dilemma that the church was facing regarding what was acceptable to eat and do in worship. In it he points at a couple of key things we need to evaluate in our communication of the truth. The first is that we need to understand what the fundamental truth is to begin with. This sounds relatively easy but it sometimes is not. We must learn to separate truths that have their root in cultural practice or traditions of the church from the basic doctrines God intended for us to bear. Secondly we must constantly be relaying on our knowledge and study of the word and our relationship with Christ to allow His Holy Spirit to guide our decisions. Ultimately we must make sure that God is receiving the Glory He deserves.
As Christians we don’t need to be afraid of using new techniques to communicate the gospel, we also shouldn’t allow our laziness or fear of the time it would take to invest in learning new ways to communicate the everlasting non changing truths of scripture to keep us from doing so. I’m not saying we should throw out all our traditions either. But to use them as an excuse to not be learning new ways to communicate the truth is a disservice to God. We should be using every avenue available to us to reveal Gods truth and give Him the Glory He deserves.