On the Upcoming Spate of Star Trek Sermons

Dear Seeker-Friendly and Seeker-Sensitive Pastors,

Just don't. Don't desecrate either the Bible or Star Trek by using it for your sermon. You really just wind up diminishing both and since I have a passion for both I don't want to see that. If you want to have a discussion group about it then fine, but don't drag Star Trek with you into the pulpit. A website I frequent shows one of the first salvos in the upcoming attack of Star Trek sermons.

http://www.alittleleaven.com/2009/05/attack-of-the-star-trek-sermons-1.html#comments

#1: It is cheesy. It's so cheesy it’s like that pizza at the fancy restaurant that when you try to pick it up it rips all of the topping off of the pizza. Yeah, it's that bad and that disheartening. Great reason to steer clear.

#2: The Gospel is relevant enough. It doesn't need you dressing it in a unisex jump suit to make it sell. You believe the Gospel, believe the God who says,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

#3: Doing a Star Trek sermon is uber-cheap cultural relevance. You may get a few guys who go, "Man that was cool." but for the most part you get people laughing at you, the Church, and the Bible as relics of a by-gone era. You want to be culturally relevant?

Get out into your neighborhood, city, or greater metropolitan area. Go find out what the people of your city are struggling with, interested in, and all about. Get your members involved in the community in little league, organic farmer's co-op, ballet, rock music, playing magic the gathering, tennis, golf, poker ect ect ect... Find out what your people are doing, how they are struggling, and go make a difference in your community.

Whatever you do, please stop with the cheesy half-hearted hacks at relevance.