{"id":35995,"date":"2023-04-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/church-can-seriously-funny\/"},"modified":"2023-04-19T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:00:00","slug":"church-can-seriously-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/church-can-seriously-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Church Can Seriously Be Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt is a curious fact that people are never so trivial as when they take themselves seriously.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2014Oscar Wilde<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Every year at the <\/span>Orange Conference<\/span><\/a>, we set aside an entire session for one single purpose:<\/span><\/p>\n

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To laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is Seriously Night?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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We call this special experience \u201cSeriously Night\u201d because we take the entire session to look at ourselves as Christians and say:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSeriously? I mean, seriously, we do this? We say this? We act like this? We\u2019re not doing this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Yeah. It\u2019s kind of like a roast . . . about all of us in the church . . . written by those of us in the church.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But writing this humorous session (along with other ne\u2019er-do-wells who will remain nameless for their protection) always, always . . . makes me terrified.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhy?\u201d you might ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Well, here\u2019s my answer. But please don\u2019t get mad. Okay? You promise? Okay. I\u2019m taking your word you won\u2019t get mad. Ready?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Christians get mad.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Especially when someone pokes fun at them. (We\u2019re a very tender, sensitive lot, aren\u2019t we?). \u201cOffended\u201d might be a late addition to the fruit of the Spirit. (I\u2019m kidding, of course. Please don\u2019t get offended.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t get offended<\/b><\/h2>\n

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So, when we devote a whole night poking fun at some of the more bizarre statements, actions, and practices Christians take part in, I get a little nervous.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because my Christian brothers and sisters are so . . . so . . . serious. About everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, some of you just read that and said, \u201cAbsolutely, we\u2019re serious. We\u2019ve been given a great commission. The work we\u2019ve been asked to do on this earth is of the utmost importance. Eternal importance, in fact!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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And I agree with you. Hear me say that\u2014I totally agree.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Which is why we have to seriously lighten up.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We need to laugh more<\/b><\/h2>\n

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This quote from a famous comedian sums up my exact thoughts on why we need to laug<\/span>h more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re all screwed up. And the way Christians mess things up is we act like we\u2019ve got it going on. And if we would just stay in that place of, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re all screwed up and but for the grace of God, none of us have a shot here.\u2019 We need to have a sense of humor about it; that\u2019s kind of the way I\u2019ve always faced my comedy.\u201d \u2014Jeff Foxworthy<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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I believe, with all my heart, that in order to show our world a Savior who loves them, we need to be willing to point out why we need Him too.<\/span><\/p>\n

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That takes . . . <\/span><\/p>\n

vulnerability\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

transparency<\/span><\/p>\n

honesty.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It takes us taking ourselves way less seriously, so we can more effectively point to the One we\u2019re seriously lost without.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Three reasons Christians should use comedy<\/b><\/h2>\n

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So, for those of you who think humor, satire, and sarcasm are dangerous tools for us to use as Christians, I\u2019ve compiled a list of three reasons why we should embrace our own ridiculousness to further the cause of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Wow\u2014I\u2019m talking like a preacher now . . . bullet points and everything!)<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Comedy is confession.<\/b><\/h3>\n

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We truly need to do a better job confessing to one another about our own poor choices and mistakes. But I also believe the church needs to confess those things it has done poorly to those outside of the church.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because\u2014and I don\u2019t know if you know this\u2014those outside the church already know our mistakes! And when we don\u2019t own up to them, it actually drives a wedge between us.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Comedy is empathy.<\/b><\/h3>\n

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If we want people to come to us with their hurt, their pain, and their \u201cfailures\u201d <\/span>with the confidence that we, as the church, will be there for them with open arms, comedy is a surprising way to show we care. Comedy and humor let us gently look at the hurts we all carry.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Think about it. The reason you laugh at a sitcom, slapstick humor, or those awkward situations in movies, is because you feel what the other person is going through, but are simultaneously joyous that you\u2019re not the one going through it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When we all laugh at someone else\u2019s pain together, it\u2019s an indicator that we\u2019re all aware of our own pain. In some way, we\u2019re laughing at our own frailty as humans.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It may sound counterintuitive, but it\u2019s one of the best ways to welcome others, connect with others, and create a common starting place for everyone\u2014regardless of where they are in life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. People remember comedy.<\/b><\/h3>\n

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I don\u2019t know about you, but I remember funny things more than I do deep, serious things. The problem is, we think that \u201cfunny\u201d and \u201cdeep and serious\u201d are incompatible.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I get accused of this all the time when it comes to the products I work on that teach children. People tell me it\u2019s way too silly. That we don\u2019t dive deep enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I disagree. But, how would you rather have children (and adults, for that matter) remember the message of the Gospel:<\/span><\/p>\n

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