Last Thursday night I went to see Dr Phil. Partly I went to be part of the hype – but I also think that he genuinely has some good things to say to a society which has forgotten the basic values of family, marriage and relationships.
I was really looking forward to listening to what Dr Phil would say to today’s Australian culture. He did not disappoint. There were many “Dr Phil-isms” (amongst them my personal favourite: “you cannot change what you do not acknowledge”), but he also shared some interesting insights. For example, he confronted people with their mortality, and encouraged his audience to embrace that men and women are created differently.
Dr Phil did not make reference to God, but it was interesting to note how many of his ideas were (at least vaguely) Biblical. As a Christian, I couldn’t help but compare what Dr Phil was saying about life to what I know to be true from Jesus. It got me thinking why thousands of people would pay top dollar to come and listen to an American guy give advice on how to live. Obviously our society is desperate for advice on how to “do life”. They want wisdom on how to make the best of the everyday stuff – how to make their marriage, family and relationships work. But why do they run to Dr Phil? Why don’t they go to church to hear what Jesus says about life? Because surely these are the issues Jesus speaks to. Perhaps we need to encourage our friends to understand that what Jesus teaches is deeply relevant and practical. Wouldn’t it be great if church was perceived not as some high, lofty, theological club but as a place where people flocked to hear what Jesus has to say about how to live life?
1 comment:
It sounds so easy doesn't it? Unfortunately, people have this 'idea' in their heads about who Jesus is and what he is about. The media and some churches out there don't help the problem either. People should know we are Christians by what we do, and if everyone lived the way we should, then it would be assumed that Christianity would have a better name for itself... though we were told the whole world will hate us because of Jesus.
In regards to Dr. Phil, it's easier (and more lazy) to turn to him or even Oprah as well. There's a song lyric by Casting Crowns from their song "What If His People Prayed?" that makes mention of this situation:
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do
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