There has been a video that went crazy viral this past month. You can find it here. I know I’m kind of late to the party.
And it blew up. Friends and “friends” (I mean that latter one in the Facebook sort of way) took to arms either debunking or defending the whole thing. It sparked a lot of conversation. Some was thoughtful and helpful. Some…not so much. Which is surprising considering what a great medium the interwebs is for controlled, articulate, and edifying conversation. (it’s times like these when I wish there was a sarcasm font…)
In the course of reading one of the threads, I came across this little gem. To be honest, I don’t always enjoy DeYoung’s writing. And unfortunately, this bias often gets in the way for me when I read him or others in his tribe. I’m working through that!
But I was taken with his approach to Bethke in that he compares it to the story of Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila in Acts 18:24-26:
“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” (NIV)
Agree or disagree with the above items from Bethke or DeYoung, the model of how we approach someone is the thing that gets me. When I see something that I perceive to be wrong in a brother/sister in the Church (notice that no one is doubting someone else’s membership in the family for having different beliefs here), I invite them into my home and explain my way of thinking.
Not in a Facebook post. Not in a Twitter war. Not from a pulpit. Not in a blog comment one-up game.
Over dinner. With hospitality. Affirming their gifts and passion, not demeaning and squashing them.
So I want to be like Priscilla and Aquila. What about you?
derek h. miller 
I was also late in the game in seeing this video. For me, the video was encouraging because some of the differences about Jesus and “religion” that Bethke brought up in this video were reasons why I had distanced myself from the church for years until joining Gallery. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in God or Jesus (or for that matter, desired to be distanced from Him), it’s just I didn’t believe in man-centered “religion”. Anyway, I have not seen all of the conversations (good or bad) about this video, however, I did read Bethke’s thoughts about the poem (and about people’s reactions to it). I agree, in the end, love wins out. So, whether you agree with him or not, what Priscilla and Aquila did was out of love and you will always have a more receptive spirit when love is present. So whether people agreed or disagreed with Bethke’s artistic expression (because that’s what it was, his artistic expression…NOT theology), how they approach him or others about it should always be with love. Thanks for sharing!