The Intersection of Faith and Culture
Lovers of Middle-earth may feel that with the Hobbit films being long concluded now, and rumors of a future Silmarillion film being dismantled, that there may not be much left to milk out of our favorite Lord of the Rings stories. But the past few months have included big news for Tolkien fans.
Whether it’s a book club, running club, or volunteer opportunities, shared hobbies are easy ways to come in contact with people that you normally wouldn’t on a daily basis. Shared hobbies are relational bridges to strangers for the purpose of leading them to Christ and building lasting, enduring relationships.
As Christians, we must not get caught up with the notion that our faith must evolve and change to keep up with the times. Our church, the church catholic, is not an ever-fluid, ever-morphing body, but a body set and sealed by the blood of Christ. We go back to find where life began.
Vancouver based musicians Sheldon and Nic Kozushko from sheldoncole came by Converge for a chat. We talked about the West Coast, Jesus, and their new EP: Detroit.
I need to hold on to hope. I can take heart. The darkness will lift. The sorrow will not last forever. I’m still in the middle of it, but I know this to be true. So I write this out as a reminder to myself. Hearts do heal. I’m not alone. And neither are you.
Many of us know the song “Honesty” by Billy Joel from his 1978 album 52nd street in which he declares that tenderness “isn’t hard to find.” But few people know that 5 years earlier on that very same record label Paul Simon released a song called “Tenderness” in which he argues the very opposite to Joel.
