My 15 Minutes

Y'all have probably seen this.  But I just realized I never linked to my recent CNN appearance on my own blog.  So there it is.

A few thoughts on the experience:

1. The blog exposure was the biggest gift because it showed me how a vast range of people "hear" an explicitly Christian message.  I ended up reading most of the 1200 comments and while that was initially quite hurtful and disorienting (read the first page or two and you'll see why), I soon understood that this was the biggest, most diverse audience that I may ever get a chance to address.  What a learning opportunity!  There was a nice representative mix of responses:  a surprising number of atheists (hanging out on the CNN "belief" blog) who dismissed my perspective (as they probably would any religious perspective) as pure ignorance; a group of Christians who felt no shame in delighting in OBL's grisly death; a group of Christians who felt like I was not Christian enough in my response; and a whole group of people from a variety of backgrounds who thanked me for my perspective.  When I preach, I preach to such a selected audience--there are so many assumptions that I don't have to explain in a message for a Christian audience.  But this blogging experience made me realize how important it is to avoid any "insider" religious language when you're trying to communicate with an audience that is not made up of people who know and claim a Christian worldview.  In my own defense, the piece was not written for CNN--it was written for the Fund for Theological Education (a group of mostly Christians).
2. The TV experience was more disorienting.  It was arranged the afternoon beforehand and I did not know what questions I would be asked, so I had to guess.  I actually guessed right about the "hell" question and the "bin Laden photographs" questions; whether you could tell or not, I was prepared for those.  I had also been well-coached about media appearances (thanks Auburn Media!) and the big rule is:  decide what it is you want to say and say it no matter what questions they ask you.  So what did I decide I wanted to say?  First, that responses to OBL's death are complicated and a variety of emotions are legitimate.  Second, that Jesus tells us explicitly to pray for our enemies.  I got both of those points in, I think.  A friend at church observed that I was a "terrible" guest for CNN, because I was too conciliatory and understanding.  He said that it would have been better, from CNN's perspective, if I had taken strong stances (YES, OBL is roasting in hell!).  But my approach--acknowledging the legitimacy of differing views, offering a counter-cultural Biblical perspective on a contemporary issue--made for bad television, but, he said, it made for good pastoring.  I guess I'll take it!