Catalyst

I’m at Catalyst in Atlanta. The arena is hot so I’ll be posting updates from time to time.

I’ve told the two guys I’m with that I’ll buy dinner for the one who shouts during one of the main sessions, “Do you even read the Bible?” They have to do it loud enough for the speaker to hear them.

I want to see how the big dogs respond to such heckling. It happens to me all the time when I’m preaching and I’m not sure how to handle it.

Session One Update:

The spectacle of this thing is amazing. Bright lights, loud music, gigantic beach balls hovering over the crowd. This is American Evangelical Christianity at its big event best.

John Eldrege is doing his thing now. Talking about story and its power to shape us. Narrative theology popularized. The Trinity calls us up into their story, to be a part of it, to live within it. Mythic reality. The story of scripture speaks to our mythic heart just as all good stories do.

He’s using a combination of movie clips and scripture to make his case. I think he’s a better exegete of movies than of scripture. His overall description of mythic reality is still strong.

He’s using clips from “Last of the Mohicans.” I love Michael Mann films.

He closes with the final scene from “Gladiator.”

Session 2 Update:

Andy Stanley: “What would you do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you?”